Work with McKenzie
words per year
years in book marketing & publishing
happy indie authors, poets, small presses, & literary magazines
years of editing experience
happy hotels, restaurants, small businesses, & dream travel destinations
years in social media, product descriptions, & UGC
Editor & Designer for Indie Authors, Poets, Lit Mags, & Small Presses
Editing Experience: 16 Years
Design Experience: 14 Years
Social Media and Book Reviewing: 11 Years
If you have editing and design work ahead of you, at your press, or at your publication, I’d love to connect.
Back in 2008, I had my first opportunity to edit a graduate student’s dissertation and help them format their project for publication. That project went so well, I had a constant stream of graduate “customers” throughout the rest of my undergraduate career. But in 2010, my life really began to shift when I started taking creative writing classes at the university level and connected with the local literary magazine and small press, where I’d have my first official publishing jobs. From there, the editing projects continued to roll in, I became very involved in the literary community, and the rest is history!
I feel incredibly privileged to have had the many opportunities to learn about and practice in so many different roles in the publishing community and to also feel such an intense love for each of those projects. I genuinely enjoy this work, and I believe it shines through not only in how I interact with writers but in the quality of the work I’m able to give back to them. I hope I can work with you next.
Independent Authors and Poets
Developmental Editing
Line Editing
Proofreading
*Beta and Alpha Reading Available Upon Request
Independent Authors and Poets
Unique Book Typesetting
Book Design
Original Chapter Design
Original Illustrations
*Additional Marketing Materials Available Upon Request
Doctoral Candidates
Line Editing
Formatting
Citations
Indexing
Proofreading
*Well-versed in Doctoral Committee and Publishing Requirements
*US, UK, and AUS English
Literary Magazines and Small Presses
Guest Editing
Submission Curation
Contest Judging
Content Management
Publication Design
Book Reviews
Author Interviews
I cannot thank McKenzie enough for the love, the care, the professionalism, and the precision she poured into editing my dissertation. I cannot put into words how deeply grateful I am.
Her feedback is absolutely brilliant: thoughtful, detailed, and incredibly constructive. She has such an exceptional eye for language, flow, and clarity. I’ve sent my previous papers to editors before, but I have never received anything as thorough and insightful as her review. She didn’t just check grammar; she truly understood it and improved it. Everything she mentioned made perfect sense, and her reasoning behind each suggestion showed just how skilled and attentive she is.
She has such a gift, and I am genuinely proud to know her. I’m beyond lucky to have her by my side through this journey in academia.
– Martina Jakara, author of “application of foliated transport networks in intermodal transport for the purpose of decarbonisation”
Award-Winning Projects
A Remarkable & Extraordinary Experience
I have loved my experience with McKenzie Lynn Tozan at Lit Shark Magazine! She read and reviewed my book, A Shared & Sacred Space with such passion, insight, and enthusiasm, it was truly remarkable.
If you have the opportunity to work with her on any literary project, you won’t be disappointed. Her thoroughness and attention to detail are extraordinary.
– carol lynn stevenson grellas, author of a shared & sacred space
Recent Magic, High Fantasy, & Romantasy Projects
A Literary Artist Not To Be Missed
Shout out to McKenzie Lynn Tozan, who helped this first time self-publisher navigate the insanity of book design and MULTIPLE platforms like Ingram and KDP!
Forgotten never would’ve made it to print without her, and you can check out her other work on her Facebook page, Instagram, and of course her website. She’s a literary artist, and you don’t want to miss out on what she’s doing.
– R.T. Heath, author of forgotten
Recent Poetry Projects
McKenzie’s work reflects a LOT of time, creativity, thought, and knowledge.
I am grateful, and without the words to express the degree of my gratitude, for the work she has done.
It is clear to anyone who works with McKenzie or with Lit Shark Magazine how much she undertakes and how fruitful her endeavors are; how strong her connection to words and the people who write them are; how much effort and energy it takes to do the amount of work that she does so well and then shares with us.
What a good fortune for me to be included in the pages of Lit Shark Magazine. What a good fortune for me to know this good human.
Let’s spread the connection to McKenzie Lynn Tozan and Lit Shark Magazine, and hopefully, it will yield a shark attack of work submitted, more beautiful books published, and of course, new readers!
– Ellen Hirning Schmidt, author of ARMED TO THE TEETH
Recent Nonfiction Projects
Truly, A No-Brainer
When I was first looking for someone to help me write and research this book and accompanying article series, I never expected to find someone with so much drive, smarts, and talent.
McKenzie is so incredibly smart, driven to ask questions and research, and she helped keep my ADHD brain in check. Even better, she was able to listen to my ramblings and somehow translate that onto the page into something worth reading—a feat I truly do not understand and could never do myself. I’ve loved working with her and am so impressed by what she’s able to do.
Anyone who ever thinks about working with McKenzie I hope will not think twice. Hands down, it would be stupid of them to skip over her and a tragic loss to their project.
– Peter Montoya, author of A BRAND CALLED YOU and THE SECOND CIVIL WAR
Recent Fiction Projects
A Gift to Poetry!
Simply put, McKenzie has got to be the loveliest person in poetry.
She is such a rare, irreplaceable, and priceless gift to our literary community, and I am blessed to know her.
– mandy schiffrin, poet and fiction author
editor-in-chief
Lit Shark Magazine
poetry, fiction, and memoir that celebrates nature, ecology, marine life, and the human condition
Lit Shark is a welcoming and inclusive space for all individuals who call themselves a writer or dream of being one. All ages, backgrounds, publishing histories, and identities are enthusiastically welcomed here. With two literary magazines for aspiring and established writers to submit to, book reviews, author interviews, resources for writers to publish their full-length books, and resources to learn more about the craft of writing, this is a friendly community to all who wish to participate and succeed in the literary community.
The Lit Shark community is also conservation-friendly and aims to educate its readers more about marine life and to make a tangible difference to the community “under the sea.” With weekly shark facts, opportunities to submit ocean-themed work, teaching resources about conservation efforts, creative participation in Shark Week, and the Editor-in-Chief’s other local endeavors in her coastal community, the publication wants to be a fun and creative resource for learning more about marine life and conservation, as well as how to take actionable steps to help, no matter the age of the reader or writer.
A Passionate & Caring Fellow Poet
As a poet sending work off to McKenzie Lynn Tozan to be considered for the far-reaching and ever-growing Lit Shark Magazine, I immediately felt her passion and a huge sense of care in what she does.
I have been fortunate to have poems in various Lit Shark Magazine issues and have won the Poem of the Month contest in January 2024.
On each occasion, McKenzie has been a delight to work with, often going the extra mile. An example is her own creations of beautiful ‘on theme’ digital broadsides to enhance each Poem of the Month poem on Lit Shark’s page.
Recently, McKenzie Lynn Tozan also produced a beautiful blurb and review for my debut poetry collection, Into The Under. I am proud to recommend her.
– sandra noel, author of into the under
Issues of Lit Shark Magazine
Contact the Writer
mckenzie@litshark.com
Seek a Book Review
publishing@litshark.com
Start a Brand Collab
mckenzie@litshark.com
Submit to Lit Shark
litshark.com/submit/