amanda k. king
Story-driven or strategy-led, I create work that’s thoughtful and effective.
Experience
I have a deep background building stories, brands, and content. I’ve written, edited, designed, and managed creative projects across retail, non-profit, independent publishing, legal, educational, and more.
I bring a multidisciplinary skill set that combines clear, effective writing with thoughtful design and strategic project management (and a PMP certification). I’m here to help with sharp copy, clean design, and guidance through the creative side of building a brand.
-
With a background that spans writing, editing, design, and project management—and a PMP certification to back it up—I bring creativity and structure to every job. I craft sharp, audience-ready content across formats that include text (and keywords!), art, strategy, and a clear plan for execution.
My skills make me a great creative partner for small businesses, startups, and teams who need results without the monthly fee of a marketing agency. If you’re launching something new, refreshing what you’ve got, or finally tackling a project from your to-do list, I can help you make it happen—cleanly, clearly, and with minimal chaos.
Visit my Services page for a more complete listing of my offerings.
-
Freelance
Writer / Editor / Designer / Project Manager—Jun 2011-Present
Designed, wrote, edited, and managed for various companies, adapting my skills to fit their short-term project needs. Work included line editing blogs and social media posts, managing website project releases, updating website content, designing logos, developing websites, consulting, and more.
Clients include: Axiomport (agency) · Boxcrush (agency) · Christel House (non-profit) · Deep Ripples (SEO) · Glen Hollow (tourism) · Folkcraft & Flora Apothecary (home decor) · Kiwanis International (non-profit) · Maverick Woodworking (decor) · Two Moons Lutherie (instruments) · SB4C (politics) · Xiik (agency) · Independent authors and makers
Author / Art Director / Publisher—Jan 2015-Present
Co-created multi-book series (writing, editing, story structure, and production). Managed the full author platform: website, newsletters, press kits, social media series, swag, appearances, and event collateral. Coordinated timelines, assets, and messaging across multiple simultaneous releases.
Published:
Things They Buried, 2019 (see Awards)
They Eat Their Own, 2020
A Good Thief, 2023
Green Witch Vintage & Handmade
Owner / Director / Creative Lead—Jul 2021-Present
Researched and developed brand identity, products, packaging, product copy, blogs, e-commerce website (Squarespace), social media strategy and design, enewsletter and email list, Google Ads campaigns, photography, booth/event design, basic SEO. Built replicable and flexible processes so a two-person team could operate like a much larger one.
Tuitive (UI / web app / website design & development firm)
Project Manager—2008-2012
Led cross-functional teams through complex UI/UX, web, and application development projects—from early-stage research and user testing to design, build, and launch. Worked closely with clients from two-person startups to multinational enterprises, adapting workflows and communication styles to meet each organization's needs while keeping projects on time, on budget, and user-focused. Coordinated efforts across internal designers, developers, and strategists, and collaborated regularly with external PMs, business architects, and BI teams. Closed dozens of projects on schedule, within budget, and with minimal scope creep.
Clients included: Eli Lilly & Company, Midwest ISO, Hoosier Lottery, Indiana DOE, Shelby Materials, ChaCha, EduFocal, Kelley Executive Partners, Aurora Casket Company, St. Luke's UMC, Riley Bennett & Egloff, Cantrell Strenski & Mehringer, Stuart & Branigin, Hoover Hull, Vidsport
Indiana State Museum & Historic Sites
Electronic Communication Manager, 2004-2007
Served as a hub for digital content and communication across a complex, statewide institution, managing multiple monthly email campaigns while maintaining and continuously improving the website and serving as the mar/com representative on various exhibit teams. Led a major website redesign and rollout (2005), including a custom CMS. Designed, wrote, and taught the training program for the new CMS to ensure staff could confidently manage their own content. Led overhaul of the museum’s bi-monthly member magazine, Expectations, redesigning it from the ground up, running its editorial board, laying out each issue, writing large portions of content, soliciting articles from across departments, editing submissions, and managing its events calendar. Publication became a more cohesive, visually engaging piece under my leadership—both a community touchpoint and a key membership benefit.
-
Bachelor of Arts, Communication/Journalism—Purdue University, West Lafayette
Project Management Professional (PMP)—Project Management Institute, current & earned 2008
Google Ads Search Certified, received March 2025
ISO/IEC 27001:202 Lead Auditor Training—27001:2022 & 19011:2018
Microsoft Certified Technical Specialist (MCTS)—Microsoft Office Project 2007
-
Writing
Google Workspace (Gmail / Drive / Calendar / Chat / Docs / Sheets)
Microsoft Office suite (Word / Excel / PowerPoint / OneNote / Outlook / Teams)
KDP Manager (Amazon & Kindle publishing)
ACX Manager (Audible publishing)
Design
Adobe Suite (InDesign / Illustrator / Photoshop / Acrobat)
Affinity Suite (Publisher / Designer / Photo)
Canva
ClipChamp / CapCut
Web & digital
Squarespace
WordPress (classic & current)
Wix
Mailchimp
Google Analytics
Google Ads Manager (certified)
Meta Business Suite (Facebook & Instagram manager)
Amazon Ads Manager
Amazon & Goodreads author dashboards
Etsy shop manager
Merchandise shop managers (ie: Redbubble, TeePublic, Zazzle, etc.)
ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, etc.
Midjourney
Project management
PMP
MS Project 2007 (certified)
Basecamp
Teams
Discord
-
Imaginarium panelist, 2021
Things They Buried
Named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of 2019
Gold Medalist, Fantasy, Independent Book Publishers Award (IPPY), 2020
Imadjinn Award, Best Fantasy Novel, Imaginarium Convention, 2020
Quarterfinalist, SPSFC, 2023
Finalist, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Kindle Book Review, 2019
Official Selection Action/Adventure, New Apple Literary, 2019
-
my cats—Between pets and the neighborhood ferals, I have an outrageous cat food budget. I post a lot of ridiculous and adorable photos of them.
urban gardening—Michael & I raise herbs, flowers, & veggies on our little tenth of an acre. My Instagram feed is usually full of them in spring & summer.
cooking & baking—I make a mean focaccia, fantastic freezer cookies of all stripes (even red velvet), and some passable bagels.
reading & learning—I always have at least two or three books going, fiction or non—I’m currently deep in depth typology and the science of baking.
horror, scifi, mysteries, & oddball humor—Reading, writing, or viewing, I’m a big fan.
exercise—It’s great for burning off anxiety—especially when I can get outdoors to walk, bike, or kayak.
tabletop & RPG gaming—I have a boardgame library, I’ve painted loads of minis, and I ran a Neverwinter Nights persistent world for four years. I enjoy a good game.
maintaining my nearly 1930 house—I love reuse, so we’ve rehabbed almost every inch from hardwood floors and remuddled stucco ceilings to electrical and plumbing.
woodworking—But only as Michael’s assistant. Mostly, I sand.
organizing messes—More of a principal function than a hobby.
Services
As a small business owner and artist, I know the issues you face. You want your business to look and sound professional, but agencies are expensive and doing it yourself only goes so far. A startup shouldn’t have to pay the same as an international giant.
I can price my work by the hour or by project, whichever works best for you. Price will depend on the type and complexity of work, turnaround time requirements, and the customer’s existing resources, Let’s talk about your project needs and find the right solution.
-
blogs / blog series
SEO / keyword implementation
product listings
e-newsletters
social media
marketing copy
internal communication
presentations
brand guides & manuals
user personas
training manuals & courses
journalism—reporting, editorial, feature
speculative fiction
technical translation
RFPs/RFQs
story research
interviews
-
developmental editing—plot, character, voice
line editing—clarity, flow, readability
copy editing—style, punctuation, grammar
outlining (new or revision)
fact checking
Strunk & White / English grammar & punctuation
Associated Press (AP) style
Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS)
-
brand development
logo
website
e-commerce design
social graphics
social campaigns
presentation design
e-newsletters & other email
magazine / newspaper
book cover
print and digital book interior
e-book creation / conversion (ie: Kindle, Kobo, etc.)
catalog
packaging
signage
swag
sales & marketing collateral
photography
short video
trade show / vendor booth style, props, & signage
-
scoping & control
budgeting & control
planning / timeline development & control
team / resource hiring & management
project communication
cross-team coordination
client & vendor management
audience definition & research
content calendar planning & management
campaign planning & implementation
Google Ads planning, implementation & monitoring
developing repeatable workflows
-
SEO / keyword research
Google Ads campaign creation, monitoring, and development
e-Commerce shop setup (Esty, eBay, Faire, Redbubble, etc.)
social media campaign creation & calendar management
website maintenance and updating
classroom training
I’ve held a lot of titles—author, magazine publisher, catalog designer, map-maker, cat-wrangler—but all my projects are connected by my love of storytelling, strong visuals, and a compulsion to close projects.
