Editorial Freelancers Association
Member Profile
Aaron Redfern
I am a copy editor and developmental editor specializing in fantasy, science fiction, and historical fiction, both independently and with Historical Editorial. There’s nothing like good genre fiction—it pulls you into a world entirely different from your own. But each genre comes with its own strengths and pitfalls. As you revise your manuscript and prepare it for publication, your goal is to find an editor who understands the material.
Fantasy and science fiction rely on world building, and the way you present information is critical. The most successful stories reveal enough background to keep the reader immersed but withhold enough to engage their curiosity and keep them wanting to find out more. A strong plot structure allows you to get your ideas across in an order the reader can understand, without making them feel like you’re trying to hold their hand or overexplain. At the same time, you want to write characters that feel like their lives are believably woven into that rich, deep setting. These are challenges for writers of any skill level, and it’s no wonder so many F&SF writers benefit from a second set of eyes.
Historical fiction is also about creating a richly detailed world—writing characters and places that feel real. The difference is that the world you’re building really existed, and you’ve got to get it right. Ideas, technology, and clothing have to match the setting. Timelines have to make sense. And most importantly, you have to find that flawless balance where your characters feel relatable, yet still sound like they’re in the right time period.
I offer the following services:
Developmental editing: You’ve finished the first draft of your story, and you know it needs more work. You want to take that jumble of great ideas and turn them into a final, polished narrative. I offer a deep evaluation of character development, plot, tone, narrative flow, and other elements of storytelling to identify your manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses with suggestions for improvement. I give you both the long and short version—thorough commentary and reactions throughout the manuscript, as well as a summary of the main points. The edit also includes a follow-up call by phone or Zoom, and additional follow-up by email as needed.
Copy editing: The fiction market is competitive, and if you’re planning to submit your manuscript to publishers, it needs to be virtually perfect. That doesn’t just mean fixing typos; if your character has blue eyes on page 5 and hazel eyes on page 387, you need someone to catch that. I go over your manuscript line by line to correct spelling and grammatical errors and smooth out issues with clarity, tone, and consistency where necessary. Changes are made with markup, so you can accept or reject them individually if you prefer.
For both services, I’ll ask to do a sample edit beforehand so you can get an idea of how well we’ll work together.
I specialize in the following genres:
- Fantasy: All subgenres
- Science fiction: All subgenres
- Historical fiction: Especially Medieval Europe and the World Wars, but I’ve worked with a wide variety of time periods ranging from biblical to modern.
In the past, I have also specialized in:
- Proposals, presentations, and other business documents that serve as a communication link between companies and their clients
- E-commerce and entertainment (product descriptions, blog posts, reviews, and other web-focused content)
- Editing for non-native English speakers
Business phone: 5165953413
Email: aaron.redfern@gmail.com
Years in the field: 11
Years freelancing: 11
Aaron Redfern
I am a copy editor and developmental editor specializing in fantasy, science fiction, and historical fiction, both independently and with Historical Editorial. There’s nothing like good genre fiction—it pulls you into a world entirely different from your own. But each genre comes with its own strengths and pitfalls. As you revise your manuscript and prepare it for publication, your goal is to find an editor who understands the material.
Fantasy and science fiction rely on world building, and the way you present information is critical. The most successful stories reveal enough background to keep the reader immersed but withhold enough to engage their curiosity and keep them wanting to find out more. A strong plot structure allows you to get your ideas across in an order the reader can understand, without making them feel like you’re trying to hold their hand or overexplain. At the same time, you want to write characters that feel like their lives are believably woven into that rich, deep setting. These are challenges for writers of any skill level, and it’s no wonder so many F&SF writers benefit from a second set of eyes.
Historical fiction is also about creating a richly detailed world—writing characters and places that feel real. The difference is that the world you’re building really existed, and you’ve got to get it right. Ideas, technology, and clothing have to match the setting. Timelines have to make sense. And most importantly, you have to find that flawless balance where your characters feel relatable, yet still sound like they’re in the right time period.
I offer the following services:
Developmental editing: You’ve finished the first draft of your story, and you know it needs more work. You want to take that jumble of great ideas and turn them into a final, polished narrative. I offer a deep evaluation of character development, plot, tone, narrative flow, and other elements of storytelling to identify your manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses with suggestions for improvement. I give you both the long and short version—thorough commentary and reactions throughout the manuscript, as well as a summary of the main points. The edit also includes a follow-up call by phone or Zoom, and additional follow-up by email as needed.
Copy editing: The fiction market is competitive, and if you’re planning to submit your manuscript to publishers, it needs to be virtually perfect. That doesn’t just mean fixing typos; if your character has blue eyes on page 5 and hazel eyes on page 387, you need someone to catch that. I go over your manuscript line by line to correct spelling and grammatical errors and smooth out issues with clarity, tone, and consistency where necessary. Changes are made with markup, so you can accept or reject them individually if you prefer.
For both services, I’ll ask to do a sample edit beforehand so you can get an idea of how well we’ll work together.
I specialize in the following genres:
- Fantasy: All subgenres
- Science fiction: All subgenres
- Historical fiction: Especially Medieval Europe and the World Wars, but I’ve worked with a wide variety of time periods ranging from biblical to modern.
In the past, I have also specialized in:
- Proposals, presentations, and other business documents that serve as a communication link between companies and their clients
- E-commerce and entertainment (product descriptions, blog posts, reviews, and other web-focused content)
- Editing for non-native English speakers
