Claire Whitmore

Freelance Book Editor — Developmental, Line, Copy Editing & Proofreading

Jan 2022 - Present • 4 yrs 5 mos

Provided professional freelance book editing services to independent authors, self-publishers, and hybrid publishing clients across a wide range of nonfiction genres, including memoir, self-help, wellness, business, leadership, faith-based, and personal growth. Delivered four core editorial services across all projects: Developmental Editing — Assessed manuscript structure, narrative arc, argument flow, chapter sequencing, audience alignment, voice consistency, and scene construction. Provided detailed editorial reports and in-document coaching notes to guide authors through full manuscript revisions. Line Editing — Refined sentence-level clarity, rhythm, word choice, and emotional precision while preserving each author's distinct voice. Eliminated hedging language, passive constructions, redundancy, and tonal inconsistencies across nonfiction manuscripts. Copy Editing — Applied Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition) standards to grammar, punctuation, subject-verb agreement, capitalization, hyphenation, and tense consistency. Standardized industry-specific terminology and scriptural citations across faith-based and business titles. Proofreading — Delivered final quality-control passes before typesetting and publication, correcting typographical errors, punctuation inconsistencies, formatting irregularities, and citation formatting across completed manuscripts. Key Achievements: Maintained a 100% client satisfaction record across all completed editing projects Edited manuscripts spanning memoir, self-help, Christian living, business leadership, and entrepreneurship nonfiction Delivered all projects within agreed deadlines with full tracked changes transparency using Microsoft Word Built a portfolio of five distinct editing samples covering all four editorial service tiers Developed a reputation for warm, author-centered communication and clear editorial reasoning in every revision

Freelance Nonfiction Book Editor — Memoir & Personal Narrative Specialist

Mar 2021 - Dec 2021 • 9 mos

Specialized in editing memoir and personal narrative manuscripts for first-time and emerging authors navigating the self-publishing and hybrid publishing space. Worked closely with authors to shape raw personal stories into structured, emotionally resonant narratives ready for publication or literary agent submission. Key Responsibilities: Conducted full developmental assessments of memoir manuscripts, evaluating narrative arc, chronological structure, scene-versus-summary balance, voice authenticity, and emotional pacing. Delivered comprehensive editorial reports with actionable revision roadmaps tailored to each author's publishing goals. Performed line edits on personal narrative manuscripts with particular sensitivity to voice preservation — ensuring that the author's unique way of seeing the world was sharpened, never erased. Addressed sentence rhythm, imagery, word precision, and the pacing of vulnerable, high-stakes scenes. Guided authors through the distinction between what happened and what the story means, helping them locate the thematic thread that transforms a personal account into a memoir with universal resonance. Key Achievements: Edited memoir manuscripts ranging from 40,000 to 90,000 words across multiple life themes including family, faith, grief, migration, and personal reinvention Helped three authors complete their first full manuscript revision after receiving developmental feedback Consistently praised by clients for balancing honest editorial critique with encouragement and respect for the author's story Developed a signature editorial approach that treats every memoir as a collaboration between the author's lived experience and the reader's need to feel less alone

Freelance Copy Editor & Proofreader — Business, Leadership & Self-Help Nonfiction

Jun 2020 - Feb 2021 • 8 mos

Provided focused copy editing and proofreading services to nonfiction authors and content creators in the business, leadership, self-help, and wellness categories. Served clients preparing manuscripts for independent publication, corporate distribution, and professional speaking platforms. Key Responsibilities: Applied Chicago Manual of Style standards rigorously across all copy editing engagements, addressing grammar, punctuation, syntax, subject-verb agreement, capitalization, hyphenation of compound modifiers, and tense consistency. Ensured industry-specific terminology — including business frameworks, psychological concepts, and leadership models — was used accurately and consistently throughout each manuscript. Delivered meticulous proofreading passes as the final quality-control stage before design and typesetting, catching typographical errors, widows and orphans, citation inconsistencies, and formatting irregularities that earlier editing rounds had missed. Maintained a style sheet for every project, documenting the author's preferred spellings, capitalization decisions, and formatting conventions to ensure consistency across long manuscripts. Key Achievements: Proofread and copy edited manuscripts ranging from 25,000-word business guides to 80,000-word leadership books Developed detailed style sheets for each client project, reducing revision cycles and improving manuscript consistency Praised by multiple clients for catching recurring grammatical patterns and communicating corrections clearly, rather than silently applying them Delivered all projects with fully transparent tracked changes, empowering authors to accept, reject, or query every editorial decision