Mystery | Crime | Adventure | Suspense | Historical | Westerns

Science Fiction and Fantasy | Speculative Fiction

Young Adult | Romance | Literary

CAROLINE HILEY specializes in copyediting novels and works of nonfiction. She works with both traditional publishers and independent authors.

Her focus in all editing is consistency, accuracy, and clarity, so that authors can successfully connect with their readers. Because she writes fiction and nonfiction herself, she knows the creative process from both sides and understands how editing can help or hinder.

No matter what genre, Caroline thoroughly grooms a manuscript, checking spelling, grammar, punctuation, formatting, and style; tracking character traits and story timeline; confirming proper names, dates, places, and other technical or historical elements; flagging any spots that may raise a question in the reader’s mind. Authors then accept or reject the revisions, and move on to the next stage in their novel’s progression.

Experience

Caroline came to editing by way of corporate publishing: creating business documents through word processing then typesetting, during which she became the go-to girl for grammar and spelling and overall tone. Eventually she learned that refining text was an occupation unto itself, so she studied to qualify for editorial work in the book publishing industry, and proceeded to build a new career. She works with manuscripts intended for literary agents and traditional publishers as well as independent authors.

Editing Services

Caroline specializes in copyediting—the t-crossing and i-dotting needed by every book—focusing on mechanics more than content revision. She does this on completed manuscripts to prepare them for submission or layout.

For authors who want deeper help on works in process, Caroline offers line or substantive editing, in which a manuscript is evaluated and fine-tuned at the sentence level beyond the mechanical details of copyediting. This includes addressing character growth and point of view, story arc, plot pacing and credibility, theme, and genre conventions; as well as author pet words or patterns, phrasing that creates unintentional effects or reader distraction, and anything else that may crop up.

In either case, her guideline for editing is to let the story emerge unhindered, in the author’s genuine voice.

The same principles apply in manuscript evaluation, a critique that involves no editing. This review analyzes a work’s patterns, strengths, and weaknesses to guide an author in revising. It usually results in a stronger, leaner book that’s closer to readiness for copyediting. It can also be used as an educational process that might eliminate a new author’s need for developmental editing, thus lowering the ultimate cost because the writer learns by doing.

Books Edited

Fiction

• Article V, by Richard Rudomanski. Political suspense (CreateSpace 2014).
• A Woman Warrior-Born, by Alexander Edlund. Volume 1 in The Book of Banea fantasy series (Smashwords 2013). Book 2, Come the Wind, in process.
• Bite-Sized Magic, by Kathryn Littlewood. Book 3 in the Bliss Family Bakery fantasy series (HarperTeen 2014).
• Chili Con Carnage, by Kylie Logan. Book 1 in the Chili Cook-Off mystery series (Berkley Prime Crime 2013).
• Fallen Angel, Nightshade, and Idolmaker, by Jonelle Patrick. Books 1–3 in the Only in Tokyo mystery series (Penguin/InterMix 2012/2013).
• Folded Dreams, by Michael Kent. Book 1 of the Lieutenant Beaudry detective series (Mezzo Publications 2014).
• Keelic and the Space Pirates, by Alexander Edlund. Book 1 in The Keelic Travers Chronicles (Smashwords 2015). Book 2, Keelic and the Pathfinders of Midgarth, in process.
• Majesty: Discovery, by Roger B. Burt. Book 1 in the Gaia’s Majesty spec fiction trilogy (CreateSpace 2015). Books 2 and 3, Majesty: Presence and Majesty: Transformation, in process.
• Malled to Death, by Laura DiSilverio. Book 3 in the Mall Cop mystery series (Berkley Prime Crime 2013).
• Relentless and Defiant, by P. J. O’Dwyer. Books 1 and 2 in the Fallon Sisters romantic suspense trilogy (Black Siren Books, 2011/2013).
• Safe From Harm, by Stephanie Jaye Evans. Book 2 in the Sugar Land mystery series (Berkley Prime Crime 2013).
• Solomon’s Temple, by Leo Braginsky. Historical suspense, WWII (BookBaby 2012).
• Stasis and The Girl Whom the Dragon Tattooed, by Steve Simpson. Science fiction novelettes (Amazon Publishing Services 2015).
• Tempest in a Teapot, by Amanda Cooper. Book 1 in the Teapot Collector mystery series (Berkley Prime Crime 2014).
• Temporary Monsters, by Craig Shaw Gardner. Book 1 in the Temporary Magic fantasy series (Penguin/Intermix 2013).
• The Ball Crossing, by J. E. Lindberg. Historical suspense, post–Civil War Vermont (John Eric Lindberg 2013).
• The Boy, by Lara Santoro. Literary romance (Little, Brown 2013).
• The Child Revealed, by A. R. Winterstaar. Book 1 in The World of Evendaar fantasy series (Evendaar Publishing 2014).
• The Christmas Spirit, by Elisabeth Fairchild. Regency romance (Penguin/Intermix 2012).
• The Havoc Machine, by Steven Harper. Book 4 in the Clockwork Empire steampunk series (NAL/Roc 2013).
• The Magic Thief: Home, by Sarah Prineas. Book 4 in the Magic Thief fantasy series (Harper 2014).
• The Nephilim Device, The Nephilim Effect, and The Nephilim Conspiracy, by B. C. Crow. Books 1–3 in the Nephilim science fiction trilogy (Blue House Publishing 2015).
• Wanderers, by Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan. Book 2 in the Wasteland dystopia series (HarperTeen 2014).
• Willowgrove, by Kathleen Peacock. Book 3 in the Hemlock paranormal suspense series (Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins 2015).
• Za’nar: Impossibility, by Zachary Storch. YA fantasy (Amazon Digital Services 2015).

 

Nonfiction

• A Beginner’s Guide to American Mah Jongg, by Elaine Sandburg. General interest (Tuttle Publishing 2007).
• An Unconventional Childhood: Growing Up in the Catskill Mountains During the 1950s and 1960s, by Marilyn Mayes Kaltenborn. Memoir (BookBaby, 2013).
• Anchor and Flares: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hope, and Service, by Kate Braestrup. Memoir (Little, Brown 2015).
• Big Delicious Life: Stacey Ballis’s Most Awesome Recipes, by Stacey Ballis. Cookbook (Penguin/Intermix 2014).
• Dancing in Bomb Shelters: My Diary of Holland in World War II, by Johanna Wycoff. Memoir (iUniverse 2010).
• GrandPAW’s Memoirs: Growing Up on a Dirt Road, by Dave Quesnel. Memoir (ShiresPress 2015).
• Home Is the Sailor: With the Nyes Aboard the Three Carinas, by Richard Nye. Memoir (Bruce Farr Creative Publishing 2011).
• Simply Armenian: Naturally Healthy Ethnic Cooking Made Easy, by Barbara Ghazarian. Cookbook (Mayreni Publishing 2004).
• Simply Quince, by Barbara Ghazarian. Cookbook (Mayreni Publishing 2009).
• Sport Matters: Leadership, Power, and the Quest for Respect in Sports, by Kenneth L. Shropshire. Business (Wharton Digital Press 2015).
• Sweet Baby Lover: A True Story of Love, Death, and Hope, by Jule Kucera. Memoir (Poppyseed House, 2014).
• Tea: The Drink That Changed the World, by Laura C. Martin. General interest (Tuttle Publishing 2007).
• The 24-Hour Genius: Unlocking Your Brain’s Potential with Strategic All-Nighters, by Eric Epstein. Business (Penguin/Intermix 2013).
• The 34-Ton Bat: The Story of Baseball as Told Through Bobbleheads, Cracker Jacks, Jockstraps, Eye Black, and 375 Other Strange and Unforgettable Objects, by Steve Rushin. Sports history (Little, Brown 2013).
• The Engaged Leader: A Strategy for Your Digital Transformation, by Charline Li. Business (Wharton Digital Press 2015).
• The Gamification Toolkit: Dynamics, Mechanics, and Components for the Win, by Kevin Werbach and Dan Hunter. Business (Wharton Digital Press 2015).
• The Secret Rescue: The Untold Survival Story of American Nurses and Medics Behind Nazi Lines, by Cate Lineberry. WWII history (Little, Brown 2013).

Academic/Scholarly

• Changing on the Job: Developing Leaders for a Complex World, by Jennifer Garvey Berger (Stanford University Press 2011).
• Communication Mosaics: An Introduction to the Field of Communication (6th ed.), by Julia T. Wood (Wadsworth Publishing 2009).
• Descendants of Noah: Stories of Armenian Apostolic Faith and Heritage, by Barbara Ghazarian (Mayreni Publishing 2002).
• Educational Administration: Concepts and Practices (5th ed.), by Fred C. Lunenberg and Allan C. Ornstein (Wadsworth Publishing 2007).
• Encyclopedia of Sustainability, by Karen Christensen, ed. (Berkshire Publishing Group 2012).
• Forensic Psychology (3rd ed.), by Solomon M. Fulero and Lawrence W. Wrightsman (Wadsworth Publishing 2008).
• Gendered Lives: Communication, Gender, and Culture (8th ed.), by Julia T. Wood (Wadsworth Publishing 2007).
• Global Security Upheaval: Armed Nonstate Groups Usurping State Stability Functions, by Robert Mandel (Stanford University Press 2013).
• Interpersonal Communications: Everyday Encounters (6th ed.), by Julia T. Wood (Wadsworth Publishing 2008).
• Making the Transition: Education and Labor Market Entry in Central and Eastern Europe, Irena Kogan, Clemens Noelke, and Michael Gebel, eds. (Stanford University Press 2011).
• Mikayel S. Giurjian, His Life and Work, by Harutium Mekeryan (Vatche Ghazarian, ed.) (Mayreni Publishing 2005).
• New Challenges for Maturing Democracies in Korea and Taiwan, by Larry Diamond and Gi-Wook Shin (Stanford University Press 2014).
• Racing for Innocence: Whiteness, Gender, and the Backlash Against Affirmative Action, by Jennifer L. Pierce (Stanford University Press 2012).
• The Hidden God: Luther, Philosophy, and Political Theology, by Marius Timmann Mjaaland (Indiana University Press 2015).
• The Nuclear Renaissance and International Security, by Adam N. Stulberg and Matthew Fuhrmann, eds. (Stanford University Press 2013).

Book Editor Reviews

“I was thrilled to work with her! Caroline is great to work with. She offers feedbacks with professionalism and empathy. She helped me expand my knowledge in copyediting and diction.” – E. Cruz

“I found Caroline to be wonderfully professional and very easy to work with. She delivered my manuscript on time and her edit went deeper than I expected. Her work helped to make my book everything I wanted it to be.” – Alexandra Clausen

“Caroline improved my work far beyond my expectations.” – Craig Millard

“Caroline was responsive, timely and open. I found her to be insightful and extremely helpful in pointing out what the reader needs to know or how they may feel. When making suggestions she was completely open about her own bias (as to her preferred genre – subject matter) and that others might not see the issue the same way. She was simply a delight to work with.” – Michael May

“I made the novice error of using friends as line editors for [my first book] — big mistake. I have since had it re-edited and re-published. For [the next books], I hired a professional copy editor. If someone doesn’t like the story, I can live with that; reading is subjective. But to have had bad reviews because of the editing, well, that’s inexecusable, and, unfortunately, it was part of a painful learning curve. . . . Caroline was, from the initial contact, prompt, professional and awesome. Her editing of my manuscript exceeded my expectations and produced a clean polished finished product. I would not hesitate to use her services again, in fact, she is my editor for life.” – Richard Rudomanski, Author of Article V, The Note, and Sealed Correspondence

“Caroline is a superior editor. She did a remarkable job pointing out difficulties with dialog and narrative flow. I especially like her focus on detail. Whether my novel is published soon or later, I will have Hiley’s documents to trust going forward.” – Stephen

“Caroline was great. I learned a lot from her comments and edits. She’s very professional and thorough.” – Brent Lindstrom