About Susan
I'm an experienced Beta Reader, Developmental Editor and Coach who loves getting lost in a story.
Hello! My name is Susan Treut and I have enjoyed getting lost in a good story for as long as I can remember. As a child, I was one of the few kids who couldn’t wait for my school to release the “summer reading list.” I gravitated towards book series at an early age with the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace and Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene.
In high school the rules of grammar and sentence structure were pounded into my head by a teacher who had an uncanny affinity for the red pen. An “A” on an assignment in her class was as rare as water in the desert. A “C” meant you had only made three mistakes and was something to be celebrated. I hated that class at the time, but her teachings took residence in my head and served me well in college as a broadcast journalism major with an English minor.
In every job I have ever had, I have been around the written word. I was a copy clerk at a local newspaper in high school, I proofread and wrote press releases for a sports marketing company in college, then wrote scripts for a weekly tennis show in my first job out of college. I became the proofreader for scripts, proposals, and contracts as I made my way through the sports television business because I have an eye for detail and an engrained sense for what sounds “right” on a written page.
My freelance editing career began as a favor to a friend who was writing a novel. A read-through of her manuscript became a full-on edit, which I found fun and rewarding. One story led to another, and the next thing I knew, I had a new career - editing fiction. I focus on developmental editing, line editing and beta reading for historical fiction, romance, thrillers, crime/mysteries and memoirs. I have also helped clients with query letters and story pitches. I am an assistant editor for UCLA’s on-line literary magazine Southland Alibi and I am working toward my Editing and Publishing Certificate through UCLA Extension. I am a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association.
They say if you do something you love, you will never have to work a day in your life. That is how I feel about editing. I’d be honored to read your story and help you take it from good to great!