I love helping authors find the most powerful version of their work!

As an editor, I work on

• board books
• picture books (fiction and nonfiction)
• middle grade, young adult, and adult fiction in every genre except horror
• nonfiction for all age levels

I offer project-based pricing as well as hourly book coaching and custom mentorships. Fill out the contact form below to find out more about how we could work together.

As an editor, I have worked on many titles for Soaring Kite Books, as well as working with many independent picture book authors and middle grade and young adult novelists.
I am the author of more than two dozen traditionally published books for children, teens, and adults. I bring my breadth of experience working with publishers of different sizes and in different age categories and genres to my editing work, along with an eagle eye and a keen ear for dialogue. My approach always starts with your vision. I look forward to applying these skills to helping you bring out the best in your writing.

Turnaround time will vary depending on my other projects and deadlines, but is generally 2-4 weeks for shorter projects, 6-10 weeks for longer projects. Once you contact me with the details of your project, I will provide an honest estimate of turnaround time based on the length of your critique and the other projects on my plate at the time. If you are looking for a shorter turnaround time, you may wish to consider a coaching call, which can usually be arranged within 2-3 weeks.

What you can expect when you work with me:

• Open and honest communication
• Detailed, actionable feedback
• The work will be done when promised
• An honest evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of your work

 

Testimonials:

“I can’t recommend Kathy’s critiques highly enough.  She always has such keen insight into what I’m trying to do and then offers suggestions and solutions that make my own ideas for the book stronger and clearer.  She has taught me so much about my strengths as a writer and how to play into them to make my books better.”—Tobie Easton, award-winning author of the Mer Chronicles series

“I’ve worked with a number of well-regarded editors over the years, but none as good as Kathy. She immediately got the vision for my book and guided me on issues big and small to bring that vision onto the page. Her feedback was insightful, precise, and practical. With her edits in hand, I had confidence that my manuscript and my query letter were ready to put out into the world. All that, and she’s a warm, encouraging, and positive person. We need more Kathy MacMillans in the world!” — William T., middle-grade author

“Kathy MacMillan gives fantastic, thorough and thoughtful feedback. Her experience in the industry, as well as her attention to craft, mean that her comments address practical, over-arching concerns while not forsaking the importance of fine details. She is one of my most trusted readers, and I feel confident in my work after working with her. Highly recommended.” – Meg Eden Kuyatt, author of Post-High School Reality Quest and Good Different

“Kathy has given me critiques on a number of my works. I find her advice to be both insightful and intuitive. As an author herself, she is great at fine-tuning character and plot arcs. I trust Kathy to give me honest and smart feedback.” – Deborah Schaumberg, author of The Tombs

“Kathy provided insightful and detailed feedback on my middle grade novel manuscript. With meticulous style, she pinpointed inconsistencies and suggested key improvements to tighten pacing and raise stakes. Kathy’s constructive critiques are encouraging and grounded, and challenge me to work harder. She is a gifted editor!” – Kate Ferrall, SCBWI Published and Listed member

“Kathy was a huge help to me!  When I first reached out to her, she gave me a reasonable expectation of how long it would take to complete a review of my query, synopsis, and manuscript.  She completed everything on time (earlier actually!), and she did so much more than just my critiques.  She guided me along the way, recommending character changes, plot changes, books for me to read, even guided me on my Twitter pitch.  It was the best money I ever spent on my writing.  My book was completely transformed and went from really just a collection of good stories to an actual book. Thanks so much to Kathy!!” – Katie Mullen, middle grade author

“Kathy critiqued a draft of my query letter, and her feedback was wonderfully precise and thoughtful. She provided me with great suggestions that were extremely helpful to me as a writer. I highly recommend her!” – Bronwyn C., writer from Maryland

“Kathy critiqued my manuscript, query letter, and synopsis in preparation for submission to agencies. Her comments were incredibly thorough and insightful. She addressed the whole gamut of my work including grammar, plot and description suggestions, plus items to include for submission. Post edits I feel much more confident about my work and presentation as a professional author. I highly recommend her services!” – Lena D., middle grade author

 

Contact Kathy:

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