Testimonials
Authors
“Thys iz wat happins wen I dont have Christine Ma az my copi=editer. Shez the bezst! Seriously, there is no one better, especially for a series because she remembers all the nitpicky details you might have forgotten back in book one. Don’t waste your time looking elsewhere. Hire her now!”
—Suzanne Selfors, author of the Imaginary Veterinary Series, the Smells Like Dog series, and the Ever After High School Stories series, all of which Christine worked on
“Christine Ma is a copyediting genius. She is thorough and thoughtful and wise, and I’m deeply grateful for the work she has done on my books over the years. She’s saved me from terrible gaffes more than once. I recommend her, unreservedly.”
—Paolo Bacigalupi, New York Times bestselling author, National Book Award finalist, and winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Michael L. Printz Awards
“I am always happy and relieved when my manuscripts are assigned to Christine.
Relieved because: (1) she is relentlessly thorough and comprehensive; I can be confident that all errors and inconsistencies will be found and interrogated and eloquently elucidated, and (2) she is remarkably restrained when I stet the occasional edit that I must stet for reasons of authorial idiosyncrasy, even when she is absolutely right and I know that I am being thick-headed.
Happy because: (1) she is smart and witty and warm, and (2) she lives in Pittsburgh, the point at which three rivers converge.
I am going to leave an error in this testimonial, confident that she will help it find a better home on someone else’s web page.”
—Matthew Swanson, author of the Real McCoys series; Everywhere, Wonder; and Babies Ruin Everything
“I’ve worked with Christine Ma on multiple books, and she is always thoughtful, thorough, amazingly detailed, and fun to work with. She has an eye for all the details that are easy to miss so you can focus on the big picture. Christine has a clear love for the written word and knows more about it than I do and probably more than most people. Your book will be better having worked with her.”
—Stephen Emond, author of Bright Lights, Dark Nights; Winter Town; and Happyface
“I feel very lucky to have found Christine Ma. Christine is an amazing proofreader, and she’s kind, impressively smart, and fun to work with. She turned the essence of what I had attempted to convey in my writing into something much easier for readers to understand. My collection of short stories for children feels neat and tidy and pleasurable to read thanks to Christine.”
—Jessica Laurel Kane, author of The Butterfly Who Was Afraid to Fly and Other Stories
Publishing Colleagues
“I have been fortunate to work with Christine Ma for a number of years, first as colleagues at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and now as fellow independent editors. I have seen firsthand how Christine’s sharp eyes and insightful questions have strengthened picture books, novels, jacket copy, and everything in between. Christine is meticulous, passionate, and incredibly knowledgeable. Her copyedits always strive to clarify the author’s intent while maintaining the author’s unique voice. It is no wonder that authors request to work with Christine again and again. I cannot recommend her highly enough, and I hope to continue working with her on many future projects.”
—Julie Scheina, independent children’s and young adult book editor at Julie Scheina Editorial Services
“Impressive command of grammar, mechanics, and style? Check. Meticulous attention to accuracy, consistency, and continuity? Check. Sensitivity in making corrections and suggesting constructive revisions? Impeccable reliability? Dogged dedication to meeting (or beating) deadlines? Check, check, and check.
Christine Ma shines in all those areas—that’s why she’s my go-to copyeditor and proofreader. Her astute queries and deft, judicious edits bring clarity and polish to an author’s words without compromising voice or style. And Christine’s eagle eye has caught many an error that slipped past other readers. Her work routinely earns admiration and grateful acknowledgment from editors and authors alike. In short, she makes me look good.
Talented, knowledgeable, professional, responsive: Christine inspires confidence that any project placed with her is in the most skillful of hands.”
—Barbara Bakowski, longtime production editor and former copy chief at major book publishers
“Christine is my go-to freelancer for high-profile projects. An experienced, conscientious copyeditor, she manages to be thorough while perfectly preserving the author’s voice. I wish I could use her on all my projects!”
—Jen Graham, copy chief at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Hachette Book Group
“Christine has been freelancing for my department for more than six years, and in that time she has dealt with some of our trickiest and fastest-turnaround projects—all with accuracy, insight, and skill. She is always one of my top go-to people, as she is a great copyeditor and proofreader, can assess well just what level a manuscript needs, and is completely reliable. I highly recommend her!”
—Melissa Kavonic, executive managing editor at Bloomsbury Children’s Books