Jo Michaels - EIC
Hi! I’m Jo Michaels, Editor-in-Chief, lifelong reader, and lover of all things story craft. If you’ve followed my blog, you already know I’m passionate about helping writers strengthen their prose, sharpen their storytelling, and present polished, professional books.
I’ve edited countless novels, academic papers, and business briefs over the years, and I discovered my love for editing while tutoring English and writing in college. With a degree in graphic design and a career as an indie author myself, I bring both an artistic eye and a storyteller’s instinct to every manuscript I touch.
When I edit your book, you won’t just get corrections—you’ll gain insight. I work line by line, explaining changes when needed so you come away with new tools you can use in every future project. Your voice is the heart of your book, and I consider it my job to protect it. Unless there’s a structural or clarity issue, your voice remains exactly where it belongs: front and center.
I work in all genres, and my style guide of choice is The Chicago Manual of Style (18th edition)—yes, I love my Oxford commas.
Ready to get started?
Contact me now by clicking here.
Praise from clients:
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"IBGW editor Jo Michaels surpasses all my expectations as an editor and formatter. Jo provides solid feedback on plot, storyline, character development, as well as copy editing. She's the perfect blend of "this is how a sentence should be" and inspiration in "you got this" and "give me more here."
I couldn't ask for a better person for my editing team. And bonus, IBGW's edits come with two rounds of edits from the editor and an additional proofreader. Jo's formatting is amazing as she incorporates theme and story appropriate graphics in the ebook and print versions."
~ Tricia Copeland, Award-winning fantasy and romance author
Jo Michaels, quite simply, is the best! I've had the pleasure of working with her on all three titles of my Sphinx series, for both print and ecopy formatting, and the results have been amazing. She is incredibly professional, detail oriented, and her creative flair adds an artistic element to the very pages of a story.
When YA Book Central reviewed bestselling Demigods and Monsters, (5 stars and "Easily the best surprise read of 2016"), they also made special mention of the formatting of the books in the Sphinx series: "The overall design of both books in this series is well worth mentioning. I usually purchase ebooks, but when a book is this well designed, I prefer the paperback or hardcover editions."
In the indie world, authors are lucky to sell a few hard copies here and there. I sell dozens every month, and the number continues to rise.
That is the power of Jo!
~ Raye Wagner - author of the YA mythology series The Sphinx
