My Services

I work with both fiction and narrative nonfiction, and I’m happy to evaluate a full manuscript, a partial manuscript or a proposal depending upon where you are on your journey. Usually, the best way to start is for me to read a short sample of your work to see if we’re a good fit. I’m probably not the right editor for science fiction, fantasy, YA fiction or practical and how-to nonfiction.

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Fiction

I edit a wide variety of fiction, from crime and thriller to what I think of as crossover literary fiction. I can offer a full editorial read and evaluation that includes coverage of elements both large and small, from plot, character, and pacing to more granular work on sentences and graphs.

This might take the form of developmental work on story and structure and sometimes involves discovering what primary questions power the narrative and what changes can make the novel stronger and more cogent.

Nonfiction

In narrative nonfiction, I work most often with biography and autobiography, American history and politics, military affairs, pop culture and the entertainment world, stories from the American South, investigative journalism, true crime and LGBTQ+ stories.

I work on projects in development as well as complete manuscripts. In some cases it’s helpful, even critical, to hone a central thesis and develop a detailed outline that allows us to see—and adjust—what readers will experience. I believe story-driven nonfiction can be as emotionally engaging and ‘unputdownable’ as the finest fiction, and I love the challenge of finding the best ways to achieve that goal.

Why should you hire an executive editor with decades of experience at Big Five publishers? 

  • I know the key elements that drive a compelling narrative—and how to unlock them.

  • I know story structure—from the opening that grabs you, the middle that’s tight and holds your attention, to the last third that builds to a satisfying close.

  • I know what agents want because I’ve worked with the best of them.

  • I know what publishers need because I’ve read and evaluated thousands of proposals and manuscripts and acquired hundreds.

  • I know what publishers’ sales, publicity and marketing departments expect from a new or an established author.

  • I know how to edit and publish debuts as well as books by established New York Times bestselling authors.