About Me

I’m Michael Bleau. It is a joy to help authors enhance their unique voice and strengthen their stories.

Michael Bleau wearing reading glasses and seated outdoors beside an author holding her published book.
My Story

Welcome. Words have always been magical to me. There are home videos of me at one year old, looking at the camera and sticking the microphone wand in my ear and jabbering, “Talk about, talk about …” I haven’t stopped talking since.

And I’ve been doing a lot of reading, writing, and editing since then too. I have strong language proficiency and have always loved to read and write. That is what led me to immerse myself in Creative Writing class in high school and to study English Literature in college — and later to become an English teacher, a tutor, and now, an editor. I dream big. And I want to help you as a writer achieve your writing dreams.

In mystery/thriller, memoir, contemporary fiction, upmarket fiction, and literature, I help ardent independent authors by enlivening each line in harmony with the author’s voice and by cleaning up grammar, punctuation, and spelling, via line editing and copyediting.

Michael Bleau sitting outdoors and reading a book while leaning against a tree near a pond.

Carpe diem. Life is an adventure, and we are heroes in our own stories. Be alive. Be vital. Live, love, laugh, read, write. Be kind to all, including yourself.

Editing That I Can Help You With

View My Services
01.

Copyediting

Correcting grammar, spelling, punctuation, usage, consistency, and adherence to style guides (especially the industry standard Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) for books).
02.

Line Editing

Editing at the sentence and paragraph level for clarity, tone, flow, and style, improving the language of the text, pacing, and rhythm, and enhancing the author’s voice.

03.

Copyediting & Line Editing Combined

Copyediting and line editing in the same round. Includes a full cold read first, then a second pass for simultaneous line editing and copyediting.

04.

Writing Coaching

Individual attention in focus areas that may include clarity, precision, point of view, flow, rhythm, sonority, harmony, figurative language, and pacing, among others.

Close-up portrait of Michael Bleau leaning against a birch tree outdoors in a wooded setting.

Experience and Training Highlights

  • Tales and Fables Around the Fire — Developmental, line, and copyediting
  • Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics — Copyediting
  • Photonics Media, Laurin Publishing Co. — Copyediting, and almost equally production editing
  • Sheridan Journal Services — Production editing
  • English teacher — Formerly licensed for grades 7–12 English language arts
  • Line Editing Mentorship (Editorial Arts Academy, EAA)
  • Advanced Line Editing (Editorial Freelancers Association, EFA)
  • Intermediate Line Editing (EFA)
  • Introduction to Line Editing (EFA)
  • Developmental Editing for Fiction (EAA)
  • Introduction to Proofreading (Archer Editorial Training)
  • Freelance Book Editing 101 (EAA)
  • Copyediting Books Practicum (EAA)
  • Intermediate Copyediting (EFA)
  • Microsoft Word for Editors (EFA)

Affiliations

Click on the EFA logo to see my profile at the Editorial Freelancers Association.