Hey, I’m Tiffiny.

Headshot of Tiffiny Spire kid lit editor for pink pen sitting in brown chair wearing bright pink blouse

READER, WRITER, AND EDITOR OF KID-LIT

I help published authors and debut writers of chapter books, middle grade novels, and young adult fiction get their manuscripts ready for their readers (and the gatekeepers).

Whether you’ve chosen to self-publish or go the traditional route, my pink pen and I can help you along the way.

Do you need big picture feedback or the nitty-gritty analysis of periods and commas?

I offer a variety of services that can be combined and customized to meet your needs.

The Pink Pen—because red ink is too harsh.

Let’s get your manuscript ready for publication.

My Approach

Constructive, but Compassionate

You know that friend whose advice you trust when you need help deciding what outfit to wear to an interview or on a blind date? That friend who will be kind but honest when your chosen outfit isn’t doing you any favors? They tell you what you need to hear, but they do it without crushing your spirit.

That’s my goal with your manuscript. I want it to be the best it can be so that when you shop it around to agents, publishers, or awards contests, you can feel confident about it.

Collaborative and Customized

You have a unique story to tell, and your manuscript has unique needs. Because I see every win for your book as a win for me, I schedule my time so I can truly focus on your manuscript. I want to give it the undivided attention it deserves.

But my work doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It begins with learning about you as a writer and your goals for your story. My feedback is guided by what you want to achieve and what your manuscript needs to get there.

  • Editorial Freelancers Association

    Kid-Lit Collective Leadership Team

  • Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators

    Newsletter Editor of the MT Chapter

  • Partner Member

Book Coaching for an unfinished manuscript

Anne had a book inside her that was struggling to come out. She felt like she was going in circles with her ideas and didn’t really know how to put them on a linear trajectory. We decided the best way I could help her was through book coaching. After several audio and video sessions, she gained a sense of clarity and direction about her book. When she was ready for me to look at her pages, we added my developmental editing services to her package using the customer loyalty discount.

Case Studies in Customization

Manuscript Critique for a four-book series

Alyson was concerned about the consistency of voice and point of view across her middle grade fantasy series. We crafted a package that allowed me to read the entire manuscript of the first book, which had already been published, before I dove into a big-picture analysis of the next book. She has made use of the customer loyalty discount with each subsequent book in her series.

Developmental Edit for a novice writer

Haddie was a novice writer when she first brought me her contemporary young adult manuscript for a developmental edit. We agreed on a rate that allowed me the time to give her thorough feedback and instruction on the craft of writing. I was able to provide her with examples of literary elements that would strengthen her writing without doing the work for her. Because she was open to feedback, she grew tremendously as a writer. Each new version of the manuscript was far stronger than the previous.

What Clients are Saying

Tiffiny was very professional and thorough throughout the process. Especially as this was my first novel, she explained the process, agreed timelines and she was up front about costs. It was a pleasure to work with her on this project and I have already referred her to someone else. I also look forward to working with her on future projects.

—Richard, YA Sci-Fi author

Tiffiny helped me unscrambled a very intimate story. I had worked so closely with the narrative that I could not see the forest for the trees. Her analysis pointed out areas that might send readers in a wrong direction or worse, confuse them and impede my message. I was able to take her comments & edits and continue to move the story forward to clarify my intentions. Tiffiny's "touches" infused me with energy in a very long, intimate process. I am very grateful for her assistance.

—Tonia, Contemporary YA author

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FAQ

  • Yes. When a client hires me for more than one service, they can make use of my loyalty discount and save 10% on all subsequent services that are of equal or lesser value. Also, members of ALLI will find a coupon code when they look me up in the partner directory. This coupon cannot be combined with the loyalty discount, but it can be used on the initial service.

  • Sort of. Payment for my editing services is broken into three parts (except for Book Coaching and First 25 Pages Manuscript Critique which require payment in full up front). For all other editing services, a 20% nonrefundable deposit is required in order to hold your spot on my editorial calendar. Then, one week before the start date of the editing project another 60% of the total is due. This portion becomes nonrefundable once I have begun the editing work. When the project is complete, I return the edited manuscript along with an invoice for the final 20%.

  • No. I don’t use anything that most people are thinking of when they’re talking about AI. I use basic spellcheck-type programs to begin the editing process.

  • For a developmental edit, manuscript critique, and line/copyedit, the manuscript should be sent to me in MS Word using a standard font such as 12pt New Times Roman. Be sure to add page numbers. For a final proofreading, the manuscript should be sent fully formatted as a PDF. (I will edit it in Adobe.) Be sure the file is named with your name as well as the title of the work.

  • Absolutely. I have a million story ideas already and never enough time to work on them. I’m not looking for more ideas. Besides, you have the date and time stamp of the email when you send me your manuscript to show the work was already yours

  • Both proofreading and copyediting serve the purpose of correcting things like spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, etc… However, a copyedit is done BEFORE a manuscript is converted into its final book format. This is because making even just small changes to a fully formatted book can have a domino effect and cause formatting issues (and headaches). Proofreading is necessary AFTER a manuscript has been formatted because the conversion process can cause wonky errors such as spacing issues, missing pages or page numbers, and so on. Use a copyedit to catch as many of the errors as you can while it’s still easy to make revisions. Do a proofread after formatting to catch any remaining (or newly introduced) errors.

  • Definitely not. I’m not your English teacher grading your paper. The sole purpose of my suggestions is to make the writing stronger. I want to help you keep the reader engaged and avoid anything that pulls the reader out of the world you’ve created for them. Ultimately, you are the creative genius behind the text. You know the vision for your work better than anyone else. It’s up to you to decide which revisions you make.

  • Yes! Except for beta reading projects, everything I edit gets two reads. The first pass happens on a hard copy where I use my pink pen to note my initial thoughts and reactions. (Then I shred and recycle the original.)