Mica Scotti Kole

Mica Scotti Kole

Speculative author and developmental editor

Developmental Editing

Current Turnaround: 2-5 weeks. Contact: micaskole |at| gmail |dot| com Mission Statement: Keep moving forward. As an editor, my #1 goal is to make your book the best it can be… and my #2 goal...

Mica’s Projects

ARMOR LIKE GLASS (In Revision). YA/ADULT SCIENCE FICTION.  To keep the crew of the Caduceus healthy during their three-year trip to Mercury, a virtual reality game was installed aboard the ship. The best player in...

About Mica

I’m an internationally award-winning science fiction and fantasy writer. Several years ago, I made the big jump: I quit the day job to build my own business as a developmental editor. While it did go...

Testimonials

I wanted to tell you my heart is full and your support and SPOT ON critique was honestly the best constructive feedback I’ve ever, ever, ever had. You pointed out glitches in my writing style that I’ve had my whole life in all my work that I never realized and I actually feel like a better writer for seeing those pitfalls now. Thank you, so much, from the bottom of my heart.

@GinaUrso

I have had 3 other editors work on this before [Mica], but none of them did for my manuscript what [she] did. I am very, very grateful.

@AmyKitcher

Professional, reliable, and incredibly low-priced: Mica’s editing cannot be overestimated. With clear communication and an impeccable sense for language, she helped me to push my stories over the edge and turn them from readable into great! If you want your stories to really live up to their maximum potential, go to her!

@DMombauer

Mica is the third editor I’ve tried and clearly the best. I would recommend her without reservation. She took a flat manuscript and breathed life into it… She claims to be blunt with her critiquing. It’s true. She may not be for everyone. But she is professional, constructive and respectful. She will make you a better writer and give you a shot at getting your work published.

… [My publisher] commented that [the book Mica line edited] was the cleanest manuscript they’ve ever received.

@Willie_Handler

Too many editors feel uncomfortable giving honest and much-needed critique. Mica cuts through that facade of unfamiliarity, breaking your work down meticulously while taking great care to remember how to put the pieces back together. With her guidance, you’ll chop out the inane and the unnecessary from your narrative, streamlining it in ways that you didn’t think possible. At its heart, her approach forces you to confront and remember why you originally started writing in the first place: to tell great stories.

@thegreengorcrow

Mica’s insights electrified my writing. She picked up on so many things I didn’t realize I was doing, and gave helpful suggestions to improve not only some dodgy plot points I’d tried to coast by with, but also pointed out lazy writing habits so ingrained in my subconscious I’d stopped noticing them as bad after multiple rewrites.

She is kind without the sugary coating, so when she says something is good you know she really means it! Her criticism is always helpful, even when it’s hard to swallow, and following her suggestions has made my writing so much livelier and engaging that it was worth setting aside my ego and allowing myself to grow.

You won’t get a halfhearted beta read with Mica. She digs in deep and gives her full attention to your work, with the kind of attention to detail you would expect from a big-ticket editor. Whatever she’s charging, she should double it.

@janicefosse

Shout out to @micascotti for doing a Developmental Beta Read for me, and helping me get “unstuck”!

@AnnaBYang

The critiques Mica provides contain valuable insights both detailed and thorough… Mica brings tireless effort and passion to everything she touches. The quality and maturity of my work skyrocketed because of her caring guidance and patience, for which she has my gratitude

@QChristensen

Ms. Kole’s analysis of my work was spot on. She pointed out some things that hadn’t even occurred to me after several rounds of edits! Her keen eye undoubtedly helped me to improve my work.

@ithilien19

[Mica] gave detailed feedback, very clear, concise, and carefully structured, which covered everything from the flow of the plot down to repeated grammatical mistakes. She balanced praise with criticism fairly but didn’t hold back when identifying issues with the story. I really value her honest and incisive opinion.

@IrateJabberwock

I want you to hit me as hard as you can. That’s what you’re saying when you engage an editor, and Mica doesn’t flinch. The notes I got were direct and unhampered by platitudes, but far from cutting me off at the knees… she supported her notes with suggestions and truly CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. What [Mica] gave me left me with a clear understanding of what I needed to do to make my writing better and make it more appealing to agents and publishers.  You want your work to be the best that it can be, and so does Mica. I can say without hesitation that I have found my editor, and it’s Mica Kole.

@WriteGavinGayle

The publisher who’s formatting my book said [Mica’s] editing was some of the best she’s seen in a long time. True story.

David-Knapp Fisher
(for copyediting)

Qualifications

  • Publications and accolades
  • Internship with Speilburg Literary Agency
  • Bachelor’s degree (with honors) in the English Language from Michigan State University
    • Concentration in Creative Writing
  • Judge for SweekStars in their short story division 2018-2019
  • Owner of the @writevent Twitter account (24k+ curated author/reader followers)
  • Minor publications and accolades
    • Winner: Reedsy Short Story Contest
    • x2 First Place: Life of Writers Short Story Contest
    • Second Place: Life of Writers Short Story Contest
    • Honorable Mention: Speculative Literature Foundation’s 2017 Working Class Writer’s Grant
    • Top 25: Ecostory Green Stories Contest 2018
    • Shortlisted: Center Field of Gravity (2020)
    • Shortlisted: James White Award 2019 (Longlisted in 2018)
    • Invited to present at the Utah League of Writers Conference
    • Seven full personal manuscript requests from agents 
    • Finalist in Pitch Madness 2017
  • Procedural writing for Underground Printing
  • Best Writing Website awards from:
    • Reedsy
    • The Write Life
    • Booksie

Convinced?

Find more information about my editing services here or reach out directly at micaskole -at- gmail -dot- com.

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