Amanda Clarke

I am a structural and copy editor with a focus on fantasy and science fiction (sci-fi) who works primarily with independent, self-published authors and first-time authors who are looking to be traditionally published. My goal is to help authors make their stories clear and engaging while maintaining their voice. I thrive on variety. No project is too small; I enjoy working on short stories as much as epic 200,000-word novels.

In addition to structural and copy editing, I offer the following services:

Manuscript Evaluations

Stylistic Editing

Proofreading

Interior Formatting

Ebook Design

My love of editing began when I started tutoring ESL students in elementary school, helping them with structural and copy editing for various papers and labs. I have an Editing Certificate from George Brown College, a BSc in Human Biology from the University of Toronto and an MA in Cinema and Media Studies from York University. I am working towards a Publishing Certificate through the Chang School at Toronto Metropolitan University. I was the treasurer of Editors Toronto from 2021 to 2023 and have helped plan 3 Editors Canada conferences. I have done editing work for WattPad and Eye of Newt Books, and I completed an editorial placement with Faze Magazine.

In addition to fiction, I also work on non-profit festival marketing materials, specializing in festival catalogues and video captions. I have done work for imagineNATIVE, Hot Docs, Indigenous Fashion Arts and Reel Asian, all based in Toronto.

Over the course of my career, I have gained experience across a wide range of fields. I have an extensive background in sports. I am a gold level figure skater, a certified provincial skating coach and a former provincial level soccer referee. In the arts, I have training in photography and dance (ballet, jazz and modern) and have spent over a decade working with film festivals across Toronto in various capacities.

Regardless of the job, I have found that my ability to organize, manipulate and understand language has been a key factor in my success. My diverse background is my biggest strength. It has given me an appreciation of the English language in its many forms and knowledge in a wide range of subject areas.

I look forward to helping your work shine.

“One of the best decisions I’ve made as a writer so far is hiring Amanda to edit my novel. Amanda is an amazing editor who really knows how to make your story really stand out in the competitive writing industry. Her editing really made the novel so much more professional and she does a great job at showing where your strengths are and where you need improvement, as well as giving advice as to what would be a better direction to go when it comes to the story process. Even after the editing, I was still able to email her with any questions, advice or feedback I may have had and that was extremely helpful to me. I look forward to working with her again as I move forward in my writing career.” – M.K. Young, Author, Daughter of the Universe

“As a copyeditor myself, I know well that I’m too close to my own words to edit them on my own. Amanda always provides me with clear, nonintrusive copyedits and offers insightful comments on tone, structure and logical flow that help me revise and clarify my words. She has an uncanny knack for
improving the parts of my writing that I felt were off but didn’t know how to
fix. I’m very grateful to have her as my second pair of eyes.” – Hannah Varacalli