"I had the opportunity to work with Jean on her first project with our imprint. She was the perfect person for this manuscript. The insight and expertise Jean brought was beyond what I expected. She communicated with care and clarity, hit every deadline, and edited with exceptional precision. The author and I were thrilled. It was a privilege to work with such a mature professional, and I can’t wait to work with her again."—David Sluka, Senior Acquisitions Editor, Chosen Books, a division of BakerPublishingGroup (January 2023)
“Jean
Bloom is a highly skilled and capable editor who understands how to tailor her
edit to the needs of the publisher and the individual author’s voice. Jean
communicates clearly and professionally at every stage of the process, making
it a pleasure to work with her. And just as impressive in these days of tight
deadlines, I can be confident that she will deliver her edit on time—or even
early!”—Rochelle Gloege, Senior Acquisitions Editor, Bethany House Publishers (November 2022)
"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
