Testimonials
"When looking for an editor, it is tough to figure out who is going to be thorough and trustworthy. Amy meets both of those criteria. In addition, she turned my project around quickly and provided me a writing formula to use as guidance to help me develop my future articles. She is a pleasure to work with."
-- Erica Quigley, small business owner and business consultant
"Amy was a competent editor, a relentless supporter and helped me get my manuscript exactly where I wanted it to be. She's smart, easy to work with and just a really kind person. I would work with her again in a second!"
--Raakhee Mirchandani, Editor-in-Chief of Moneyish, Senior Content Development Editor at Dow Jones Media Group, and author of Super Satya Saves the Day
"Coming from the world of medicine and academia, I had never written a children's storybook before. I had zero experience in the industry. I literally had no idea what to expect. All I knew was that I had a great idea and a great start, but I knew very well I had a long way to go. Amy was like a breath of fresh air. Her down-to-earth attitude was at once grounding and nurturing. She taught me so much about kids literature, the art of crafting a story book, the importance of balancing the energy of words with images, and so much more. Just after our first meeting, her encouragement and seeds of inspiration motivated me to create a whole new start to my project that I had not even considered. Each step along the way, her insights and tips helped me to keep tapping into my own creative voice. I cannot recommend Amy enough for her editorial and writing coaching skills. She is a gift to those who get to work with her."
-- Rashmi Bismark, MD, MPH
What We Do
Editorial Support & Document Management
Our founder worked in the corporate space for years, managing teams of writers and working with graphic designers to create large-scale reports for Congress and other government bodies.
As such, we are well-versed in working on difficult or potentially unwieldy projects with moving parts. Multiple authors? Multiple documents? Multiple format styles? No problem. We can't wait to dive in.
Picture Book & Fiction Writing Support
Do you have an idea or a piece of writing that needs some support? Our consulting prices range from $200 - $1500, and can be tailored to your needs.
For the last three years, Kraken founder Amy Maranville has supported authors in their journey to create picture books. Support includes line edits, yes, but also content reviews, tutorials on picture book styles and layout, and assistance with illustration directions.
Business Classes & Seminars
Our courses are crafted based on your needs. We can provide business-style seminars on technical writing, document management and version control, and team writing.
We can provide you with suggestions on the most useful tools for your team.
Our classes are entertaining and lively. We promise your team will learn and enjoy!
Little Authors Club: A Class for Young Writers
Kraken Communications is proud to announce the Little Authors Club! Classes are open to kids ages 4-8. Every week, they will learn how to create their own stories, expand their understanding of story-telling, and make their own books.
You can see some great pictures of our authors' work in the gallery below. Spring session sign up will be posted soon!
Winter 2019 Little Authors Club
Founder: Amy Maranville
My background
My experience, like my personality, is eclectic. I've written and published six picture books, as well as multiple romance novels. I've also written testimony presented to the U.S. Congress, and helped multi-national banks meet their regulatory requirements.
In addition to writing things on my own, I've helped many people, including accountants, military officers, and computer programmers, to find their own voices and develop as writers. That's the legacy I hope to build on as I grow Kraken Communications.
I have a BA from Smith College in English literature and anthropology, as well as an MA in children's literature from Simmons College.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost?
Every project is unique, but we always think it's helpful to have a sense of what things might cost. Standard pricing is $70 an hour. However, we structure our pricing to match your needs. So if you only need proof-reading or a single-pass review, you won't pay for more than that. If you want unlimited reviews and a more in-depth review process, we can structure the pricing accordingly.
Fixed pricing is available as well, on a case-by-case basis.
What can you actually do to help?
Just like a personal trainer can help you hone the physical skills you want to improve, a writing coach can pinpoint your challenges and help you improve your writing. So for instance, if you're writing a picture book, you would need a certain number of pages, a template to structure the work, and a coach who knows the industry specifics. We provide all of those.
If you're writing a longer text, like a novel, you'll need an outline and some clear parameters on word count, chapter length, POV, voice consistency, etc. Your coach would support you in these efforts.
Do you do in-person meetings or is everything through email?
If you're local to the Greater Boston area, we are happy to meet in person. We also do video conferencing as often as possible if we can't meet in person, so you can get as much personal interaction as you need.
Of course, if you don't want to meet in person, everything can be done through email too!