About
Katie Buniak is a copy editor and proofreader based in Dallas (via Chicago).
The BeginningI’ve always loved escaping into the fantasyland of a good book — from elementary school adventures to modern American epics. As a child, I devoured every story in sight. I was happiest with my nose in a book and wished I could read for a living. But “professional bookworm” didn’t seem like a practical career choice to me (I was a very serious third-grader).
|
Growing up, I dabbled in dreams of becoming a marine biologist, artist, jazz saxophonist, and high school English teacher. But nothing felt as fitting as what I love to do more than anything else: read. I officially answered the calling during college and switched gears from secondary education to self-professed grammar geek.
As an editor, my childhood dream has come true — and it’s even better than I could have hoped. I get to work directly with authors to polish their text, bringing it to its full potential and making it truly sing. I’m not just poring over the pages — I get to be a part of the story.
Education

I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Graduating in the top 3 percent of my class, I earned Bronze Tablet university honors. I was also awarded the Yvonne S. Quinn and Ronald S. Rolfe Scholarship and was a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Alpha Lambda Delta National Academic Honor Society, and Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society.
Through a Community-based Learning Grant from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Public Engagement and Institutional Relations, I tutored high school students in writing and literary analysis, led curriculum and scholarship development, and implemented an African American Literature curriculum at Central Champaign High School in Champaign, Illinois. I also tutored reading comprehension and writing at Thomas Paine Elementary School in Urbana, Illinois.
Through a Community-based Learning Grant from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Public Engagement and Institutional Relations, I tutored high school students in writing and literary analysis, led curriculum and scholarship development, and implemented an African American Literature curriculum at Central Champaign High School in Champaign, Illinois. I also tutored reading comprehension and writing at Thomas Paine Elementary School in Urbana, Illinois.
CareerWith a love of words and a passion for finessing text into its finest form, I have a decade of editing experience that spans many genres of the literary world. I swiftly spot errors in text while maintaining a keen sense of balance between grammar and style.
Over the years, I’ve worked on various publications, including adult and young adult novels, magazines, blogs, online content, scholastic volumes, poetry, marketing materials, and medical journals.
|
Through this experience, I have amassed an encyclopedic knowledge of the AP Stylebook, The Chicago Manual of Style, and Webster’s New World College Dictionary. I’ve also fine-tuned a meticulous manner of producing error-free text.
Résumé

katiebuniakresumewebsite.pdf | |
File Size: | 345 kb |
File Type: |
Memberships
I am a proud member of the Editorial Freelancers Association and ACES: The Society for Editing (formerly the American Copy Editors Society).
"When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young." —Maya Angelou