Allegory Editing

There is no way I could have pulled this book together without the incredibly talented and fun-to-work-with women at Allegory Editing: Andrea Karin Nelson, Elena Hartwell Taylor, and Amy Cecil Holm. Andrea convinced me about the importance of good editing, and agreed to pitch my project to Elena, who showed me how to write with increased clarity and confidence. Through examples, prodding, and her great sense of humor, Elena offered vital guidance about the arc of my story and how to keep the momentum going. Amy was my eagle-eye proofreader who gave terrific advice on word choice and grammar. Her knowledge of the Chicago Manual of Style is simply jaw-dropping,

Genét Simone, author of Teaching in the Dark: A Memoir

Elena was my developmental editor for my debut procedural mystery novel. She is a thorough editor, who identified and clearly explained problems within my plot and character arcs, and made excellent suggestions for improvement. We worked together on establishing each character’s super-objectives and tying them into every chapter. The entire time, she expertly balanced critique with encouragement, always highlighting what worked, thus giving me the confidence I needed while I restructured my novel. At the end I had a clearer view on how to make my characters more believable and empathetic, and how to simplify and sharpen the plot. Elena always answered my inquiries in a timely manner, and our interactions have always been full of joy and excitement for the work. I highly recommend her services, I have learned so much from her.

Laura Kuhlmann, medical writer and aspiring fiction writer

I have had many editors in my writing career, but none as skilled as Andrea Karin Nelson. She is the best, bar none. With a sharp eye, she brings a fresh perspective, creative suggestions, and a balance to plot, characters, and timeline—picking up issues the writer might never see. I highly recommend her.

Bryan E. Robinson, award-winning author of Limestone Gumption (currently under series development for television).

When I became utterly stuck writing a synopsis, Elena Hartwell read my outline and patiently, cheerfully, helped me untangle the convoluted strings of my summary, advised me on brevity and throughlines, and demonstrated the importance of cause and effect in writing a synopsis. I could not recommend her higher.

Emilya Naymark, award-nominated author of Hide in Place and Behind the Lie. 

I've been working with Amy recently on a technical book with lots of references, footnotes and technical details. Amy is very knowledgeable and our work together has really improved the readability and consistency of the book. Two of Fathom Publishing's authors have relied on Allegory Editing's service for polishing their manuscripts with good results.

Connie Taylor, Fathom Publishing

Andrea is one of the best editors in the  business.  She has thoroughness, astuteness, sensitivity and sheer common sense. She is a gift!

Sue Gough, award-winning, best-selling author of: Wyrd and The Daggs Meet the Bad Beasts

Being a great writer doesn’t make you a great editor. Happily for my work—and anyone who signs up with Elena Hartwell—Elena is excellent at both. Her developmental suggestions for my now-completed manuscript were right on target, identifying areas where I needed to go deeper, scenes that needed the chop and places where the focus had to shift. My main characters are much the better for her recommendations. Elena also does a great job working at the line-by-line level. She caught plot contradictions, missing information, repetition and those annoying typos. Elena brings both a panoramic overview and tight focus to editing projects. Add the fact she is a pleasure to work with, which is key when you’re bringing her that precious novel of yours, and she’s got it all.

Rich Zahradnik, Shamus Award-winning author of the Coleridge Taylor Mystery series

Christine has a very clear and collaborative style of editing. She does not hesitate to point out plot flaws, character inconsistencies, questionable logistics, and of course, grammatical issues. However, she is even quicker to point out what isworking. She makes excellent suggestions about areas that could be expanded or trimmed, and what might work better as dialogue. She is astute, direct, communicates well, and gets the job done when she says she will. She is also funny and supportive. She made a plot suggestion for Parallel Secrets that I’m still kicking myself for not thinking of. (No doubt she could improve that last sentence.) Highly recommend!

ML Barrs, author of Parallel Secrets

Andrea extracted the writer I didn't know I had in me. In our work together on two rounds of developmental editing, she offered encouragement, insight and direct feedback captured in a very thorough and thoughtful editorial letter with specific examples and actionable items. With her help, my manuscript evolved from an adequate first attempt as a writer to a compelling story that others are captivated by and can relate to. Andrea is more than an editor—she's a great coach, vested in my growth as a writer.

Christine C. McHugh, author of From Barista to Boardroom

Elena Hartwell Taylor has read many of my novels in various stages of development. From a quick look at a final manuscript to a more time-intensive read of a messy first draft, she has given me invaluable feedback on my work. I would recommend her to writers of any genre.

Mary Angela, author of the Happy Camper & Professor Prather Mystery series