Kayla T. Vause
Copyeditor, Trade Nonfiction
Portland, OR · (248) 555 0132 · name@example.com · linkedin.com/in/kaylatvause
Key Qualifications
EXPERIENCE
Nine years copyediting trade nonfiction, memoir and narrative history for independent publishers
INDUSTRIES
Trade book publishing, independent presses, regional nonfiction
SPECIALTIES
Medium and heavy copyediting, style sheets, author queries, page proof review
SYSTEMS
Microsoft Word track changes, Adobe Acrobat markup, Adobe InDesign, Biblio, Dropbox
CREDENTIALS
Member of the Editorial Freelancers Association, copyediting certificate from the University of Chicago Graham School
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts in English, Reed College
Executive Summary
Copyeditor with nine years on trade nonfiction lists, working from delivered manuscript through second pass page proofs. Edits to the Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam Webster, builds a style sheet for every title, and keeps author queries short enough that authors actually answer them. Carries 30 to 35 books a year.
Signature Achievements
- Copyedited 34 titles in one season with 31 returned inside the production schedule and no book pushed to a later list.
- Reduced author queries from about 90 a manuscript to 40 by moving repeat decisions onto the style sheet, saving roughly a week of author time per book.
- Caught a misattributed source at second pass on a history title, before a print run of 12,000 copies went to the printer.
- Trained six freelance copyeditors on the house style sheet template, which the managing editor then adopted for the whole nonfiction list.
- Held the list to an average of two proof rounds a title across three seasons, keeping compositor charges inside the production budget.
Professional Experience
Copyeditor
Cascade Foothills Press, Portland, OR 2021 to present
Independent trade house of 18 staff publishing 24 nonfiction titles a year; sole staff copyeditor on the narrative and memoir list.
- Copyedits 30 to 35 manuscripts a year at medium and heavy levels and returns a style sheet with every file.
- Reads first and second pass page proofs against the production schedule and marks corrections for the compositor.
- Queries authors on inconsistencies of fact, chronology and voice, then reconciles the answers before pages lock.
- Maintains the house style sheet and settles style questions for three acquiring editors and a freelance pool of nine.
Assistant Editor and Copyeditor
Blue Camas Books, Eugene, OR 2016 to 2021
Regional press of nine staff publishing guidebooks, cookbooks and local history.
- Copyedited 20 titles a year and proofread reprints and corrected pages.
- Built the first house style sheet, settling spelling, capitalization and the treatment of place names.
- Kept the permissions log for photographs and quoted material with the production manager.
Licensure and Certification
Member, Editorial Freelancers Association
Member, Northwest Independent Editors Guild
Education
Bachelor of Arts in English, Reed College, 2015
Copyediting certificate, University of Chicago Graham School, 2018
Core Skills
Copyediting · Style sheets · Chicago Manual of Style · Merriam Webster · Author queries · Page proofs · Microsoft Word track changes · Adobe Acrobat markup · Production schedules · Proofreading