Work with McKenzie
Editor, Reviewer, Brand Storyteller, & Photographer
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
I don’t know about you, but I LOVE pivoting during the summer: either “catching up” on the projects I had to put on the back burner during the academic year or just totally switching focus for the fun of it. If you resonate with this, I wouldn’t be surprised if you have editing and design work ahead of you, at your press, or at your publication—and if that’s true, 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.
Editor & Designer for Indie Authors, Poets, Lit Mags, & Small Presses
starting at $0.03 (USD) per word
Line/Developmental Editing, Proofreading
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- Quick Turnaround Times
- Line-Editing
- Developmental Editing
- Proofreading
- Citation, Bibliography, Indexing, and Fact-Checking Available
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starting at $250 (USD)
Book Formatting/Design, Cover Design, Chapter Page Design/Illustrations, Other Illustrations
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- Page Design
- Chapter/Section Illustration
- Cover Design
- Starter Package of Marketing Materials
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$100 – $250 (USD) depending on word count & genre
Alpha and Beta Reading
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- Quick Turnaround
- Alpha Reading and Beta Reading
- Includes 2-5 page comment sheet, depending on the length of the book
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$45 per hour (USD), flexible schedule
Literary Magazine and Small Press Guest Editing: Curation, Content Management, Design, Etc.
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- Submission Curation
- Content Creation and Management
- Page Design, Chapter/Section Illustration, and Cover Design
- Social Media Management
- Book Marketing and Social Materials (Canva, etc.)
- Web Design, Hosting, and Content Creation
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starting at $0.03 (USD) per word depending on word count & deadline
Line-Editing, Formatting, Citations, Indexing, & Proofreading for Doctoral Candidates
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- Fast Turnaround Times
- Line-Editing
- Proofreading
- Citation Checking
- Indexing
- Formatting for Doctoral Committee and Publication
- Publishing Assistance for Those Not Published By Their University
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I cannot thank McKenzie enough for the love, the car, 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”
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
A Force To Be Reckoned With
& An Irreplaceable Family Heirloom
charlotte johnston & Heidi ling
It’s How You Catch the Light
Poetry Collection
McKenzie, I’ve mentioned in previous emails how hard it’s been to travel to see my mother [during the pandemic]. Well, we were finally able to visit today, and it was one of the most blessed of occasions; I only wish you could have been there with us.
Charlotte wasn’t totally herself today, but she snapped to attention once I showed her the scrapbook I’ve been keeping of all of our edits, the awards and press releases we’ve been chasing, the conversations. She lit up at your words, your enthusiasm for her work that reverberated from the page. She loved how you loved her poetry.
You have truly blessed our family by helping me publish this book while my mother is still alive and coherent enough to appreciate her accomplishments. What I was expecting would just be a precious family heirloom has proved to be successful all throughout Wisconsin, especially our beloved Door County, making my mother’s legacy an absolute force.
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 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/