When I am not writing, I enjoy helping others do it better.

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I offer editing, copyediting, and proofreading services to a variety of clients.

Writing and editing go together like peanut butter and jello.

Kidding!

But I am not kidding when I tell you I enjoy editing, from substantive retooling of business materials to proofing wine labels. I am BFFs with both Chicago and AP styles.

Amanda Gersh offers manuscript critiques & evaluations for authors.

I also work with creative writers, critiquing books-in-progress.

I read book-length manuscripts (rough drafts), and respond with an in-depth evaluation aimed at helping the writer significantly improve the project. My feedback is comprised of macro-level suggestions (several typed pages) and micro-level commentary (annotation on the doc).

I work with Young Adult fiction, general literary fiction, and a range of nonfiction—from coffee table books about the history of dentistry to travel guides narrated by local criminals. Okay, I made up the last two but if you’re writing either, assume I want to read your work because I absolutely do.

There’s a lot of snake oil out there in the world of manuscript consulting, book doctoring, writer coaching, and words that relate to those words. I read sample pages free of charge and never take on a client unless I feel I am the best match for you.

Contact me to see if I would be a good fit for your project.

⇆ Let's Discuss! ⇆

Testimonials

Amanda engaged with my writing with curiosity and generosity, holding the potential for what my writing could become. She offered a vision of what I could accomplish with words that stretched me, ultimately prompting the deep reflection that growth requires. Her kind words and encouraging support nurtured me as a writer, and I am filled with gratitude for her careful reading of my manuscript.—KY DELANY

Amanda Gersh is one of the most incisive, and funniest, writers I know. But most importantly, for those of you lucky enough to hire her, she is the most honest, intuitive, and articulate reader/ editor whom I owe a great debt of gratitude. Not only is Amanda able to provide piercing insight into your work, and a clear road map for the work ahead, but she will also provide for you what she did for me, which was to tell me the truth.

—RAUL CORREA, author of I Don’t Know But I Been Told

Amanda edited my first stab at a Middle Grade historical fiction novel this winter. As a brand new writer, I had no idea what to expect from an editor and was deeply impressed by Amanda. She provided excellent feedback, from specific line edits to macro-comments that helped me shape subsequent drafts. Amanda is highly accessible as an editor, willing to answer many additional questions about the editing process, and very supportive. We worked together all the way through to my final draft, which was accepted for publication at Allium Press.

—MAUD POWELL, author of City of Grit and Gold

Amanda Gersh has a keen and generous mind, a sharp blue pencil, and an unerring sense of what's wrong (and right) in a piece of prose.

–PETER BEHRENS, author of The Law of Dreams

Amanda Gersh is one of the smartest people I know. Between her vast knowledge of young adult literature, her keen, intuitive sense of plot and character, and her unerring eye for soft spots both major and minor (she'll point out everything from big narrative gaps to tiny instances of grammatical imprecision), she's the ideal reader, and editor, of any manuscript in progress.

–EMILY CHENOWETH, author of Hello, Goodbye