Professional Book Editing for Powerful Storytelling
There are two kinds of books:
the kind that gathers dust on the shelf, and the kind that grabs you by the throat (the gut, the heart) and forces you to stay up late under the covers to find out what happens. Anything less, and back it goes onto the shelf. You want to captivate your readers? You want your story to stay with them long after they’ve turned the last page? From plot architecture to comma placement, find out what your draft needs to get your readers hooked and stay there. (Huddled, transported.)
The Editor Behind Cellar Door
Hello out there! I’m Laura MacAulay, a developmental editor, line and copy editor, and proofreader specialized in fiction and creative nonfiction. I help authors craft reader-ready stories that burn brightly, chapter by chapter, word by word.
Since founding Cellar Door Editorial in 2019, I have edited over fifty novels, children’s books, memoirs, personal essays, and short stories. I trained in Toronto Metropolitan University’s Publishing Program and also hold a BFA and a certificate in English teaching. Editors Canada describes me as “a brilliant editor” with “a great ear for the rhythm and flow of a sentence” and “a remarkably astute editorial eye.” Past clients include Scholastic Canada, Owlkids Books, FriesenPress, and Episode Interactive (the world’s largest mobile publisher of interactive teen fiction). Before coming to my greatest passion—stories!—I taught English to kids, teens, and adults.
Member of:
Editorial Services
As your editor, I help you get your story flowing like red-hot lava—beautiful to behold, impossible to ignore.
How can I best help you prepare your manuscript for publishing?
Manuscript Critique
A detailed custom report assessing your premise, overarching plot structure, character arcs, and other big-picture narrative elements. You will receive practical, craft-based strategies to elevate your manuscript to its most potent expression.
Developmental Editing
Comprehensive scene-by-scene feedback throughout each chapter of your manuscript flagging problems in point of view, plot, pacing, characterization, plausibility, and more—and suggesting solutions to help you better reach your readers.
Line & Copy Editing
A thorough sentence-level edit of your manuscript, sharpening your prose where it’s muddled and making each word count. Typos, grammar errors, inconsistencies, contradictions, needless fluff, and other oopsies will be cleaned up.
Query Editing Plus
Actionable feedback on your query letter, synopsis, book proposal, first 10–50 pages, and other submission materials. Make an irresistible first impression with a pitch that stands out from the slush pile and makes literary agents swoon.
“In 25 years of writing, working with Laura has been the most rewarding editorial collaboration I’ve experienced.”
— Joseph Keon, memoirist and author of The Alzheimer’s Revolution
“Laura went above and beyond in bringing my story to life.”
— Susanna Oreskovic, author of Expedition to Mystery Mountain
“I couldn’t have found an editor who gets my characters like Laura does.”
— Naemi Tiana, author of The Lovely One
Portfolio
A sampling of books I have recently edited. For each, I provided both story-level and sentence-level support.
