Project Preferences & Specialties
I'm a serious editor for serious authors and aspiring authors of transformative, commercially viable fiction and nonfiction. I specialize in working with clients who are or aspire to be traditionally published but am always open to working with quality-focused self-publishing authors.
Check out my portfolio for more insight into the types of clients I enjoy working with and projects I've enjoyed working on. Still not sure if we're a good fit? Send me an email or book a free discovery call.
FAQs
I agree with the Authors Guild's April 16, 2026 statement about the use of AI in the publishing industry. I do not use generative AI and typically decline to work with clients who've relied on generative-AI tools to write, edit, and/or summarize content.
Click here to learn more: Authors Guild Statement on Use of AI in Publishing and New Model Contract Clause
As a results-oriented strategic partner, I share this goal with clients who aspire to be traditionally published. So, yes I assist clients in this effort, but I can't (nobody can) guarantee success. We can, however, maximize our collective assets and opportunities to improve your chances.
I do this by maintaining a clear understanding of the current needs and expectations of agents and publishers and working toward them when advising clients and doing book and pitch development work.
I also personally pitch qualified clients and their projects to literary agents and acquisition editors in my network. If none are a good fit, I have lists of hundred of agents and publishers (including their preferences and submission guidelines) from which to choose when helping clients develop their pitching documents and strategy.
Published client success stories include nightlife entrepreneur Steve Adelman and Professor of Psychology Arturo E. Hernandez, PhD.
I love working with clients who've already secured agent representation and/or a publishing contract!
One example is Linda K. Olson, MD and her survivor/disability memoir Gone: A Memoir of Love, Body, and Taking Back My Life, which went on to win four book awards and one of Parade Magazine's 24 best memoirs to read in 2020.
Here's what Linda and her agent said about working with me:
"I was extremely fortunate to be referred by my literary agent to Developmental Editor, Cristen Iris, last year. She took the first draft of my memoir and turned the stories I’d written into a manuscript with an actual story arc. She created intriguing chapter titles and improved my dialogue when needed. In addition to manuscript work, she sent videos via email explaining things to me as if we were sitting together. Probably most importantly, she understood the message of my book and made sure that it stayed uppermost as the story unfolded. Her upbeat, but realistic, attitude made her a real pleasure to work with. She is outstanding." Linda K. Olson
"After 15+ years in publishing, I can say that Cristen sets the gold standard for freelance editing. She recently worked with us on a client’s memoir proposal, including an extensive amount of co-writing of sample chapters. From the start of the process, I was highly impressed with her writing, her ideas, and just how much organization and inspiration she brought to the project. Her writing was beautiful, clear, and very true to the author's unique voice. Collaborating with her has been a joy for both author and agent. She had tremendous impact on this project, and we will look forward to working with her on many more, given our experience." Lilly Ghahremani, JD, MBA, literary agent and co-founder of Full Circle Literary
Another example is Lisa Schelbe, PhD and her social work book Some Type of Way: Aging out of Foster Care, which was published by Oxford University Press. Here's how Lisa described my process and how it helped her:
"I cannot speak highly enough about Cristen Iris as a [book doctor]. Six months before my manuscript was due to my publisher, I started working with her. I gave Cristen a monstrosity of a draft that was refusing to yield into the meaningful book that I knew it could be. I had been working on the draft for a year. It was over 30% longer than I had promised my publisher and had major problems with redundancy and presenting complex concepts. The feedback Cristen provided gave me a clear vision on how to restructure the manuscript and to simplify my presentation of information. She provided a detailed letter addressing specific questions I had posed to her as well as other insights she had about the manuscript. Cristen also shared notes on each of the chapters and the manuscript that was marked up with comments. Perhaps the most valuable feedback was several hours of videos that Cristen provided about my manuscript. Watching them was like taking a master class that tailored for me. I have learned so much through working with Cristen, and my manuscript is turning into the meaningful book I had envisioned."
I love R&R projects!
R&R feedback from an agent or publisher demonstrates that the concept is commercially viable and suggests confidence in the writer's potential. And R&Rs often come with excellent feedback related to problem(s) preventing the agent or acquisition editor from offering representation or a publishing contract.
"Revise" can mean anything from a complete rewrite to relatively easy-to-apply but critical tweaks.
An example of the latter is Etaf Rum's debut novel, A Woman Is No Man.
Etaf came to me to address a specific (and common) narrative writing problem. I was able to quickly identify several examples of the issue and describe what I saw to her, why it's a problem, and how to fix it.
Etaf went on to secure agent representation and a 6-figure world-rights contract with HarperCollins. The book became a New York Times, ABA IndieBound, and Publishers Weekly bestseller and has an expansive list of accolades, including being a TODAY SHOW Read with Jenna book club pick and USA Today book of the month. As of summer 2025, the book has almost 190,000 Amazon and Goodreads reviews and is available in approximately a dozen languages.
Here's what she said about working with me:
"Cristen is the most BRILLIANT editor I have ever worked with. Her editorial comments on my novel ... helped me recognize several patterns in my writing style, both good and bad. She has an eye for what good writing should read like, and every single comment she made was 100% accurate. That kind of editing is a gift that few people possess..."
Probably not. Author talent and book development take a lot of time, energy, and cognitive and emotional bandwidth. Working for free upfront with no guarantee of future profit puts the long-term sustainability of my business at risk. It also puts all my clients at risk because they've hired me with the expectation that I have the bandwidth to serve them with excellence and enthusiasm as an immediate and long-term strategic partner.
Literary agents do not charge editing and talent development/management fees; they take a cut of any advance payments and royalties. But for the same reasons (among others) I mentioned above, they focus their attention on market-ready or near-ready clients and projects.
A discovery call is like a job interview. You get to ask me direct questions about how my services and experience apply to your project within the context of your stated goals. Going into our discovery call, my assumption is that you're actively looking to hire an editor or coach, you've reviewed my About pages and this Services page (my resume), and you're excited to discuss how we might work together to move you closer to your book-related goals.
A 1- or 1.5-hour Aware Author consultation is a great option if you want to discuss your goals and project and how the publishing industry works on a deeper level. One of these high-value sessions may be all you need to jump-start your project or overcome a particularly challenging concern. A consultation can also help you and I both determine which service or combination or services is actually best for you. In other words, a paid consultation up front may help you save money.
Services
Manuscript Reviews
This is my deepest level of analysis and feedback, including:
- a multi-page substantive editing report
- chapter-by-chapter or scene-by-scene overview notes
- in-line comments
- custom video tutorials
- custom additional resources list
- custom glossary of key words, phrases, and concepts
- follow-up feedback review and brainstorming session
up to 100k words: $12,000.00
100k-120k words: $15,000.00
2.5 months turnaround
This is a deep-level content and structure analysis that you might think of as book doctoring light.
It’s the most popular option among my clients who are already represented by a literary agent or have secured a traditional publishing deal and those who aspire to be traditionally published or compete against traditionally published authors.
$3,500-$5,400 depending on book length and complexity & your publishing experience
4 week turn-around
This is a cost-effective way for aspiring authors to test their level of craft and a cost-effective way for experienced authors to get professional feedback before pitching or submitting a final draft or moving forward toward self-publishing.
- project launch questionnaire
- 1 read through of your manuscript
- a few in-line comments
- 2-3 paragraph summary of my analysis and general revision/next steps recommendations
up to 80k words $17/1,000 words
80-100k words $20/1,000 words
10-14 business days
Nonfiction Book Proposal Development
A trade nonfiction book proposal is typically a 30-60 page, multi-part project overview and business plan for your book.
The importance of demonstrating your grasp of the book publishing industry, where you and your book fit in it, and your level of competence/competitiveness cannot be understated.
Do you know…
- that 4 million new titles were published in 2024 (that’s ~457/hour or 8/minute) and most were self-published1,2
- that 500,000-1 million of the 4 million titles published in 2024 were published by traditional publishers, the Big 5 publishing approximately 100,000 of them2
- that the average [print] book published today sells fewer than 300 copies and far below 1,000 over its lifetime in all formats and markets?3
- that more than 70% of nonfiction books are ghostwritten by professional writers?4
- and that aspiring authors have a 1 in 3,000 to 1 in 6,000 chance of signing with a literary agent?5
If you're starting from scratch or were told by a literary or publisher to get some outside help, let's talk. We'll develop a results-oriented strategy and customized plan.
$3,500-7,000.00*
*It's much easier to craft a compelling book proposal for experienced writers and professionals and well thought out ideas than it is when working with unpublished writers whose subject-matter expertise and reach aren't well established.
A trade nonfiction book proposal is typically a 30-60 page, multi-part project overview and business plan for your book.
The importance of demonstrating your grasp of the book publishing industry, where you and your book fit in it, and your level of competence/competitiveness cannot be understated.
Do you know…
- that 4 million new titles were published in 2024 (that’s ~457/hour or 8/minute) and most were self-published1,2
- that 500,000-1 million of the 4 million titles published in 2024 were published by traditional publishers, the Big 5 publishing approximately 100,000 of them2
- that the average [print] book published today sells fewer than 300 copies and far below 1,000 over its lifetime in all formats and markets?3
- that more than 70% of nonfiction books are ghostwritten by professional writers?4
- and that aspiring authors have a 1 in 3,000 to 1 in 6,000 chance of signing with a literary agent?5
If you keep getting rejection letters, your pitching approach and book proposal content provide experienced editors and talent scouts clues related to why.
Or if you want an opportunity to make critical changes to your proposal before pitching to literary agents and book publishers, this is a high-value investment.
$1,200
5-10 business days
Fiction Query & Sample Chapters Review
The importance of demonstrating your grasp of the book publishing industry, where you and your book fit in it, and your level of competence/competitiveness cannot be understated.
Do you know…
- that 500,000-1 million of the 4 million titles published in 2024 were published by traditional publishers, the Big 5 publishing approximately 100,000 of them2
- that the average [print] book published today sells fewer than 300 copies and far below 1,000 over its lifetime in all formats and markets?3
- and that aspiring authors have a 1 in 3,000 to 1 in 6,000 chance of signing with a literary agent?5
If you keep getting rejection letters or want an opportunity to make critical changes to your query letter and sample chapters before pitching agents and publishers, I can help you avoid some of the most common pitch and sample chapter problems and give you more confidence when you start or resume pitching.
$500.00
3-5 business days
"I can’t begin to tell you what a significant difference your thoughts made on my ability to tweak the writing and take it to a new level. Your advice was, I felt, so spot-on and I really just can’t thank you enough. All this time I’ve been sending to agents and editors and hearing, ‘I like it but I’m not connecting,’ with no thoughts on what they’re not connecting with or how to fix it. Yours was the first real advice I’ve been given and I’m just beside myself." —C.H. Armstrong, author of Roam went on to secure a traditional publishing contract with Central Avenue Publishing and is now a literary agent herself
"Cristen is the most BRILLIANT editor I have ever worked with. Her editorial comments on my novel ... helped me recognize several patterns in my writing style, both good and bad. She has an eye for what good writing should read like, and every single comment she made was 100% accurate. That kind of editing is a gift that few people possess..." –Etaf Rum, then debut novelist of A Woman Is No Man who went on to secure agent representation, a 6-figure contract with HarperCollins, and became a New York Times bestselling author
Drop-In Consultation Sessions
Author Career & Skills Coaching
Having a literary agent to advocate for you and your book(s) and help manage your author career is great, but what if you aren't ready for that yet?
I can help you gain insight into the complicated and highly competitive book publishing industry and develop the strategic thinking and communication skills you'll need to secure agent representation and/or a traditional publishing contract and level up at each new stage of your author career.
10 pre-paid use 'em within 6 months or lose 'em hours $2,250
20 pre-paid use 'em within 6 months or lose 'em hours $3,500
40 pre-paid, use 'em within 12 months or lose 'em hours $5,000
All paid coaching sessions include the video meeting recording and transcript, typically delivered within 24 hours.
You may also apply pre-paid hours to occasional document reviews and other offline services such as agent and publisher pitch-list creation.
Ready for in-depth, personalized advice and encouragement from an industry pro? This flexible coaching option may be just what you're looking for.
10 pre-paid use 'em within 6 months or lose 'em hours $2,250
20 pre-paid use 'em within 6 months or lose 'em hours $3,500
40 pre-paid, use 'em within 12 months or lose 'em hours $5,000
All paid coaching sessions include the video meeting recording and transcript, typically delivered within 24 hours.
You may also apply pre-paid hours to occasional document reviews and other offline services such as additional research or resource gathering.
Ready for in-depth, personalized advice and encouragement from an industry pro? This flexible coaching option may be just what you're looking for.
10 pre-paid use 'em within 6 months or lose 'em hours $2,250
20 pre-paid use 'em within 6 months or lose 'em hours $3,500
40 pre-paid, use 'em within 12 months or lose 'em hours $5,000
All paid coaching sessions include the video meeting recording and transcript, typically delivered within 24 hours.
You may also apply pre-paid hours to occasional document reviews and other offline services such as additional research or resource gathering.
Ready for in-depth, personalized advice and encouragement from an industry pro? This flexible coaching option may be just what you're looking for.
10 pre-paid use 'em within 6 months or lose 'em hours $2,250
20 pre-paid use 'em within 6 months or lose 'em hours $3,500
40 pre-paid, use 'em within 12 months or lose 'em hours $5,000
All paid coaching sessions include the video meeting recording and transcript, typically delivered within 24 hours.
You may also apply pre-paid hours to occasional document reviews and other offline services such as additional research or resource gathering.
Ready for in-depth, personalized advice and encouragement from an industry pro? This flexible coaching option may be just what you're looking for.
10 pre-paid use 'em within 6 months or lose 'em hours $2,250
20 pre-paid use 'em within 6 months or lose 'em hours $3,500
40 pre-paid, use 'em within 12 months or lose 'em hours $5,000
All paid coaching sessions include the video meeting recording and transcript, typically delivered within 24 hours.
You may also apply pre-paid hours to occasional document reviews and other offline services such as additional research or resource gathering.
Literary Agent & Client Testimonials
“After 15+ years in publishing, I can say that Cristen sets the gold standard for freelance editing. She recently worked with us on a client’s memoir proposal, including an extensive amount of co-writing of sample chapters. From the start of the process, I was highly impressed with her writing, her ideas, and just how much organization and inspiration she brought to the project. Her writing was beautiful, clear, and very true to the author's unique voice. Collaborating with her has been a joy for both author and agent. She had tremendous impact on this project, and we will look forward to working with her on many more, given our experience.”
–Lilly Ghahremani, JD, MBA, literary agent and co-founder of Full Circle Literary
“Cristen is the most BRILLIANT editor I have ever worked with. Her editorial comments on my novel ... helped me recognize several patterns in my writing style, both good and bad. She has an eye for what good writing should read like, and every single comment she made was 100% accurate. That kind of editing is a gift that few people possess...”
–Etaf Rum, then debut novelist of A Woman Is No Man who went on to secure agent representation, a 6-figure contract with HarperCollins, and became a New York Times bestselling author
“When I came to Cristen as a first-time author, I had what could best be described as a book outline with a few chapters written. She was quickly able to develop a structure behind my work, directing my efforts down a clear, constructive path. Just as important, she provided what I imagine all authors need: an experienced industry professional to discuss ideas with and guide one through the often-challenging process of not only completing the book you have the potential to write, but a proposal as well. As the first major acquisition editor who saw my book proposal commented, ‘For a first-time author, this certainly is not a first-time proposal.’ Simply put, without Cristen as my editor I would never have the opportunities in front of me that I do today.”
Steve Adelman, co-founder of the Avalon Nightlife brand worldwide and author of Nocturnal Admissions: Behind the Scenes of Tunnel, Limelight, Avalon, and Other Legendary Nightclubs (Santa Monica Press)
“I cannot speak highly enough about Cristen Iris as a developmental editor. Six months before my manuscript was due to my publisher, I started working with her. I gave Cristen a monstrosity of a draft that was refusing to yield into the meaningful book that I knew it could be. I had been working on the draft for a year. It was over 30% longer than I had promised my publisher and had major problems with redundancy and presenting complex concepts. The feedback Cristen provided gave me a clear vision on how to restructure the manuscript and to simplify my presentation of information. She provided a detailed letter addressing specific questions I had posed to her as well as other insights she had about the manuscript. Cristen also shared notes on each of the chapters and the manuscript that was marked up with comments. Perhaps the most valuable feedback was several hours of videos that Cristen provided about my manuscript. Watching them was like taking a master class that tailored for me. I have learned so much through working with Cristen, and my manuscript is turning into the meaningful book I had envisioned.”
–Lisa Schelbe, PhD, Associate Professor Florida State University, College of Social Work and author of Some Type of Way: Aging Out of Foster Care (Oxford University Press)
“It was a privilege to work with Cristen. She is a highly knowledgeable editor and a wonderfully precise thinker. Her skill, commitment to excellence, and ability to understand my intent, inhabit it, and articulate it improved my manuscript tremendously…”
–Heather Sears, founder of Kinsho Kitchen and author of Mind to Mouth: A Busy Chick's Guide to Mindful Mealtime Moments
“Cristen has proven to be a critical component of my manuscript preparation. She executed her role with professionalism, which includes timeliness and integrity. I tend to be direct when I talk, and she worked well with that. She wasn’t afraid to be critical where and when appropriate and didn’t hesitate to acknowledge when her initial comments may have been off a bit. There are two things I wanted from a developmental editor that I found in her:
- She identified things I would never have been able to identify and was able to help me see and understand them.
- She helped me resolve several internal conflicts I was having with how to do certain things. The value of that cannot be underestimated.
Shortly after I began processing her edits, I told her I felt like I should have paid her more. I was blessed (or lucky if you prefer) to have found her.”
–Larry Mandelberg, consultant, speaker, and author of Businesses Don’t Fail. They Commit Suicide: How to Survive Success and Thrive in Good Times and Bad
“Through a series of phone calls, well, more like countless times of me bugging Cristen, she always greeted me with grace, kindness, and at times mercy…. Anyone who, whether a professional or a novice like me, is looking for some help and assistance with writing, your one stop is Cristen Iris. It’s an over-stated cliche, but I literally could not have done this without her. I had a beat and a concept, but she helped make it solid.”
–Billy Kilson, 2x GRAMMY Award® winning drummer and author of The Solid Beat Concept: A Modern Method for Musical Advancement (Authority Publishing)
“I just wanted to thank you once again for your notes on my manuscript. I can’t begin to tell you what a significant difference your thoughts made on my ability to tweak the writing and take it to a new level. Your advice was, I felt, so spot-on and I really just can’t thank you enough. All this time I’ve been sending to agents and editors and hearing, ‘I like it but I’m not connecting,’ with no thoughts on what they’re not connecting with or how to fix it. Yours was the first real advice I’ve been given and I’m just beside myself.”
—C.H. Armstrong, author of Roam (Cathie subsequently secured a traditional publishing contract with Central Avenue Publishing and is now a literary agent herself.)
Sources
2 Dean Talbot “Number Of Books Published Per Year” https://wordsrated.com/number-of-books-published-per-year-2021/
3 Berrett-Koehler Publishers. “10 Awful Truths About Publishing” https://ideas.bkconnection.com/10-awful-truths-about-publishing
4 “Why Agents Reject 96% of Author Submissions” (the situation has only gotten more competitive since this post was published) https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-agents-reject-96-of-a_b_4247045
5 Words Rated “Literary Agent Statistics” https://wordsrated.com/literary-agent-statistics/
