"Some
months ago, I was in need of an experienced developmental editor for a novel we
acquired. Someone suggested I check with Jean Kavich Bloom. She was available,
and I assigned the edit to her. She did so well with the developmental work, I
asked Jean to do the line edit too. She has edited several novels for Kregel
since then. I trust Jean to the extent that when one of my staff editors, who
also is an author, signed a book contract with Kregel, I asked Jean to do the
editing. I am simply delighted with the quality of her work. - Steve Barclift, Managing Editor, Kregel Publications
"I heard wonderful things
about the quality of Jean’s editing from other editors in my publishing house.
I found everything they said to be true. Jean edits the way I do—minimally but
carefully. I love that! She makes good subjective decisions and objectively has
extensive knowledge of grammar, punctuation, and spelling. When I had an
incredibly sensitive fiction author I worried about trusting with anyone, she
gave us the perfect edit for that project, even though it was truly
challenging. I have a passion for fiction and edited it for nearly 20 years,
and it was hard for me to let that go, but Jean skillfully handles story in a
way that honors the reader, the author, and the house. I feel completely
confident giving her novels, nonfiction, and gift books. She is always
gracious, efficient, on time, and professional. But what I value most about
Jean is that my authors love her edits. With her, I never worry I will have an
unhappy author who felt the freelance editor did too much. That takes such a
weight off my shoulders." – Kim Moore, Senior Editor/Lifestyle, Harvest
House Publishers
"Jean is great to work with! She is an
excellent developmental editor and a great copyeditor. I love that we can count
on her to see both the big picture and all the little details. She's very
professional and timely in her work and able to develop great rapport with
authors. I highly recommend her!” - Ellen McAuley, Managing
Editor, Bethany House Publishers
"As both an editor and an author, I know that the author-editor relationship is one of the most important elements of the publishing process. Jean Bloom is a wonderful editor, balancing attention to detail and author voice with graciousness. My book is so much better because of her work." - Janyre Tromp, editor at Kregel Publications and author of Shadows in the Mind’s Eye
“Jean’s handling of our project was prompt and
professional, and the cost was quite reasonable. I’m happy to recommend her to
any author or editor who needs a skilled copyeditor to make sure that a
manuscript puts its 'best foot forward' in print.” - Joe Allison, Publisher,
Jordan Publishing, http://www.jordanpublishing.net
"I have worked with Jean
Bloom for many years, first at Zondervan, where she was one of the essential
team members without whom everything would have fallen apart, and later at her
own company, Bloom in Words Editorial Services, where she has provided both
copy editing and proofreading services for my company Somersault. In either of
those settings, I have never had any doubt that Jean would perform any tasks
assigned to her with precision and accuracy, and I'm known for being picky. She
has become one of our go-to editors/proofreaders on Somersault projects, and I
have complete confidence in her ability to meet deadlines and exceed expectations.
It's always a relief to me when I find that she's available for a
project!" - David Lambert, Editorial Director, Somersault
"Jean is a joy to work
with. She cares for manuscripts as I would if I were editing them. My
experience is that Jean makes a tremendous impact with minimal changes and
delivers well-edited manuscripts on time and on budget." - Betty
Fletcher, Senior Editor/Women, Harvest
House Publishers
"Jean is a very
dependable, proficient, and timely editor who has worked on several pieces for
me over the past months. I highly recommend her skills in whatever capacity you
find yourself needing an editor." – Chris Fann, Off The Page Director,
Our Daily Bread Ministries
"Jean is a highly adept
editor with an admirable work ethic. She always adheres to deadlines and often
turns around projects sooner than expected. She's a great person to work
with!" - Amy Ballor, Project Editor, Trade Books, Baker
Publishing Group
"Jean Bloom is one of my favorite freelance editors with whom to work. Her attention to detail is impeccable, she never misses a deadline, and most importantly, I think, she has a wonderful bedside manner with authors. Jean always provides helpful insights and suggestions but errs on the side of the author's voice, which, I think, is one of the most important and valued roles of an editor. I would not hesitate to entrust any project to Jean's capable skills." - Becky Philpott, Acquisitions Editor (Fiction), HarperCollins Christian Publishing
"Jean was an enormous help to us with the
Jeremiah Study Bible. She joined our extended team at a crucial time, when we
needed not only more workers but dedicated hours from Bible veterans like her.
She was not only conscientious about deadlines but quickly grasped the nuances
of this project and was so easy to work with. She also asked great questions
and brought just the right level of editing to everything we asked her to do.
Jean was critical to our success, and I would hire her again in a
heartbeat." - Kris Bearss, Freelance
Writer and Editor
"I have worked with Jean for several years
and she consistently communicates with clarity and thoroughness to optimize
audience understanding. She is able to turn around projects which communicate
information in a clear, concise, and timely manner. Jean monitors and evaluates
progress on working assignments with no supervision to ensure timely and
successful completion of assigned tasks. I will continue to work with Jean in
the future." - Steve Sammons, president,
Hawkeye Marketing Group, LLC
"I highly recommend Jean
Bloom's editorial services. Jean is the utmost professional in her work, has
exceptional editorial skills, and can always be counted on--from meeting
deadlines to her attention to detail. I have worked with Jean for a number of
years and hope to continue to do so." - Sue
Brower, Agent, Natasha Kern Literary Agency
"Jean Bloom has what it
takes to meet your editorial needs–intelligence, wit, creativity,
honesty, foresight, wisdom, sensitivity, experience, and everything else you
could ever want in an editorial professional. I've worked closely with Jean on
several levels as colleagues at Zondervan and now as she fields a wide variety
of projects through Bloom in Words Editorial Services. I have never been
disappointed in her work. She is trustworthy and dependable, and has a breadth of
knowledge and experience that allows her to add value in editorial projects
that span many topics. Jean has a terrific track record in meeting (and often
beating) deadlines. She floats with graceful ease among various editorial tasks
such as line and substantive editing, rewriting to specifications, and good
old-fashioned proofreading. I couldn't recommend Jean more highly for all your
editorial needs. She is as blooming good as they get." – Dirk Buursma, Senior
Editor-at-Large, Zondervan
"Jean has a broad range of
experience in book publishing, especially in the areas of editing and project
management. She has good skills and insight. In editing, she knows how to
improve an author's communication while at the same time retaining the author's
voice and meaning. Jean has worked with me within the same company and
currently works with me as a freelance editor of my choice. I highly recommend
her for whatever you would like her to do in the publishing field." – Jim Ruark, Senior
Editor-at-Large, Zondervan
"Jean is a fantastic
editor. After my first time hiring her to proofread a book, she immediately
became one of my favorite freelance contractors to hire. Not only does she have
a keen eye for detail and could probably quote the Chicago Manual of Style
front to back, she is timely (usually turning projects in early), accurate, and
thorough. In addition to her skill as a proofreader, I noticed that Jean went
above and beyond, making suggestions to the manuscript that normally only a
copy editor would make. I am more than happy with Jean's services, and
recommend her very, very highly." – Carly Razo,
Editor, David C Cook
"I worked with Jean at Zondervan for many years while she was a managing editor there, and work with her now as she writes and edits as a freelancer for Bethany Christian Services. Her work is not only on target with what we ask her for, but delivered on time, complete, and with editorial excellence. I recommend Jean for your writing and editing needs. You won’t be disappointed." - Marla Bliss, Operations Director, Communications, Bethany Christian Services
"It has been a great experience working with
Jean on various projects this past year. She has a great eye for detail, is
always on time and is truly accommodating. I look forward to using Bloom
in Words for many more projects in the future." - Shari VandenBerg,
Senior Editor (Bibles), Zondervan
"I worked with Jean while
she was at Zondervan, and was very happy to learn she was opening a freelance
editing business. I've hired her for several copy edit jobs, and have been
pleased with her attention to grammar and story details. I trust her when I
have a job that needs a careful eye." - Jacque Alberta,
Acquisitions Editor, YA Fiction, Zondervan (Zonderkidz / Blink)
"I have a large stable of
freelancers to pull from, and Jean has earned her place as one of my most
reliable and trustworthy. She's easy to work with, very knowledgeable, and
takes instruction to heart. I trust Jean with my projects and know she'll do a
good job on any project I send to her. She accepts projects readily and always
returns them on time, if not early--a huge asset as a freelancer. When I
relocated, I made sure Jean was the first freelancer added to my company's
database, and she continues to be the freelancer I go to for my most difficult
projects." - Tonya Osterhouse, Copy Editor / Production
Coordinator, David
C Cook
"Jean Bloom has proven
herself to be an excellent editor and proofreader. I value her input on any
writing project . . . When Jean proofreads or edits a project for me, I am
confident the job will be well done, and I can trust it to be thorough. I
highly recommend Jean for editorial and design projects." - Kim
Childress, Acquisitions Editor, Zondervan
"Jean Bloom is an expert
in designing processes to help your firm work effectively and efficiently and
with less stress and strain. I hired Jean to design a project tracker for our
growing publishing strategy and services agency. The Somersault Group serves a
unique list of clients with a diversity of needs: product development,
editorial direction, product packaging, branding and positioning, social media
marketing, advertising creative, publicity, and more. Jean jumped in and
quickly and expertly designed a project tracker spreadsheet so that we can
review with one glance where in the pipeline each of our projects currently
stand. As a result we are performing better at meeting deadlines, staying on
budget, and accomplishing our goals." - John Topliff, General
Manager, The Somersault Group
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