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hello@madeleinevasaly.com
Primary services: copyediting, developmental editing, proofreading, style guide development
Areas of experience include: automotive, aviation & aerospace, brand-licensed/IP publishing, comics, cooking, DIY & craft, fiction, gardening, gaming, geek culture & fandom, history, home improvement, memoir, movies/film & TV, news, science fiction & fantasy spirituality, new age & witchcraft, pop culture, popular science, science fiction & fantasy, social media, spirits & cocktails, style guide creation
Testimonials • Portfolio • Contact Form
The Proofreader's Guide to Comic Book Style
As a former in-house editor and an independent professional since 2017, I’ve worked with projects of fewer than 1,000 and more than 100,000 words; with those needing a light touch and those needing extensive work; and with content that includes formal academic texts, YA novels, superhero comics, meme-filled online articles, nonprofit reports, video scripts, and more. I’m as much at home with copyediting and proofreading as I am with developmental editing, project management, and art research.
In addition, I’m one half of the driving force behind Twin Cities Geek, a nonprofit website bringing news, reviews, cultural essays, and other content to Minnesota readers since January 2015. As senior editor, I help guide the editorial content of the site, edit articles for both style and substance, develop and maintain the site’s style guides, and supervise a small team of junior editors. I also write occasional articles for the site and jointly run our social media channels and community engagement initiatives.
Alongside my work for clients and for Twin Cities Geek, I’m a member of the board of the Professional Editors Network, managing the organization’s marketing efforts, social media, website, and webinars.
I graduated magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota and attended the Denver Publishing Institute. Before starting my own business, I worked for a midsize publisher in a traditional progression of roles, editing and shepherding books through acquisition, content editing, copyediting, design, proofreading, and production. I work with the Chicago Manual of Style and AP Stylebook and have experience with a variety of publisher- and project-specific styles—both following them and creating them myself. I also have foreign-language skills in French and Japanese.
You can find some of my current and former clients below and learn more from my testimonials and portfolio.
“In short: any assignment that lands on Madeleine’s desk is in excellent hands.”
—Shannon Pennefeather, Managing Editor, Minnesota Historical Society Press
(read more testimonials)
I work with publishers large and small, book packagers, authors (traditional and self-publishing), agencies, nonprofits, and anyone else who deals with words. Publisher and packager clients include:
- 1517 Media
- BuzzFeed News
- CarTech
- Catapult/Counterpoint
- Coffee House Press
- DC Comics
- DK
- Erewhon Books
- IDW Publishing
- Insider
- Minnesota Historical Society Press
- Penguin Random House
- Quarto Group
- Raised Voice Press
- Red Line Editorial
- Redleaf Press
- Tapas Entertainment
- Tandem Books
- University of Minnesota Press
- Wise Ink Creative Publishing
“I love working with Madeleine! Her attention to detail, robust editorial knowledge, and pitch-perfect judgment on queries and sensitivity concerns have made her one of my go-to freelance proofreaders. I know I can rely on her to treat every project with care.”
—Anonymous Senior Proofreader, Major US Comic Book Publisher
(read more testimonials)
Contact me to see what I can do for you!
