Professional Book Editor, Writer, Scriptwriter, Business Blogger

Expert Ghostwriter • Experienced Copywriter • Award-Winning Journalist

How exciting that you want to write a book or have one ready to edit. I’m a Texas-based ghostwriter, professional book editor, and journalist…but I wear other hats too. I enjoy screenwriting, copyediting, and content development, and fortunately for me, I work with clients throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe. I’d love to help you too!

Affiliations

• Lifetime Member Society of Professional Journalists
• Sigma Delta Chi — SPJ
• International Federation of Journalists — International Press Credentials
• Member Council of Science Editors
• Member Sundance Institute
• Member Editorial Freelancer’s Association (EFA)
• Member Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (UK)
• Member Authors Guild
• Member Authors Alliance
• Member Writers Guild of Texas
• Member Houston Writers Guild
• Member Social Media Association
• Member of IMDb Pro (Publicist)
• Wikipedia Editor and member of the WikiGuild of Copy Editors

Awards and Recognition

• Recognized as a Top 15 Texas Book Editor
• Excellence in Cancer Journalism Award, American Cancer Society Media Award
• Paul Harris Fellow, The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International
• Five Star professional book editor and ghostwriter
• Client testimonials

Experience as a Professional Book Editor, Ghostwriter, Author, Journalist, and Screenwriter

• Co-author of three books in the Riverside Blues Series
• Former English teacher — certification in English, Language Arts, ESL, Special Education, and Generalist
• Trained in screenwriting under John McLaughlin of Black Swan and Hitchcock
• Lifelong wordsmith with more than three decades of publishing experience
• Writer for City Lifestyle
• Former contributing editor for the suite of Lifestyles & Homes Magazines (Houston area)
• Former editor-in-chief of Fort Bend Christian Magazine and Katy Christian Magazine
• Professional ghostwriter
• Content writer — web content, SEO, blogging, and digital copy
• Copywriter
• Business blogger
• Bridal Editor
• News reporting

Education

• Pursuing a master’s degree in mass communication/digital media from Sam Houston State University. Graduate coursework includes:
  • Advertising, marketing, social media
  • Communications
  • Screenwriting
  • Digital Media Law and Ethics
• English degree from the University of Houston, psychology minor
  • Creative writing
  • British Literature
  • American Literature
• Associate degree from Blinn College
  • Business coursework
  • Medical and legal terminology coursework
  • Copyediting
• Paralegal Certification

Editing • Proofreading • Ghostwriting • Blogging • Wordsmithing

Writing Consultant • Scripts • Screenplays • Fiction • Nonfiction

American Cancer Society Media Award

My grandma (1910 – 2000) was a stout little German-Irish personality who suffered from advanced Alzheimer’s disease. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in the 1990s, and until then, I knew very little about the disease. But when someone you love suffers…well, it becomes intensely personal. In fact, it influenced my writing career.

I wrote “Pink Divas,” a magazine cover feature about breast cancer survival and support, eight years after my grandmother’s death. Little did I know that the following year it would receive an Excellence in Cancer Journalism Award from the American Cancer Society.

This media award is given to radio, television, newspaper, and magazine journalists, and I was honored to be one of only 16 recognized by the American Cancer Society throughout Hawaii, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Marketer for Authors and Businesses

• Social media management
• Wikipedia editor • page development
• IMDb page development • IMDb Pro
• Website updates
• Blogging
• Bookings, book signing, and book reading coordination
• Announcements
• Editorial
• Strategy
• Scripting

Career in Media

I’ve grown an enormous portfolio of work in local, national, and international publications—and that took a lot of hard work! If I had to choose, my favorite assignment would be visiting the cowboy churches of Texas and writing about those adventures. That article, entitled “God’s Country,” was published in the national magazine American Cowboy.

My work has been featured in the following publications as a writer, journalist, or contributing editor:

American Cowboy, The Woodlands City Lifestyle, Conroe City Lifestyle, Houston Modern Luxury, Hot Springs Life and Home, Houston Lifestyles & Homes Magazine, Fort Bend Lifestyles & Homes Magazine, Cy-Fair Lifestyles & Homes Magazine, The Woodlands Lifestyles & Homes Magazine, Katy Lifestyles & Homes Magazine, Katy Christian Magazine, Fort Bend Christian Magazine, Positive Impact Magazine, Katy Magazine, absolutely! Katy Magazine, absolutely! Memorial Magazine, World Coal, World Cement, International Cement Review, Gulf Construction, and Dry Cargo International.

See my journalism portfolio here.

Professional Book Editor Podcast Interview

To hear more about my academic background, writing experiences, and career as a professional editor, listen to my YourChron.com podcast interview with actor, author, and entrepreneur Scott Pitney. It’s never too late to chase a graduate degree!

Need a Professional Book Editor, Ghostwriter, or Copywriter? I Can Help!

Contact melaniesaxton@icloud.com to discuss your project.