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hello@madeleinevasaly.com

Primary services: copyediting, developmental editing, proofreading, writing

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, spirituality, new age & witchcraft, pop culture, popular science, social media, spirits & cocktails, style guide creation

Testimonials • Portfolio • Contact Form

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 materials that include formal academic texts, meme-filled online articles, comic books, 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, where I manage the organization’s marketing efforts, social media, website, and webinars.

“Madeleine is a brilliant copy editor who would be an asset to any newsroom, communications team, publishing house, or agency. She is thorough, efficient, and has an invaluable understanding of grammar and language mechanics. She edited a massive document for my team with such a swift turnaround. I am in awe of her skill.”
—Emerson Malone, BuzzFeed News
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I graduated magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota and attended the Denver Publishing Institute, an intensive program designed to prepare the next generation of publishing professionals. Before starting my own business, I worked in-house in a traditional progression of roles, editing and shepherding books through acquisition, content editing, copyediting, design, proofreading, and production at a midsize publisher. 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 clients include:

• 1517 Media
• BuzzFeed News
• CarTech
• Catapult/Counterpoint
• Coffee House Press
• DC Comics
• Insider
• Minnesota Historical Society Press
• Penguin Random House
• Quarto Group
• Raised Voice Press
• Redleaf Press
• 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!