Leadership

Vee White (they/them) started editing in 2003, specializing in medical content since 2008. Vee is committed to furthering conscious, inclusive language and to creating mentorship opportunities—especially for those of marginalized identities—and leads the New Editors Guide Task Force for ACES: The Society for Editing. They developed an editorial internship program in collaboration with Andrea Klingler, and are a current member of the Diversity & Inclusion Assessment Task Force for the American Medical Writers Association. 

Previously, Vee sat on the board of their local civic association and was involved with social justice activism, including the Philly-based Riders Against Gender Exclusion (RAGE; a trans activist group that advocated to remove gender stickers from transit passes) and Reclaim's Mass Liberation Taskforce (focused on racial justice). 

Vee lives and works with disability and chronic illness, loves hiking and outdoor adventures with their spouse, and has three rescue cats who are perpetually getting into scrapes!

Stephi has loved stories all her life. She is a freelance editor specializing in speculative fiction and select nonfiction and author of the Great Asian-Americans series (Capstone Press). Her work in publishing focuses on communicating with compassion and clarity, enhancing information accessibility, and providing ethical guidance to new authors and editors. She has written for Strange Horizons and served as fiction editor of Rathalla Review, and she continues to write YA and MG nonfiction, academic articles, and short-form poetry. Stephi is currently completing her MA in Publishing with an editorial concentration at Rosemont College and writing for Publishers Weekly. She spends her limited free time reading, rock climbing, and singing.

Tanya is a book editor, French to English translator, educator, and literary omnivore. They have been in publishing for over 20 years, and have worked on all kinds of cool books. These days, they run their own business, working with authors and publishers on SFF, horror, contemporary fiction, literary fiction, memoir, poetry, interactive/game books, and graphic novels. They teach online courses for editors and at the Popular Fiction Writing and Publishing MFA program at Emerson College. It has been suggested that they read too much for their own good. This might be true.

D runs D. Scott Edits, working with academics who need to get their writing out of draft and into the world. D.’s academic background is in biology (BA), law (JD), and human geography (PhD); they edit in the social sciences, humanities, and law. With Dr. Thoko Kamwendo, they developed and run a webinar on “Conscious Language in Academic Work.” They believe that every scholar deserves the support of an editor, especially those facing uphill battles to stay in academia. They are probably knitting right now.  

Shannon is the founder and owner of Shannon S. Scott Editing Services, LLC, where they work tirelessly to deliver top-notch service through line editing, copyediting, and proofreading. They ensure manuscripts are as polished as possible, regardless of the level of editing requested. Shannon opened their editing business with the intention of working with independent and self-publishing authors in the military and espionage thriller, psychological and legal thriller, and LGBTQIA+ romance fiction subgenres, though they offer editing services across most other fiction genres as well (except fantasy). They are also experienced in business communication and technical documentation editing, and are a vocal advocate for building awareness around mental health. 

Cody is an author, editor, publisher, and literary community organizer. His LGBT psychological science fiction series includes two novels thus far, Broken Mirror and Tortured Echoes. He is a freelance editor specializing in genre-bending fiction and an editor for Running Wild Press. In 2017, he co-founded Made in L.A. Writers, an indie author co-op dedicated to the support and appreciation of independent authors. His startup, BookSwell, is a literary events and media production company dedicated to lifting up marginalized voices and connecting readers and writers in Southern California and beyond. He serves as a Co-Executive on the Board of Governors for the Editorial Freelancers Association and as a board member at APLA Health.

Krishna, who prefers to go by Dr. KK or Kris, is a surgeon turned editor based in Mumbai, India. He works as a publications consultant and a language solutions expert for Crimson Interactive (Enago), apart from conducting touring workshops and webinars on academic writing and publications for researchers and scientists. He is also a musician and a multi-instrumentalist, writing and performing with several acts. He loves anything furry and friendly and loves reading sci-fi and modern literature. He is a tech nerd and is always on the lookout of new things to learn!

Nikki Busch (she/her), is an indie editor of fiction, memoir, and medical content. She’s a published poet, an ACES and EFA member, and co-founder of the Association of Independent Publishing Professionals. As owner of Nikki Busch Editing, she works with indie authors, querying authors, and medical journal publishers and researchers. Her favorite fiction genres are YA, LGBTQ+, sci-fi, romance, fantasy, horror, and paranormal. Nikki lives with her wife and feisty little dog in northwestern New Jersey. Her passions include rock and roll, writing, qigong, crystals, nature, and spirituality.

Eliot West (they/them) is an independent editor at Eliot West Editorial specializing in romance and fantasy fiction, including narrative games. Their work is informed by a background in literary studies and deep interests in inclusive language, gender diversity, human sexuality, consent, and trauma and healing. An incorrigible nerd and huge romance fan, they live in Minneapolis with their favorite humans and a very silly large-eared dog.

Joy Holmes (she/her) loves words! When she’s not reading for fun, she’s writing creative nonfiction, beta reading fantasies, proofreading academic papers, and teaching the craft of writing to teens. She also spends time parenting her young daughter, teenage son, and spoiled tabby. Her editorial business, Joyful Author Services, currently offers proofreading, professional beta reading, and sensitivity reading.