Michael Sandlin
Trading as: Michael Sandlin
Based in: Co. Wexford, Ireland
Educational qualifications
BA, English Literature, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
MA, English Literature and Culture, University of Birmingham, UK
Training and professional development
New York University Summer Publishing Institute, 1994. Certificate in Book and Magazine Publishing.
Languages
Spanish
Experience
I’ve been a busy editorial freelancer since 2005. I’ve edited everything from academic articles and scholarly books to rock ‘n’ roll memoirs, sports autobiography, general self-help, political fiction, and even a book about whale music. I’ve been a regular freelancer for Oxford University Press for over 10 years and have worked extensively with State University of New York Press, University of Rochester Press, Ohio University Press, New York University, Continuum International, Skyhorse Publishing, and more. I’ve also copyedited and proofread commercial trade fiction and nonfiction for Avalon Publishing Group, Kirkus Direct, Perseus Books, Cardoza Publishing, iUniverse, among others. I’ve edited over 100 trade and academic books. While I tend to specialize in nonfiction, I’m comfortable working with literary and commercial fiction as well.
Services offered
general nonfiction editing, proofreading, line editing, manuscript evaluation, academic editing
Subject areas
Academic editing: all humanities and social science subjects.
Trade/commercial editing: memoir, biography, general nonfiction
Clients include
Oxford University Press, SUNY Press, Boydell & Brewer, Skyhorse Publishing, Ohio University Press, University of Minnesota Press, Avalon Publishing Group, Perseus Books, Cardoza Publishing
Examples of work undertaken
Book copyediting projects for major US academic publishers have included Paul Reeve’s Religion of a Different Color (Oxford University Press), Tee Guidotti’s Health and Sustainability (Oxford UP), Michael Chafetz’s Intellectual Disability (Oxford UP), Storm of the Sea by Matthew Bahar, and Hard Questions: Facing the Problems of Life by John Kekes.
Scholarly Reference: Editorial reference projects for Oxford University Press include copyediting work on the Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature, Oxford Book of Operas, Encyclopedia of British Literature, Encyclopedia of Popular Music from 1900 to Present. Also did copyediting/developmental editing work on Oxford’s African American National Biography, the Dartmouth Award–winning Oxford Encyclopedia of Human Rights, Oxford Handbook of Latino Studies, Oxford Handbook of the Baroque, and the ongoing Oxford Bibliographies Online and Oxford Research Encyclopedia databases. I have working knowledge of Chicago Manual of Style, AP, MLA, and APA style.
Trade nonfiction editing includes: Green Suede Shoes by Larry Kirwan, Dreaming in Libro by Louise Bernikow, The Black Death: A Personal History by John Hatcher, Thousand Mile Song by David Rothenberg.
Testimonials
I have known Michael Sandlin since 2008, at which time he was enthusiastically recommended to me by a colleague here at Oxford University Press. Since that time, Michael has become one of our top-ranked freelance copyeditors. He is prompt and consistent in his work for us, and his thoughtful queries have often resulted in valuable decisions that have affected the development of the style guidelines for important publications. Most recently, Michael has been handling a significant measure of the copyediting for the Oxford Bibliographies. This online project comprises a wide range of modules on various academic and scholarly topics. Michael’s broad knowledge of many subjects enables him to copyedit these reference materials with insight, erudition, and sensitivity while maintaining the necessary high level of attention to detail crucial to preparing online material. Nowhere is his expertise more in evidence than in his work on the modules “Victorian Literature” and “British and Irish Literature,” but Michael has proven himself highly competent to copyedit material on psychology to medieval studies to pop culture.
I would unreservedly recommend Mr. Sandlin as a top-notch, experienced, and professional copyeditor.
Peter Pickow, Senior Production Editor