Hello! My name is Ren and I'm a freelance editor and proofreader. I line edit, copyedit, and proofread for individuals, publishers, digital publications, game developers, businesses, and agencies, and I have worked on a variety of texts including articles, manuals, marketing copy, web content, video game scripts, book manuscripts, and more.I am also a localization editor for light novels and manga translated from Japanese to English. Currently, I edit for J-Novel Club and Kadokawa World Entertainment in this capacity.Before I became an editor, I worked as an administrator for arts organizations in both non-profit and for-profit sectors for over ten years. After becoming disabled in 2021, I decided to pursue a new career in editing that would let me combine my love for books with the professional skills I developed in my previous career and the flexibility to accommodate my physical limitations.I live in the Pacific Northwest with my cat Bartleby and enjoy reading, studying foreign languages, and playing video games.

Experience
Freelance Copyeditor and Proofreader
2022–present
• As a copyeditor, I work with a wide range of texts line by line to correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar, to make suggestions for improving readability and consistency, and to ensure the project follows established style guides
• As a proofreader, I make sure the final version of a document is ready for publication or distribution by finding typos, layout or alignment issues, and other errors
• Clients and projects: agencies and businesses (company policies, client agreements, marketing copy, web content), digital publications (online articles), and game developers (visual novel scripts, game jam submissions)Freelance Localization Editor
2024–present
• Review English translations of Japanese light novels and manga for style, tone, and clarity
• Recast dialogue and narration into natural-sounding English
• Correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and usage errors while following house style guide and Chicago Manual of Style
• Work closely with translators to verify translation accuracy and consistency and with proofreaders to prepare and finalize manuscript or print files for publication
• Clients: J-Novel Club, Kadokawa World Entertainment

Education
Professional development coursework Editorial Freelancers Association, Poynter Institute, and The Publishing Training Centre, 2025
MA Museology University of Washington, 2011–2013
BA Music & BA Art History University of Maryland, 2006–2010

Skills
Style guide: Chicago Manual of Style
Software for editing and proofreading: Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Adobe Acrobat
Software for graphics: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign
Project management: Asana
Languages: English (native speaker), Japanese (comfortable reading light novels and manga)

Professional Memberships
Northwest Editors Guild, Editorial Freelancers Association

Light Novels

Cover for They Don't Know I'm Too Young for the Adventurer's Guild, volume one, by KAME and translated by Nikolas Stirling
Cover for They Don't Know I'm Too Young for the Adventurer's Guild, volume one, by KAME and translated by Sheldon Drzka
Unannounced Title

Manga

Indie Games

Catfish in Disguise by Delve & Murder Nevermore (date routes and text messages only)
Oto-Hime by Maple
Aria's Choice (Tai route only)

Articles (Proofreading)
"High-Flying Lichens" by Celeste Hankins, for Salish Magazine
"Neanderthals in the House" by David B. Williams, for Salish Magazine
"Nurturing Life" by Sarah Ottino, for Salish Magazine

As your editor or proofreader, I'll dig into every sentence of your writing to correct errors and suggest improvements while working with you to make sure readers have the best possible experience with your article, short story, book, game, or other project.Copyediting: This service is a thorough review of spelling, grammar, punctuation, usage, and consistency. I will also compile an editorial style sheet to help everyone working on your project keep track of important plot or character details, special terms, unique spellings, and style guidelines.Line editing: This is a more intensive level of editing that includes copyediting plus in-depth suggestions for tone, voice, rhythm, and flow. Line editing fine-tunes word choice and sentence structure to support your story or message. This service also includes an editorial style sheet for your project.Proofreading: This is a final check and polish for your project. I check for typos, spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors, formatting and layout problems, and inconsistencies with the editorial style sheet. Please note that I only proofread projects that have already been line edited or copyedited at least once; for book manuscripts, I require a project style sheet to perform this service.If you're interested in any of these services, please contact me by email or Discord with a short description of your project, word count, and a timeline or deadline. I look forward to hearing from you!