“I finally got ‘Erosion’ accepted for publication and couldn’t have done it without you! With a couple of minor exceptions, I followed pretty much all of your advice when rewriting, tightened up the prose and just finally got the story to where it needed to be. It’s never taken me this long to get a story right, and again it was your criticism and insight that helped me understand how to get it there. You’re the best editor I’ve ever worked with. You gave it to me straight, providing exactly what I needed to hear, and what I was looking for. I will be recommending your editing services to everyone I can.” – Nathan Pettigrew, USA, Sept 2021

“Melanie is a fantastic editor. She is thorough, prompt and friendly. I needed advice on how to improve my writing and she provided that in a way that made sense. She was also willing to give a bit extra and discuss ideas about plot, point of view and characterisation. I now look forward to the next stage of my writing journey and would happily use Melanie’s editorial services in the future.” – Kelly Black, UK, June 2017

Shooter’s editor, Melanie Sykes-White, provides on-demand editing services for writers of short stories, essays, memoirs and novels. Writers who are preparing work for competitions, agents or publishing houses, or preparing to self-publish their work, will benefit from her editorial skills. Following the editorial polish detailed below, the writer’s prose will be clean and honed: its best incarnation, ready for appreciative readers.

In addition to editing Shooter, Melanie has published book reviews in numerous publications including The Observer, The Times Literary Supplement, and The Literary Review. During her early career she gained editing experience as a script and book analyst for film production companies such as Film4, Renaissance and Donmar Films in London. She has worked in journalism as arts editor of the Jackson Hole News&Guide (a weekly newspaper in the western United States) and has freelanced widely. As a dual US-UK citizen, she is sensitive to the different styles and linguistic requirements of American and British writing.

Melanie obtained an English degree from Oxford University, a master’s in journalism from Columbia University in New York, and deepened her understanding of narrative craft with courses in Story Design at the Script Factory and Short Story Writing at City University in London. Please see below for further testimonials from writers whose work she has edited.

The Polish:

Your work receives a thorough copy edit to catch typos, correct grammar, animate language and improve sentence flow. A redline edit, comments and suggestions are made within the body of the piece and returned with incisive feedback on the work’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as recommendations for revisions.

A fast turnaround within three working days is guaranteed for short stories and within five working days for medium/long stories.

Short story (up to 2,500 words): £45

Medium story (2,500 – 5,000 words): £85

Long story (5,000 – 7,500 words): £125

For work longer than 7,500 words, please email Melanie at editor.shooterlitmag@gmail.com to discuss pricing and turnaround time. Otherwise, please send work as .doc or .docx files to her at the above email address, and transfer the relevant payment via the PayPal links.

Additional testimonials:

“Melanie is a wonderful editor. She looks at the work in a way that the writer hasn’t and offers not only advice on what needs to be changed but the reason for the change as well.” – John Haas, Ontario, Canada

“Melanie edited a short story of mine ahead of publication in Shooter Literary Magazine. She was very thorough, picking up on various typographical errors and making helpful suggestions regarding sentence construction to improve the flow of the story. I agreed with pretty much all of her suggestions and felt the piece was stronger and clearer as a result of her input. Melanie was friendly and professional to deal with throughout.” – Rob Hawke, London, UK

“Melanie was easy to work with, and she proved to have a keen eye for sharpening short stories.” – Cathy Adams, Sias International University, China

“Melanie provided very specific suggestions for improving my short story, and, more importantly, was able to clearly articulate the logic behind her suggestions. I enjoyed working with her.” – Tom Weller, Indiana, USA

“Melanie is a consummate professional. She treated my short story with care and the final product was that much better for her editing. I’d happily send my work along for the extra polish and professional once over.” – Tiffany Michelle Brown, Arizona, USA

“Melanie brings editing precision and heart to a manuscript, whittling away what doesn’t matter to reveal what does.” – Rebecca Huntington, Wyoming, USA