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Writing Refinery

refinery bannerMy name is Elisabeth Kauffman. I started Writing Refinery so that I can share my love of stories with my clients and their readers.

Here’s a little bit more about me: I earned a degree in English Literature from Asbury University in Kentucky. After college, I spent some time working in a communications department for the University of California, Davis, where I contributed to alumni publications and correspondence. While there, I learned a great deal about editing and crafting the perfect sentence.
I’ve also worked with two publishing companies and a literary agency, learning everything I could about the rapidly changing publishing industry. As I stared into the giant slush pile I realized what I wanted most: to help authors achieve their dreams of being published. Thus Writing Refinery was born.

I specialize in YA, Sci-fi, Fantasy, and Romance novel editing, but don’t hesitate to contact me if you have another genre of manuscript. The basic elements of all stories are the same. I can give you insights into your writing that you may not have realized you needed.

My mission is to help authors craft the strongest story possible to share with the world. Your writing and your vision are important. Let me help you make your art, tell your story, find your voice.

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Services

I offer a few different levels of editing depending on the needs of the manuscript and the wishes of the author. For more details on each type of service, or to ask about my rates, visit http://www.writingrefinery.com/services.

Developmental Editing

For the novel that’s still in the drafting stages.

Copy Editing

When you’re ready to whittle down your words and hone your authorial voice.

Proofreading

Way better than spell check.

Editorial Overview

If your novel’s done and you want to make sure that the characters, plot, and world-building are just right.

Testimonials

Elisabeth offered not only excellent editing services, but also incorporated personal notes that helped me understand the reason behind each line edit. As if that weren’t enough, she wrote up almost two pages of editing advice and recommended reading material to help give me a better perspective of her Editorial Notes. Elisabeth’s quality editing made me fall deeper in love with my book, Creatura.

— Nely Cab
Author, Creatura and Fruits of Misfortune

When I received my comprehensive report from Elisabeth, I was blown away. She really dove into my story to analyze the character and plot development, narrative voice, and backstory (among other things) to create a thorough analysis of my entire work to push me and my book to the next level.

— Terry Benton
Author

Elisabeth did a thorough and perceptive job editing my manuscript. I found her on the EFA website. Having had a confusing experience with my developmental edit, I really needed a good match for this go around. Although she does not commonly edit my genre, I was convinced during our conversations that she would do a better job than others who did. I am so pleased. Elisabeth was thoughtful and clear.The technical help was precise and her comments really helpful. When I had a question about the editorial report, her answer revealed that she had not just thought about that chapter as much as I had, but she had a very positive suggestion! I highly recommend Elisabeth and will continue to use her in the future.

— Anna Blake
Author, Stable Relation