The Team

Carly Hayward

Chief Developmental Editor & Founder

Carly is a developmental novel editor who helps authors find their voice and bring their book to light. Editing combines her love of reading, giving advice, and logic puzzles. She will be your book’s best friend.

With 10+ years in publishing, she’s worked all over the industry, including at a big 5 publishing house, a small press, a hybrid publisher, and a literary agency. That experience has helped her to see the industry from all different angles. She is a co-founding Revise & Resub (#RevPit) editor and a host on Story Chat Radio, a writing advice podcast. She is a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association and ACES.

When not reading or working she lounges with her husband being vastly amused by their cats or binge-watching TV.

Pronouns: She/Her

Laura Dennison

Copyeditor

Laura has worked as a professional editor for 3 years. She has experience in both content and copyediting. Her copyediting services offer authors one crucial final set of eyes on their manuscript before being sent out—whether to an agent or for indie publication. Her goal is to help you produce a polished piece that you can be just as sure of as you are proud of.

She holds an MFA in Nonfiction from the Mountainview low-residency program, where she wrote a coming-of-age memoir under the mentorship of published authors and exstensively studied craft and publishing. She graduated from the University of New Hampshire magna cum laude with a BA in English. There, she focused her studies on print journalism, news editing, and fiction and nonfiction writing.

Pronouns: She/Her

Jessica Nelson

Copyeditor

Jessica has been a professional editor for 7 years, working with both traditionally published and indie authors. She loves the cadence and texture of the written word, and she will help you smooth away embarrassing errors that can derail a scene.

After earning a BA and MA in English, Jessica worked in higher education communications for several years before pursuing editing, the career she had always wanted. Many of her indie clients have gone on to win awards and secure publishing contracts, but she believes the strongest recommendation is the clients who have worked with her again and again over the years. She is a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association and is a four-time judge for the InD’Tale RONE awards.

When she isn’t editing or writing, she can be found starting (and occasionally finishing) art projects or binge-watching something. Jessica lives in the American South with her husband, two children, and a fluffy brindle dog who probably believes she’s human.

Pronouns: She/Her

Kel Lyle

Social Media Assistant

Kel is Book Light Editorial's social media assistant, searching for the best way to deliver writing tips to fellow authors. When she's not spreading Book Light Editorial's wisdom, she's juggling too many drafts, gazing at blank word documents, and falling into the trap of endless revision (just one more round and it'll be perfect, right?) She lives in the Pacific Northwest and relishes in warm beverages on rainy days.

Pronouns: She/Her