Kate Etue
Years ago, a publisher told me that ink was in my veins, and while I’m pretty sure my system runs at least 50% on coffee, I think he may have been on to something. My bedside table has an ever-rotating stack books on it. In my free time, I teach a high school literature class to homeschoolers. I was a member of a Pulitzers-only book club . . . until we finished them all.
In short: I love books.
Professionally, I am an award-winning writer, editor, and consultant with more than 20 years’ experience in the publishing industry, 12 New York Times bestselling authors on my editing CV, and 1,000,000+ copies of my ghostwriting projects sold. I’ve worked with major publishing houses, indie imprints, and unsigned authors. If you have a compelling story to tell, I can help you get it ready to share with the world.
Fresh out of college, I landed my dream job as an editor at a publishing company, only to find out I’d be spending my days proofreading dictionaries (not my favorite). From there, I moved on to manage a YA brand of Christian living books and Bibles, then I transitioned over to a trade imprint, where I focused on biography/memoir and current events/issues books.
Since 2005 I have been a freelancer, editing everything from NASCAR biographies to Amish romance.
I specialize in developmental editing for memoir/biography, self-help, faith-based books, and historical and contemporary fiction…but I’m always up for hearing about any interesting project, even if it doesn’t fall in those categories. I love to read with a devil’s advocate point of view, helping you to see the problems or arguments you might not see when you’re knee-deep in the story.
When I’m not working, you can find me teaching Literature or Drama at our homeschool co-op, playing board games or cards with my husband and kids, or with a cup of coffee and a blanket, reading by the fire.
The first time I ever got in trouble in grade school, it was because I “wouldn’t stop reading ahead of the rest of the class.” When the other students were on chapter two of the Phantom Tollbooth, I had long finished and moved on to Betsy Taisy.
(Sorry, not sorry, Mrs. Adams.)
From a young age, I’ve been enamored of books and had a compulsive need to make meaning of the world around me. That’s probably how I ended up studying psychology in college and getting a master’s degree in theological studies.
After that, I served as a chaplain at a major trauma hospital as a chaplain. In this role, I learned to listen deeply to patients’ most delicate stories and help them find the narrative thread in their experiences.
Since then, I’ve been writing full-time. I was a staff writer for Cool Mom Picks, the parenting and lifestyle blog, for six years. I’ve written all kinds of web content to help small businesses increase web traffic. I’ve helped counseling centers, florists, health care companies, and even exterminators (I’m weirdly informed and extremely paranoid about bugs now) reach their customers.
Along the way, I’ve also been writing my own memoirs. My work has been published in The Washington Post, Chapter 16, Mockingbird, Rock & Sling, The Tennessean, and more.
As much as I love writing about my own life, I’m at a place where I prefer to help others tell their own stories. I have a soft spot for spiritual memoirs and stories in which men and women discover their own strength and resilience.
When I’m not writing or reading, you can find me schlepping my kids to swimming lessons, binging BBC dramas with my tech-nerd husband, or trying to teach myself tennis.
spilledmilk.net 