Time to make your manuscript shine!

Your hard work is almost ready for publication, but in your eagerness, don’t forgo the crucial last step: proofreading. You could do it yourself, but . . .

Sadly, I see it all too often: indie and self-published Christian novels with glaring—and sometimes sneaky, not-so-glaring—errors. The plot may be stellar, but the writing mistakes jar readers out of the story. This is certainly not what the author intended. If only the author hadn’t skipped the essential proofreading step that would have ensured his or her labor of love reached its full potential.

Proofreading is the final polish on an otherwise publishable manuscript. It’s an absolute must for professional work. It often means the difference between sales and sad zeros—or between glowing and scathing reviews.

What to do? Turn the proofreading over to a fresh, unbiased, skillful eye. As a full member of ACES (American Copy Editors Society), and with a Poynter ACES Certificate in Editing, I offer experienced, professional, meticulous proofreading. As an award-winning Christian novelist whose books are highly rated and reviewed, I also understand and respect the Christian genre—as well as the hard work and emotion that go into every manuscript. I’m a proud member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), I’ve been proofreading for many years, and I deliver top-notch work. In addition, my turnaround time is fast and my rates are affordable.

Ready to get started? Check out my proofreading services.

Who am I? 

My name is Tess Marie and I live in the Midwestern US, where the summers are short and the winters are long (perfect for cozying up with a book). In addition to being a writer and proofreader, I’m blessed to be a stay-at-home mom to five children. This means I cuddle, referee, play, and pray—sometimes all at once!

I’ve always loved reading and writing, and I enjoyed earning my Poynter ACES Certificate in Editing. After graduating from college (where I was an associate editor of the literary magazine), I proofread listings at a local volunteer center. Since then, I’ve continued my studies and written and proofread countless projects, including novels, articles, reviews, interviews, web content, and more. I worked as a proofreader for Capitol Ministries for several months in 2018–2019 before deciding to focus solely on fiction.

For me, working with words is not merely a job—it’s my passion.

My Education and Training

College of Media and Publishing
• Proofreading and Editing course (level 4 diploma), with distinction
– CPD, EIDL, & IADL accredited

Centre of Excellence
• Proofreading and Editing diploma, with distinction
– CPD accredited

One Education
• Proofreading and Copyediting certificate, with distinction
– CPD accredited

Proofreading Academy
• Becoming A Proofreader course, with distinction

American Copy Editors Society
• Poynter ACES Certificate in Editing
• ACES Academy Webcast: Grammar Arcana
• ACES Academy Webcast: Small Changes, Big Difference

Editorial Freelancers Association
• Copyediting Fiction course
• Proofreading and Copyediting with The Chicago Manual of Style

The Publishing Training Centre
• Editing Fiction course

Training course by editor Louise Harnby
• Editing Fiction at Sentence Level

Training course by editor Jacquelyn Landis
• The Keys to Effective Editing

Training course by editor Jennifer Lawler
• Copyediting and Line Editing for Fiction

American Christian Fiction Writers
• Virtual workshop presented by Tessa Afshar
­­– The Essentials of Editing

The PEN Institute
• Editing Romance Novels 201 Lesson Pack
• Copyediting Fiction 101 Lesson Pack
• Proofreading 101 Lesson Pack

IAP Career College
• Book Editor Certificate

Ed2go courses and certificates
• Advanced Fiction Writing
• Write Fiction Like a Pro
• Romance Writing
• Publish and Sell Your E-Books
• Writing Essentials
• Grammar Refresher II

University of Michigan, via Coursera
• Writing and Editing: Word Choice and Word Order

University of Wisconsin-Waukesha
• AAS Degree, with focus on English and writing
– 4.0 GPA
– Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society
– English department honor award
– Associate editor of the Windy Hill Review literary magazine