I've always loved books and storytelling, and for the past seven years I've worked in a variety of roles in the book publishing world. From bookselling at an indie bookstore to author event planning, internships at literary agencies to working as an acquiring editor at Orbit Books at Hachette Book Group, I've tried it all — but my great love is editing books. My background has provided me with invaluable insight on what makes a good book: both in terms of line-by-line writing quality and salability in the marketplace.
If you're looking for a freelance editor for an editorial assessment, developmental edit, or query letter critique, I would love to help you. I enjoy working in a variety of genres, but my specialties include fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction, YA/NA books, and romance.
I'm passionate about collaborating with authors to take their stories to the next level. I know you have a story to tell, and I'm here to help you translate that vision onto the page so that your voice and your characters shine. It's always been my belief that an editor should be an author's first and biggest fan, and together we can work to bring your story to life.
Testimonials
“Hillary was a pleasure to work with but what I really treasured was her insight on my manuscript. She truly immersed herself in the world I created; honing in on everything from worldbuilding inconsistencies to story-spanning character arcs and plot payoffs. Her editing allowed me to realize my story's strengths and shore up its weaknesses, and in the end, her work brought my book to the next level.”
— Alexander Darwin, author of The Combat Codes
"I've worked with Hillary on several projects, most notably The Tyranny of Faith (book 2 of the Empire of the Wolf trilogy). As an editor she occupies that rarest of nexuses in the industry — genre savvy, commercially astute, and a genuine pleasure to work with. I would recommend her without hesitation."
— Richard Swan, author of The Justice of Kings
“Hillary's notes really helped improve my books, especially The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng. I absolutely recommend working with her!”
— K. S. Villoso, author of The Wolf of Oren-Yaro
“Hillary was a pleasure to work with. She gave me in-depth notes that not only made my query packet sing, but shared her industry experience for me to better understand the suggested improvements. I very much recommend working with her!”
—A.P. Thayer
Reedsy Reviews
"Hillary is an excellent developmental editor and I will be contacting her for all future projects. I found her in-text edits both extremely helpful and encouraging. Her critiques helped empower and fully develop my story."
"Hillary's editorial assessment was invaluable, thoughtful and extremely helpful -- and all folded into a 'hug' because it was encouraging throughout the entire thing. I would 100% recommend her."
"Her written assessment was excellent and very encouraging, as she pointed out what was currently working, and then provided critical and actionable feedback on how I could improve my novel's opening... With her keen attention to detail, she was able to not only follow my story's unusual worldbuilding, but also suggest how expanding on a few key details would better engage readers... Next time I need a SFF editor, I'll absolutely be in contact with Hillary! I wholeheartedly recommend her to other SFF writers."
"Hillary is an editing angel... She had a very keen intuition about my story that aligned with my own vision for it. I had so much peace while my book was in her hands."
"You can't get any better than Hillary! She has the passion and expertise to turn anything she edits into gold. I can't wait to work with her in the future!"