Paul Carlucci

Introduction

For more than 20 years, I’ve worked as an editor, writing coach, journalist, communications advisor, and award-winning author with experience in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. I’m a member of Editors Canada and the Editorial Freelancers Association.

I’m highly skilled at all types of editing, from developmental to proofreading, with expertise in both fiction and non-fiction of all kinds. I’m proficient with all leading style guides, including CMoS, APA, Canadian Press, AMA, and MLA, and I’m a quick study of house styles and their accompanying spelling lists.

I stay current on inclusive language conventions, and I’m comfortable working with a variety of applications, including Google Suite, Microsoft Office, and Adobe Acrobat. I can switch between Canadian, American, and British spellings and punctuation.

Information on quoting can be found at the end of the profile under “Let’s Work Together.”

Editing Experience

I’m a well-rounded editor with experience working on everything from professional research to traditionally published and self-published novels.

Non-Fiction

My non-fiction experience covers professional research, student work, journalism, memoirs, educational materials, conference programs, and digital marketing, among other product segments.

For most types of non-fiction, my services comprise proofreading and copy-editing, with the latter including substantive feedback on elements like logic and organization when it comes to research as well as suggestions related to rhetorical devices and audience-engagement strategies when it comes to digital marketing.

For personal essays and memoirs, I also help with substantive elements that borrow from fiction, such as pacing, characterization, and theme development.

I’ve worked on dozens of complicated research proposals worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and I’ve brought my careful eye to the report filings and academic journal contributions generated by successful bids.

I’ve also edited content for webinars, often focused on training for trainers, completing projects that include participant guides and PowerPoint presentations. I have considerable experience editing business case studies and their accompanying teaching notes for MBA courses, and I’ve contributed to other educational materials as well, including those targeting young readers.

In addition, I’ve worked on briefs about tariffs, case studies about countries transitioning to net-zero-emission regimes, reports on labour, guides about the Canadian Income Tax Act, and reports on trade relations between China and the United States.

More generally, I’ve edited technical documents, reports to government, white papers, internal and external reviews, dissertations, journalism, memoirs, and children’s non-fiction.

Specific clients include or have included publishers like Duke University Press, Inhabit Education Books, and Figure 1 Publishing; organizations and institutions like the US-China Business Council, the Institute for Research on Public Policy, the Canadian Centre for Christian Charities, the American Institutes for Research, Ivey Business School, and Toronto Metropolitan University; and businesses like S&S Activewear and Mme L’Ovary.

I’ve also worked with individual business people, academics, students, and self-publishing authors.

Fiction

My fiction editing experience includes traditionally published and self-published novels, short story collections, novellas, and individual short stories as well as one-on-one workshops with developing writers. I offer substantive editing, copy-editing, proofreading, beta reads, and manuscript evaluations, and I’ve worked in multiple genres, including literary fiction, children’s books, YA, mystery, fantasy, historical fiction, magic realism, science fiction, and horror.

I’ve worked on manuscripts that have been picked up by traditional publishers, and I’ve worked directly with traditional presses in Canada, including Guernica Editions, Radiant Press, and Inhabit Education Books.

Writing Experience

I’m the award-winning author of The Secret Life of Fission (Oberon, 2013; Danuta Gleed Literary Award winner),
A Plea for Constant Motion (Anansi, 2017; ReLit Awards finalist), The High-Rise in Fort Fierce (Goose Lane Editions, 2018; Ottawa Book Awards and ReLit Awards finalist), and
The Voyageur (Swift Press, 2024; Ottawa Book Awards finalist; currently undergoing translation by Éditions Globe for the market in France). Individually, a little more than 20 of my short stories have been published online as well as in magazines and journals.

I’ve received generous grants from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council, and I have experience adjudicating grants and awards for other writers. If you’d like to see a list of fiction I’ve had published and books I’ve edited, please feel free to reach out via email. If you’d like to see the critical reception of some of my fiction, please visit my website.

Finally, I have a background in journalism, with bylines in major outlets like The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Africa Report, and Macleans.ca.

French Services

My French-language services comprise comparative editing (checking the English against the French), editing translations to insert native-speaker tone, and translations of non-technical marketing materials. Please note that French writing, substantive editing, copy-editing, and proofreading are not services I offer.

Let’s Work Together

If you’d like to work with me, you can get in touch using the email link above. In your message, please provide a full job description, including a project overview, word count, deadline, style system, and budget. At this time, I’m not offering free samples, but I can apply the cost of a paid sample as a credit against the full job.

For Clients with Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction

Please note that I’m unable to offer free consultations. However, I do provide paid consultations on finished and unfinished manuscripts, the editorial process, or the publishing industry. If you’ve finished a draft and are seriously looking for an editor, I’d be happy to discuss your project in detail.

The best way to get a firm quote is to research the type of editing you’re looking for (e.g., developmental/substantive editing, copy-editing, manuscript assessment), include your word count and deadline in your query, and propose a budget. I respond promptly to all queries that contain this information, with exploratory meetings to follow.

You’re also welcome to ask about a payment plan. While I collect deposits, I’m open to setting up no-interest payments for the remaining costs. In all cases, I retain copyright over my edits until paid in full, and we sign a detailed service agreement for each draft.