Get Your Work in Shape Ahead of Time with a Pre-Conference Edit
For the Pre-Conference Edit, choose among the freelance editors below to edit your work well before the Manuscript Critique deadline, or to provide you with a detailed edit if you just want a professional reaction to your work.
For this activity, the submission deadline is February 3, 2026. Novel and memoir writers will
submit the first 19 pages of their manuscript, a one-page query letter, and one-page synopsis; nonfiction writers will submit 21-page book proposal (including query letter); picture book writers will submit their full manuscript and a one-page query letter; those with poetry collections will submit a one-page query letter and 20 pages of single-spaced poetry selections. The freelancer of your choice will content-edit and line-edit your submission, and provide developmental edit suggestions where possible, within about 3 weeks of your submission so that you will have at least a month to make corrections before these are due for the conference Manuscript Critique activity. The sooner you submit your work, the sooner you’ll receive the edits so you can get to work on updating your materials.
Note that this is not a conference activity involving a meeting with an editor; everything will happen via email. You’ll submit your work to the Conference Director, George Weinstein, who will forward it to the freelance editor and then send you that individual’s critique of your work within about 3 weeks of your submission date.
The freelancer’s mission is to help you submit your best work–whether for the review by the
conference agents and acquisitions editors or anytime you send your query, synopsis and/or the beginning chapters of your manuscript–and also to indicate potential issues in your writing and/or the start of your book that you will want to address in the rest of the manuscript, to make it more saleable. During our recent conferences, more than a third of all award recipients–for Best Manuscript Sample and Best Pitch–participated in the Pre-Conference Edit (including those depicted here!).
The price is $80 for a pre-conference edit for up to two confirmed spots (note that this activity is free if you choose the “Conference Package Deal with Pre-Conference Edit” option at the start of your registration). As you read the descriptions below, please consider as many individuals as possible rather than setting your sights on just one. During the registration process, you will see who has spots remaining and can choose accordingly. If the individual(s) you want are full, you can add yourself to one of the waitlists. There is no charge for waitlist spots; if a spot opens for you due to another participant’s cancellation, you will be informed by e-mail and will pay for the activity at that time.
You can register for up to two Pre-Conference Edits.
Freelance Editors for Pre-Conference Edit
Lee Hornbrook
I am an editor as well as a story and writing coach. I come to editing by way of 34-year career in higher education and as a college writing teacher for more than 25 years. I have been editing and helping writers since the 1980s, from the four literary magazines I worked at in undergraduate and graduate school until this year when I officially started my freelance editing business, The Writing Prof Editorial Services. I have a certificate in Developmental Editing of Fiction from Club Ed (https://www.clubedfreelancers.com/). I do developmental editing, manuscript assessment, line and copy editing, and proofreading as well as writing and story coaching.
I have an M.A. in English from the University of New Mexico and a B.A. in English with emphasis in creative writing from San Diego State University. For 5 years, I was the editor of www.4kids.org, an internationally syndicated comics feature for kids that appeared in 140 newspapers and was distributed by Universal Press Syndicate, the same folks who bring you Doonesbury, Fox Trot, Cathy, Calvin & Hobbes, Dear Abby, Roger Ebert, and so much more.
I see editing as a collaboration between writer and editor. The motto of my business is: Inspiring You to Tell Your Story Your Way, With a Little Help. I want to honor your voice and help you tell your story to the best of your abilities.
I edit multiple genres in fiction and nonfiction. I am especially excited by the avant-garde, the experimental, the unusual, the weird. I enjoy LGBTQIA+ as well as alternative lifestyle content (polyamory, etc.). I will work with graphic violence and adult themes as long as it’s not gratuitous or deliberately harmful to others.
For the May 2025 Atlanta Writers Conference, two of the participants I assisted won a Best Manuscript Sample and/or Best Query Letter Pitch award.
In fiction, I enjoy working with the following genres:
- Literary fiction
- Contemporary social, family, and relationship dramas
- Alternative lifestyles (polyamory, leather, bdsm)
- LGBTQ+-focused stories
- Science fiction
- Dystopian
- Comedy
- Short story collections
In nonfiction, I enjoy working with the following genres:
- Memoir
- Social Science
- Popular science (not technical)
I also edit
- Poetry
- Poetry Collections
I do not edit:
- Children’s and YA books
- Horror
- Romance
Lee has open spots available.
Sophia Jimenez
https://www.sophia-jimenez.com/
I’m a professional editor with over a decade of experience in the publishing industry, including several years in both adult and children’s acquisitions at Simon & Schuster. I’ve edited everything from picture books to fantasy novels to adult nonfiction, and have been fortunate to work with many authors of bestsellers, award winners, and “best of the year” picks. I am also a former board member of Latinx in Publishing, a nonprofit advocating for Latine authors, illustrators, and publishing workers. I co-founded LxP’s Writers Mentorship Program and served on the committee evaluating applications and pairing mentors and mentees in many different genres.
I left acquisitions and launched my freelance editing business in Spring 2024. For more info about my editorial services and past projects I’ve worked on, you can visit my website at Sophia-Jimenez.com.
My clients include both traditionally published and indie authors of both children’s and adult fiction and nonfiction. My tastes are eclectic, my interests wide-ranging. Across genres, I love books about identity and family, preferably with a little magic and humor involved, and am always looking to work on projects that spotlight marginalized perspectives. I love collaborating with writers and always strive to put their voices first when I edit. My goal is to help writers highlight and strengthen the elements that make their work unique, so they can catch the attention of as many readers as possible. I also know the traditional publishing world well, and am always happy to explain the submissions process to writers and shed light on an industry that can be opaque.
For the May 2025 Atlanta Writers Conference, five of the participants I assisted won a Best Manuscript Sample and/or Best Query Letter Pitch award.
I have experience editing many genres and categories. In fiction, my areas of expertise include:
- Picture Books, including English/Spanish bilingual books
- Middle Grade
- Young Adult
- Fantasy
- Speculative
- Science Fiction
- Historical
- Literary fiction / general fiction
- Books featuring Spanish-language dialogue/terms
In nonfiction, my experience includes:
- Picture Books
- Middle Grade
- Young Adult
- Memoir
- Biography
- History
- Narrative nonfiction
- Pop science
- Pop philosophy
I do not work with the following genres:
- Graphic Novels
- Poetry
- Horror
- Spirituality/Religion
Sophia has open spots available.
Janie Mills
https://www.alliancebookediting.com/
I have been a full-time professional book editor for over seven years. Before starting out on my own, I worked as a litigation paralegal and legal editor for twenty-five years. I have a MA in English from Louisiana State University. I have edited eight novels for a New York Times bestselling author and I truly enjoy helping authors navigate the writing process, regardless of their skill level.
My editing philosophy rests on two important principles. First, it is a collaborative process between editor and author. I do not simply correct errors with walls around my head. I place significant value on understanding and upholding the author’s voice and I ensure that my goals are aligned with yours. While technical errors are certainly noted, the overall structure and flow of a story are equally considered. Second, editing is not a process that can be hurried. It requires great discipline and genuine care about the success of the manuscript.
For the May 2025 Atlanta Writers Conference, five of the participants I assisted won a Best Manuscript Sample and/or Best Query Letter Pitch award.
In fiction, I enjoy working with the following genres:
- Psychological thrillers
- Science fiction
- Fantasy
- Speculative fiction
- Contemporary novels
- Detective/Mystery/Crime
- Sports fiction
- Southern humor
- Military fiction
In nonfiction, I enjoy working with the following genres:
- Memoir
- True crime
I do NOT work with the following genres:
- Children’s books
- Poetry
- Horror
Janie has open spots available.
Chad Rhoad
I am a book editor located in Charleston, SC and have been editing for 13 years. I am the proprietor of Word Life! Editorial. My main goal in editing is to help authors tell the story the want to tell. I focus on editing the story as it wants to be told. I don’t focus on what I would do. Rather, I find what the story wants to do and help the author tell it.
I have a B.A. in English, and a MFA in creative writing. I worked as a newspaper editor and journalist for 7 years. I have taught writing and creative writing at the University of South Carolina and Charleston Southern University for a total of 9 years. I am an acquisitions editor for a national press, where I have been for 10 years. I have been project editor for more than 300 published titles.
At The History Press, I do editorial assessment, developmental editing, copyediting, line editing, proofreading, and indexing. I work on book-length projects in fiction and nonfiction.
For the May 2025 Atlanta Writers Conference, two of the participants I assisted won a Best Manuscript Sample and/or Best Query Letter Pitch award.
In fiction, I will work in the following genres:
- Literary fiction
- Mystery
- Crime
- Thriller
- Suspense
- Historical fiction
- Fantasy
- Science fiction
- Magical realism
- Family saga
- Action-adventure
- Military
In nonfiction, I will work in the following genres:
- Memoir
- History
- True Crime
- Culture
- Inspirational and religious
- Sports
- Fine Arts
- Music
Chad has open spots available.
Grace Wynter
http://thewritersstation.com/
I am an editor, a writer, and a huge fan of shenanigans. When I’m not in the midst of my shenanigans, I’m co-managing editor at Tessera Editorial, a consortium of BIPOC editors. I have an MBA in marketing from Georgia State University, a certificate in editing from the University of Chicago, and I’m an alum of Sourcebooks Publishing Editorial Training Program, where I spent ten weeks working with acquiring editors learning the ins and outs of the publishing industry.
My clients include an array of traditional and indie publishers such as Penguin Random House, Macmillan, Tor, St. Martin’s, and Catapult. I’ve worked with New York Times and USA Today bestsellers, self-published authors, and writers who are just starting out. My debut novel, Free Falling, was a Georgia Romance Writers’ Maggie Award finalist, and my first full-length work of nonfiction, Everyday Economics, was published by Quarto in 2022. You can connect with me on the web at The Writer’s Station.
For the May 2025 Atlanta Writers Conference, six of the participants I assisted won a Best Manuscript Sample and/or Best Query Letter Pitch award.
I have experience and interest editing multiple genres and categories. In fiction, these include:
- General/contemporary fiction
- Women’s fiction
- Romance—all heat levels
- Chick-lit
- Science Fiction
- Fantasy
- Mystery & Thriller
- Suspense
- Historical
- Speculative
- Young Adult
- Stories featuring diverse and LGBTQIA in all the above genres
I am experienced editing the following category of nonfiction:
- Memoir
- Narrative nonfiction
- Self-Help
- Textbooks
I do not work with the following genres:
- Horror
- Poetry
Grace has open spots available.
Questions?
Please contact George Weinstein at awconference@gmail.com.
Ready to register?
View the Registration page for instructions.