Bio

Caroline M. Tell is a freelance novel editor specializing in YA, fantasy, sci-fi, and romance. She's an avid reader and a writer of her own fantasy stories, garnering her passion for storytelling when she was sixteen. As an editor, her philosophy is to draw out the very best in her clients’ works and to figure out what makes a story truly shine. Whether that's tightening up the prose, making sure the story makes sense, or simply keeping track of grammar and language usage, her goal is to help authors create stories readers will love.

Before book editing, she worked as a freelance communications consultant for nonprofits and created content and researched data for two publishing websites that cover news within the trade book industry. Currently, she’s working on getting her editing certificate through the University of Chicago Graham School certificate program. When she’s not reading or dreaming up new story ideas, she’s either drinking coffee, laughing with friends, or watching k-dramas with her fur-babies, Ollie and Teak. This will be her third year as a RevPit editor.

Pronouns: She/Her

MSWL

This year, I’m looking for new and unique adventures. Whether that’s traversing through time, space, another world, or another stage of life, I’m looking to walk alongside strong, well-rounded characters as they face their fears and overcome insurmountable obstacles. Of course, extra kudos if they fall in love!

Other elements I’m a sucker for:

• Enemies to lovers
• Heists
• Lighthearted friendships
• Princesses falling in love but have other goals too
• Strong female characters
• Redemption arcs
• Goofball male leads
• Male leads/love interests with dark pasts, but are huge softies on the inside
• Ghosts
• Adventures
• Magic/Sorcery
• Political intrigue
• Manipulation plots
• World-shattering revelations
• Multi POVs (think Six of Crows style)
• Disability representation
• Characters that feel deeply about the world around them
• Retellings of any kind (I’m not picky ✌🏻)

Elements that are automatic no’s:

• Excessive gore and violence (some okay if needed for the story)
• Erotica (but light sex scenes okay)
• Body shaming
• Romances between non-humanoid characters
• Manuscripts with +100k words

Q&A

How can a manuscript’s first five pages make you sit up and take notice?

• A punchy first line/paragraph that dives right into the character’s head.
• Mastery over POV and has clearly defined goals, conflict, and character motivations.
• I can follow the character’s logic and reasoning smoothly without asking myself why.
• When the characters are doing something to go after their goals and are not just reflecting/thinking about them.
• The story starts in the right place.
• It doesn’t take too long to get a sense of the overarching conflict.

What can writers expect from working with you during #RevPit, including communication?

To me, storytelling is as much a creative art as it is a science, and part of ensuring that the creative flame in a story keeps going is by sticking to the author’s original intentions. That’s why, when working with authors, I like to ask a lot of questions. I practice open communication and encourage authors to share their ideas, goals, and intentions for their story with me so that we can come up with better solutions to improve their stories in a way they and their readers will love.

What do you expect from writers during the #RevPit revision process, including communication?

I’m a very easy-going person who can work with just about anyone. I work best with writers who are passionate about the craft and want to hone their skills as writers to create stories readers will love, as well as displaying a level of professionalism that matches my own. My favorite part about working with writers is coming up with new ideas and incorporating them into their stories. I’m happy to answer any questions they might have about my edits, the craft, or the editing process in general and highly encourage them to learn as much as they can.

Email is the best way to reach me. I do try to get back within 48 hours, but sometimes my multiple day jobs take my time and focus away, so it may take a little longer. After winners are announced, I’ll be sending the winning authors a questionnaire to fill out, asking about their projects, goals, and intentions while working with me. I’ll also be sending a link to set up a Zoom call with me to discuss my editorial process in more detail.

What hobbies do you have outside of writing and editing?

I enjoy lazy mornings drinking coffee, taking long walks with my dogs, working out, going shopping, or crocheting cute fluffy creatures (though I admittedly haven’t made one in a long time 😅). These days, you can find me working on my own creative writing projects or trying to perfect sourdough bread.