Welcome to SOS Editorial.
I’m Sandra Ogle-Simpson, a professional editor with over 18 years of experience working in the book publishing industry, and I want to help make your novel the best that it can be.
About Me
My editing skills were honed during my time at Penguin in New York as a senior production editor. I ran the copy department for two high-volume imprints that published an esteemed list of titles, including the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series. Since my career began, I have accumulated more than eighteen years of experience working for many different publishers, including Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Albert Whitman, Sourcebooks, Candlewick, Beacon Press, Seal Press, and Kirkus. I have a master’s degree in journalism from New York University and a bachelor’s in English with an Italian minor from the University of Texas at Austin.
Over the years, I have worked on novels written by a long list of high-caliber and award-winning authors, including Liane Moriarty, Lauren Oliver, Ali Novak, and Jane Smiley, among others. I have also collaborated one-on-one with first-time and self-published authors, which I find extremely rewarding.
More information about me can be found on LinkedIn and Reedsy.
Recent press:
“Fantasy Editors: 11 Professionals to Give Your Book That Magic Touch”
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Hundreds of Books Edited
For countless happy clients
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18+ Years of Editorial Experience
Trade and self-publishing
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Big 5 Publishing Experience
With award-winning authors
Some Books I’ve Worked On
Before I Fall
by Lauren Oliver (now a movie starring Zoey Deutch)
Kat Girl by Sarah Lahey
Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble
Nabukko by K.R. Gadeken
How to Outfox Your Friends When You Don’t Have a Clue by Jess Keating
Codename: Ubiquity by Wendy Devore
Labyrinth Lost
by Zoraida Cordova
Six Months Later by Natalie D. Richards
Louie the Lynx and Ryan the Lion by Sarah Lahey
Song of Edmon by Adam Burch
My Dog Made Me Do It by Elizabeth Fensham
The Queen’s Exiles by Barbara Kyle
Soul of the Crow by Jessaca Willis
What You Hide by Natalie D. Richards
The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker
The Georges and The Jewels Book 1 by Jane Smiley (Pulitzer Prize winner)
Blighted Heart by Jessaca Willis
Nicola Berry: Earthling Ambassador by Liane Moriarty (author of Big Little Lies)
Glow by Megan E. Bryant
The Perfect Escape by Suzanne Park
More listed on Reedsy
The Tragically True Adventures of Kit Donovan by Patricia Bailey
Freak Magnet by Andrew Auseon
Camp Kinross by Holly Louise Perry
The Heartbreakers by Ali Novak (author of My Life with the Walter Boys, now a Netflix show)
What Clients Are Saying
“I've just had the pleasure of working with Sandra for the second time. The first time, the manuscript she helped me with (the first 20 pages of my first novel) led to five full requests from agents. This time, I sent her two short stories and am every bit as pleased with her great edit suggestions and attention to detail, not only catching typos and grammar faux-pas, but also redundancies in word use and inconsistencies regarding what's said and done within a scene, plus making helpful edit suggestions to strengthen sentences as well. I will definitely be seeking her valuable help with future projects. She's fabulous and I can't recommend her highly enough!”
—Devi S.
“Sandra was highly detailed and thorough. Though I expected to get good feedback, what I was sent left me floored: a veritable wealth of knowledge on ways to improve my manuscript. She saw things that I had overlooked and changed the way I see my own work. I cannot recommend her enough and as I continue my own journey know I will be returning to her in the future.”
—Eli J.
“Sandra was an excellent resource, and was very fast to respond to any and all questions that I had for her. She raised excellent points about my work that allowed me to develop my plot and characters much further than I would've been able to otherwise. Her input has been invaluable to the evolution of my manuscript, and I highly recommend her!”
—Aaron R.
“I’m starting to lose track of how many times I’ve worked with Sandra now. Three? Five? She is one of the most helpful editors—scratch that, she is THE most helpful editor I’ve ever worked with. Her editorial assessments are INVALUABLE! She’s always on time (frequently early) and is always more than happy to elaborate if I have any questions about any of her edits and comments. I am so grateful I found her and I always refer other author friends to her when they’re looking for a professional, timely, helpful, brilliant editor.”
—Jessaca W.
“Sandra did a thorough and professional job. She responded promptly to my inquiries and delivered even earlier than expected. Her knowledge and attention to detail shine in every comment and correction she made to my manuscript. I immensely enjoyed working with Sandra and recommend her to any budding author in need of expert advice.”
—Debbie B.
“Sandra did a fantastic work with my manuscript. Despite the many rounds of edit I had done before, Sandra still found hundreds of things to improve and gave many valuable recommendations. Sandra also took care of producing a summary document where she gave additional and more general guidance. Sandra was very punctual in her communications and delivered the edits much ahead of time. The overall process was very clear from the start and Sandra made sure she knew my preference in advance about anything that could be ambiguous. She was also available after the editing process was complete to answer a few questions that came to my mind. Overall, I really enjoyed working with Sandra and I hope to work with her again in the future.”
—Sebastiano M.
“Sandra was so great to work with. She sent me the finished edits two weeks early and was kind enough to answer all of my questions afterwards. Her comments throughout the manuscript really helped a lot. I was a little overwhelmed by the scope of the project before, but she has really helped me narrow down what needs to be done. Now I have a concise list of things I need to change to improve the story. Five out of five stars, would definitely work with her again!”
—Hayley B.
“I’ve worked with Sandra on two occasions, and I would highly recommend her as an editor. She completed a proofread, developmental edit and a copy edit for two of my romance books and her feedback was invaluable. Working with her was a delightful experience, which I’ve really enjoyed. She provides clear and succinct notes. Her understanding of structure and character development are excellent. Her notes on grammar are first rate. Overall, she is an extremely professional editor.”
—Sarah L.
“Sandra just finished editing the first book in my new gothic/dark fantasy series, and her feedback has been PHENOMENAL! Sandra truly takes the time to get to know your characters or care about your story. She keeps her feedback professional and constructive in ways that boost up an author's self-esteem, rather than tear apart our work. This will be my third series that she's worked on, and I continue to be amazed by her attention to detail. One of my favorite things about her work is the informative and helpful editorial assessment she provides. When I first started writing, it was by far the most valuable information I could've received about my writing, and continues to help me hone my skills, even seven books into my career. If you're looking for an editor whom you can trust and grow with, I can't recommend Sandra enough.”
—Jessaca W.
“Sandra was a pleasure to work with. Her eye for detail was invaluable and the quality of her work was impeccable. She responds quickly and professionally, and her insight into how to tell a story—keeping the author’s voice while reliably communicating their meaning to the reader—is a gift. I could not recommend her more.”
—Sara D.
“Working with Sandra was an absolute pleasure! She was prompt, thorough, and extremely helpful. More importantly, she made my first experience having a book edited comfortable and encouraging. I’m looking forward to working with her again.”
—Elise S.
“Sandra did the copy edits for my latest novel, providing tons of valuable comments on the manuscript and many useful grammar tips to help my writing in the future. I found her feedback clear and to the point. Her change suggestions were all logical and accompanied with little explanations to help me understand them. Also, she was conscientious of my own unique style as a writer, and attentive to the finer details of the story and my goals for it. I would gladly work with her again, and I highly recommend her to anybody reading this review.”
—Rhon A.
“Sandra helped shape my manuscript into a version that was more accurate, marketable, and generally clearer than before. Her feedback was honest, constructive, and very much to the point, which is ideal when revising. She helped me better understand confusions that might arise from the reader’s perspective, and allowed me to consider new ways of approaching aspects of my manuscript.”
—Haile K.
“I am so grateful for having Sandra as an editor, that I don’t even know where to begin! She was detailed, professional, knowledgeable, and timely!
I think my favorite thing about reading through her editorial assessment and line edits is that she not only offered recommendations to make my book better, but she also gave the reasoning behind those suggestions! It helped me make a lot of decisions I would’ve not been able to make otherwise.
Another thing I really appreciated was that she offered constructive guidance in specific areas of technical writing that I’d been struggling with. I only got my edits back a week ago…but she’s already helped me improve my writing and that was the most important thing to me. Thanks, Sandra! Hope to work with you in the future!”
—Jessaca W.
“Sandra was a dream to work with. She left easy-to-understand feedback and great tips. Her guidance and tips helped me with this book and any writing I do going forward. She is also prompt and courteous with communication. I would absolutely work with her again.”
—Cherish M.
“I tried to come up with a single word to describe Sandra as an editor and utterly failed. She’s warm, supportive, encouraging, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, experienced, and quick to respond. She zeroed in on ways to improve my manuscript and knows, front to back, what goes into a good story. Most important, she made the process of editing fun, which is no small feat. Wait, here’s the one word I was looking for: she’s FABULOUS!”
—Peter A.
Get in Touch!
Email me if you have any questions or for more information.
FAQs
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-Developmental editing
-Editorial assessment
-Copy editing/line editing
-Query letter review
I primarily work on fiction (all genres), but consider other types of projects on a case by case basis.
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Pricing is based on the extent of the type of edit needed (determined by a submitted sample), word count, and the desired timeline. A developmental edit can cost from 0.030/word to 0.038/word, and a copy edit can cost between 0.024/word to 0.028/word. Please feel free to contact me for other pricing specifics.
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Timelines depend on the scope of the project and the length of a manuscript, but most developmental edits, for example, have a three- to four-week turnaround time based on my availability.