Our Team

Amy Cissell

Amy Cissell

Amy received her BA in English and MA in Applied Information Management. Although she's always been an avid reader across all genres, her first love will always be fantasy. Amy has been writing and editing professionally for 19 years in non-profit and academic medical settings. In 2017, she launched Cissell Ink, bringing her love of fiction, well-put-together plots, and semi-colons to indie authors everywhere. In addition to editing and proofreading, Amy is a writer with 30 books published as of October 2024.

Amy is not currently taking clients.

Christopher Barnes

Christopher Barnes

Christopher has a Bachelors in Ancient History and Economics with specializations in Religion and Classics. He was also a few credits short of earning both Music and PoliSci minors. He is a 19 year veteran of the craft beer business and a Certified Cicerone. He has published stories about beer in publications around the world. He joined Amy in January of 2018 to expand Cissell Ink's reach and client base. As of November of 2024, he has published 18 books under the name C. Thomas Lafollette.

He specializes in Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal Womens Fiction, and Paranormal Romance as well as other speculative genres. In the seven years he's been editing, he's worked with many clients on hundreds of books.

Chris is currently taking new clients.

About Cissell Ink

At Cissell Ink, our goal is to work with indie and self-published authors to create books that readers love. Since our founding in 2017, we've edited millions of words for a variety of indie authors whose genres range from urban fantasy, science fiction, high fantasy, paranormal romance, and any combination thereof. Although our passions are speculative and romance fiction, we have experience working with memoirs, personal essays, reference books, and academic papers and books.

Between us, we have a wide variety of knowledge bases, fandoms, hobbies, and areas of expertise ranging from finance, beer and cider, ancient and medieval history, music, and western folklore and mythology to provide added value to our edits. We look forward to working with you to bring your vision to light and helping you craft the best possible product to delight your readers.

Clients

Clients & Projects
Susan, You're
The Chosen One
Author: Lauretta Hignett
Service: Developmental & Copy Editing

Starting over isn’t easy when your whole world is a pile of rubble and everyone thinks you’re insane

One moment, Susan Moore had the perfect life—a handsome husband, a fabulous career, wonderful friends, and a gorgeous home in Pacific Heights, San Francisco.

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Amazon #1 in Multiple Categories
Suddenly Psychic
Author: Elizabeth Hunter
Service: Content Editing
A Paranormal Women's Fiction with a bit of class and a lot of sass, for anyone who feels like age is just a number!

Every woman goes through changes in their forties. Just not… these changes.
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Rein: A Tidefall Novel
Author: Bex McLynn
Service: Content/Line Editing, Proofreading
The hunt is no longer enough. They want more.

Nikolas has sheathed his claws. After centuries of hunting and exterminating his own people - wolf shifters cursed with Madness...
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Prism
Author: Matt King
Service: Content/Line Editing, Proofreading
"Your journey will be seven years. Your destination is Earth."

In the pristine society of Dromini, Kyla's genetic condition is considered a crime worthy of exile. She's banished to Earth, where she hopes to find the love and acceptance she craves...
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Shadow Winged
Author: Jilleen Dolbeare
Service: Developmental, Copy/Line Editing, Proofreading, Formatting

Werewolves are bad, but ice age predators are worse, especially werepredators...

Being a bush pilot is the third most dangerous job in the world. Piper Tikaani takes that in stride. As an Inupiaq shapeshifter, flying is second nature, whether under her own power, or tackling the skies in her Super Cub.

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Multiple Award Winner!
Pastel Pink
Author: Nikki Minty
Service: Developmental, Copy/Line Editing, Proofreading, Formatting

From one ending comes a new beginning…Ruby was murdered on Earth eighteen years ago and reincarnated on Zadok as a Pastel Zeek named Harlow. To be born at the bottom of her race’s caste colour system to a middle-class family of Magentas has made Harlow a source of conflict...

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Readers' Favorite: Honorable Mention 2018
The Waning Moon
Author: Amy Cissell
Services: Proofreading, Formatting
Eleanor Morgan is on a quest that will destroy technology but save two worlds.

With two gates down and six to go, Eleanor and her companion...
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A Shot For Death
Author: C. Thomas Lafollette
Services: Copy Editing, Proofreading, Formatting
If you try to assassinate the Grim Reaper… Don’t miss.

Dax used to be the Grim Reaper. Until he was banished to Earth to live as a human.
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Fire Of The Sorceress
Author: Krista Walsh
Services: Copy Editing
After 900 years, you’d think I’d have cleaned this place up.

Believe me, I’ve tried, and the only thing I’ve achieved in protecting the balance between magical and mundane is massive burnout.
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Treasure of the Abyss
Author: Tiffany Roberts
Service: Proofreading
HIS TREASURE AND HIS OBSESSION...

Despite her longing for the sea, Macy has clung to the safety of land for half her life, devoting herself to her daily routine — until she agrees...
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Call of Water
Author: Marina Simcoe
Service: Copy Editing, Proofreading
I can't trust his words, but his touch and his kisses feel real. 

A man with a teasing smile and an angel's voice, Zeph is supposed to be nothing more than a beautiful, fun Parisian adventure. His voice lures me in. His cerulean blue eyes draw me to him. And his smile puts me at ease...
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Bound
Author: Bree Moore
Service: Copy/Line Editing

Morgan le Fay still dreams of being burned alive, but at least she isn’t dead.

After waking up on Avalon, Isle of the Priestesses, Morgan is given a choice: go back in time to fix...

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Heart of the Fae
Author: Emma Hamm
Service: Copy/Line Editing

When a plague sweeps across the emerald hills of Uí Néill, leaving a young midwife’s father with months to live, Sorcha makes a deal with a dangerous Fae to save...

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Amazon #1 New Release in Asian Historical Fiction
Tiger Unbound
Author: Evangeline Rain
Service: Copy/Line Editing, Proofreading, Formatting

An action-packed romance set in ancient China.

The Zhao Kingdom was about to be invaded by the approaching army of the Wei Kingdom. Rather than suffer the insult of a defeat...

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Amazon #1 New Release in Teen & Young
Adult Country & Ethnic Fairy Tales & Folklore
King of Always
Author: Juno Heart
Service: Developmental & Copy/Line Editing

A fae prince with a poisoned heart. A mortal girl with a personal motto—when life gets weird, bake!

Isla, an aspiring baker, has just made the biggest mistake of her life. After bargaining her way into Faery, she meets the arrogant...

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Amazon: #1 New Release in Beer
This Ain't The Beer
That You're Used To
Author: Dom "Doochie" Cook
Services: Copy/Line Editing, Proofreading, Formatting

What’s your first thought when you hear the word “beer”? I’m no mind reader; but if I had to take a guess, It would be that your face is scrunched up saying, “eww”, “yuck”, “that’s...

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Testimonials

  • It’s always a pleasure to work with Amy. Her insight and developmental expertise have been invaluable additions to my writing. She’s always prompt, always professional, and has a keen eye for both nuance and continuity. I’d recommend her editing services to anyone who is looking to take their writing to the next level of excellence.

    Elizabeth Hunter – USA Today Bestselling Author

  • Amy and Chris at Cissell Ink did a marvelous job copy editing and proofreading my book. I appreciate the attention to detail that they gave my manuscript. They caught discrepancies to the story timeline and world building aspects. Also, their suggestions led to two rewrites and a significantly tighter, better story. I am so grateful for their expertise

    Bex McLynn

  • I hired Amy to line-edit an epic fantasy novel. She made sure to read the first book before completing the edit on the sequel, which I greatly appreciated. I found her highly knowledgeable on medieval times (relevant to my book) and her edits were very thorough. Her rates are incredibly fair and affordable for the high-quality work that she does. Amy is a dream to work with, and I will continue to hire her for future projects and recommend her to any author looking for quality, affordable editing.

    Bree Moore

  • Amy is amazing to work with and she works easily with our schedule. She is thorough and efficient. We also recently worked with Chris, the other half of Cissell Ink, and we were very pleased with both of their edits.

    Tiffany Roberts

Services

Developmental Editing

Thorough and intensive overview of your completed or partially completed manuscript. We will review your outline and each chapter to ensure consistency of plot, world-building, and character development. We will assess the overall structure and writing style, identify plot holes, and look for problematic characterization.

Copy/Line Editing

Line: Writing consistency, phrasing, plot continuity, word repetition, clarity, language polishing.
Copy: Spelling, grammar, punctuation, syntax, style mechanics, internal consistencies, word usage.
Note: Does not include fact checking. Not all spelling or grammar issues may be caught during copy/line editing.

Proofreading

We will check spelling, grammar, punctuation, proper word usage, and subject-verb agreement. This does not include consistency, phrasing, continuity, or clarity issues.

Formatting

Manuscript formatting to fit several standard novel sizes with multiple internal styles that can include custom fonts, chapter header images, and ornamental section break images. All file types can be generated: Print, Kindle, Nook, Kobo, ePub.

Sample Edit

We offer a sample edit to prospective clients to determine the level of editing needed on a project and to decide if both parties will be a good match.

Multiple rounds

If you book multiple services, each service is a separate round of work. For example, if you book developmental and copy editing, you'll send your manuscript(MS) for developmental editing. After you implement the suggested changes, you'll send the edited MS back for its round of copy edits.

Rates

Developmental Editing
$0.012/word$1200/100,000 words
    Copy/Line Editing
    $0.012/word$1,200/100,000 words
      Proofreading
      $0.01/word$1000/100,000 words
        Developmental and Copy Editing
        $0.021/word$2100/100,000 words
          Developmental Editing and Proofreading
          $0.019/word$1,900/100,000 words
            Copy/Line Editing and Proofreading
            $0.019/word$1,900/100,000 words
              Developmental, Copy Editing, and Proofreading
              $0.03/word$3,00/100,000 words
                Formatting
                $50/hrBillable in 15 minute increments after the first hour
                  Down Payment
                  A non-refundable down payment is required to hold your booking. See terms and conditions for pricing and details.
                    Terms & Conditions

                    Contact

                    To give you the best possible response about your manuscript, please include the word count, genre, your timeline (both when ready to send and when needed), and any previous publications if applicable.

                    Amy & Chris

                    editors@cissellink.com
                    PO Box 11643
                    Portland, OR 97211

                      ©2019 Cissell Ink All Rights Reserved