Madeleine Vasaly

Primary services: copyediting, developmental editing, proofreading, writing

Areas of experience include: automotive, aviation & aerospace, brand-licensed/IP publishing, cooking, DIY & craft, gardening, gaming, geek culture, history, home improvement, memoir, movies & TV, news, spirituality, new age & witchcraft, pop culture, popular science, social media, spirits & cocktails, style guide creation

My name is Madeleine, and I’ve been editing professionally in-house and as a freelancer since 2011. I have 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 formal prose and casual, meme-filled online text. I am equally at home with copyediting and proofreading as I am with developmental editing, line editing, project management, and art research.

In addition, I am one half of the driving force behind Twin Cities Geek, an online magazine bringing news, reviews, cultural essays, and other content to Minnesota readers since January 2015. As senior editor, I guide the editorial content of the site, edit articles for both style and substance, develop and maintain the site’s style guides, supervise a small team of junior editors, and more. I also write occasional articles for the site.

“In short: any assignment that lands on Madeleine’s desk is in excellent hands.”
—Shannon Pennefeather, Managing Editor, Minnesota Historical Society Press
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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 becoming a full-time freelancer, I worked in-house in a progression of editorial roles, editing and shepherding books through acquisition, content and copyediting, design, proofreading, and production. I work primarily with the Chicago Manual of Style but have experience with AP and a variety of in-house and project-specific styles, both following them and creating them myself. I also have foreign-language skills in French and Japanese.

“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
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I work with publishers, 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
• DC Comics
• Minnesota Historical Society Press
• Penguin Random House
• Quarto Group
• Raised Voice Press
• Redleaf Press
• University of Minnesota Press
• Wise Ink Creative Publishing

Besides my freelance business and my work with Twin Cities Geek, I am the marketing and social media manager and the website administrator for the Professional Editors Network.

“Madeleine is an absolute pleasure to work with—always professional, always on time, and always going above and beyond the call of duty.”
—Karen Pickell, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Raised Voice Press
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