Christopher Keeslar
Professional Story Development, Editing, Graphic Design
& Copy-writing.
Your words. Your world.
Everyone has a book in them. Not everyone knows how to extract it. In today's publishing world, there's less and less dedication to in-house development, so being an author resembles having only half a map to a fantastical destination.
The right publishing professional has the other half.
EDITORIAL & COPYWRITING
SERVICES
What's an ideal editor? Yin to your yang. Black to your white. Contrast. Complement. Able to highlight your brilliance and excise your excess. Equal parts grammarian, psychologist, classicist, teacher, fan and critic, a crucible and sometimes a seer. Depending on when you hire him, a trip planner to see every sight but avoid every obstacle—or a guide to survive the rising perils and come home with the treasure you covet.
I offer a number of different services depending on your need, but several are:
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Plot assistance. Sometimes you can avoid a big problem before you even get started by looking at problems in an outline or synopsis. A stitch in time could save nine…years of your life. (I'll take a look at your synopsis and/or outline. It's cheaper, quicker, and you can save yourself a lot of work down the road.)
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Developmental and line editing. Do you know where to put your climax? When you wrote it, did you keep talking afterward? (After reading the manuscript I can either provide just big picture issues for you to work on or go in and do more detailed fixes. Or both in separate stages.)
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Copy editing. 2B or not too, bee. For you there’s probably another question. (This is simply cleaning up your grammar, punctuation, etc.)
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Copy-writing—in particular, jacket copy for your book or ad. It’s often easier to write a novel than to make it appealing in 120 words.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
I'm available to create book covers and ads, and to provide any number of graphic design services. In the past few years I've designed hundreds of covers—for both e-book and print, wrap or front jacket only—starting from as little as a story concept, handling all the art, typography and even jacket copy, which I've written for a number of different NY publishers. I have a vast library of images to choose from, and can help you find the look that's right for your work.
Above are just a few examples.
Have a book you need packaged? Give me a shout.
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TESTIMONIALS
“Finding an editor who gets your voice and helps make your story stronger, clearer, and more relevant is hard. Chris was one of my first editors, and working with him not only helped the books he edited but helped make me a stronger writer.”
—New York Times Bestselling Author Christie Craig
“My writing career began with Chris Keeslar, and to this day he’s one of the finest editors I’ve ever worked with.”
—New York Times Bestselling Author Marjorie M. Liu
“Chris Keeslar is worth every penny. I’ve worked with dozens of editors (freelance and major press), and Chris is the one I turn to. His experience in romance is exceptional, and he sees what I don’t. He’s definitely taken my work to the next level and beyond.”
—USA Today Bestselling Author Kathy Lyons/Jade Lee
“Christopher Keeslar is a talented and experienced editor with a great sense of story and characterization. From world-building brainstorming, to plot-hole repair, to fleshing out characters, he will take your manuscript to the next level. He is creative, thorough, and detail-oriented.”
—Mari(anne) Mancusi, Author of Flirtinis with Flappers, Moongazer, and The Camelot Code:
The Once and Future Geek
“If you want an editor who will hold your hand and pat you on the back and tell you everything’s okay, look elsewhere. If you want an editor who is both brutally honest and uncannily skilled at helping you improve your work, you can do no better. If Tolstoy brought Anna Karenina to Chris, the result would have been 100 pages shorter, a more streamlined masterpiece, and the world would be spared the tangential treatises on 19th century agrarian reform.”
—Greg Olear, Author of Fathermucker,
Totally Killer, and Dirty Rubles
“I have worked with Chris on several books and stories, and his insight and knowledge have always made my work better. He is excellent at story and character development, and his line-editing is thorough. I highly recommend his work.”
—Caroline Jewel, RWA president
and USA Today Bestselling Author
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CONTACT ME
Starting a new project? Refining your magnum opus? Need a cover or promo material for your indie-pubbed series opener? I've assisted nationally bestselling authors and first-timers alike, and I can help you.
Fill in the form, describe the service(s) you are seeking, and I will contact you ASAP
ABOUT ME
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A graduate of NYU, I'm a Midwesterner turned New Yorker with almost 25 years in the book business, beginning at Dorchester Publishing in 1995 and eventually moving to Boroughs, heading both companies' editorial departments. But my first love has always been story. Twice lauded by author organizations as Editor of the Year, I created and developed—as one of numerous inceptive projects—the critically acclaimed Shomi (manga-inspired romance) imprint, launched a number of NY Times and USA Today bestsellers, developed countless series and proprietary intellectual properties, and helped usher in the recent wave of genre-crossing Fantasy and Science Fiction. I am recognized by writers and coworkers alike as an independent-minded, brutally honest in-the-trenches plot expert and advocate who puts passion above expediency and who cares most about author vision and pushing boundaries.
I enjoy a particular reputation for quality Romance and Fantasy, but I've worked on all manner of projects from general fiction to Westerns and Horror, Erotica, Women's Fiction and Suspense. A father, a bibliophile, and an avid gamer and game designer, I love the process of editing as much as the result. I can help you refine your literary vision, whatever it is. What can I do for the book of your heart?
