Hi, I’m Marie! I’m a freelance editor and writer with a flair for the dramatic. I bring a unique, 360-degree perspective to the editorial process, backed by fourteen years in the publishing industry. Having spent over a decade in marketing alone, I have a deep, behind-the-scenes understanding of how readers discover and fall in love with books, and what makes those stories appealing to retailers. My market-first intuition allows me to help authors not only refine their prose, but sharpen their story’s hook to ensure it resonates with their target audience.
My editorial foundation began in Hartwick College’s Writing Center, where I developed a rigorous eye for clarity and narrative structure while working on my Bachelor of Arts in Literature with a concentration in Creative Writing. Today, I combine that technical expertise with my marketing background to offer developmental editing that focuses on both the heart of the story and its ultimate visibility in a crowded marketplace. Whether you are cooking up a spicy rom-com or a research-heavy parenting guide, I can help you build a book that is as structurally sound as it is unputdownable.
When I’m not helping clients make their books shine, I’m working on my own fiction. I eat, sleep, and breathe stories. Right now, I’m working on my debut novel while sharing short stories and personal essays on Subtack.
As the founder of my own specialized LLC, I provide a professional, business-first approach to editorial and marketing strategies. My goal? To help you share a story that is not only creatively fulfilling, but structurally sound and professionally polished.
Something I like to remember during the creative process
Excerpt from Amy Poehler’s “Yes, Please!”
So what do I do? What do we do? How do we move forward when we are tired and afraid? What do we do when the voice in our head is yelling that WE ARE NEVER GONNA MAKE IT? How do we drag ourselves through the muck when our brain is telling us youaredumbandyouwillneverfinishandnoonecaresanditistimeyoustop?
Well, the first thing we do is take our brain out and put it in a drawer. Stick it somewhere and let it tantrum until it wears itself out. You may still hear the brain and all the shitty things it is saying to you, but it will be muffled, and just the fact that it is not in your head anymore will make things seem clearer. And then you just do it. You dig in and write it. You use your body. You lean over the computer and stretch and pace. You write and then cook something and write some more. You put your hand on your heart and feel it beating and decide if what you wrote feels true. You do it because the doing of it is the thing. The doing is the thing. The talking and worrying and thinking is not the thing. That is what I know. Writing the book is about writing the book.
Marie Cummings Hendry 