Rachel Bass

Rachel Bass – Editor

I have 5+ years of experience in editorial at a big 5 publisher, with a specialty in adult SF/F and speculative fiction.

Overview

With over five years of experience at Tor Books, and a keen eye for what makes a story work, I'm excited to help you get your book to the best place it can be! I have worked with such authors as Brandon Sanderson, Arkady Martine, T. Kingfisher, Annalee Newitz, A.K. Larkwood, Ryka Aoki, and Jenn Lyons (among others!)

My specialties are adult fantasy and science fiction, with a particular love for character-driven stories, and unique narrative voices. I'm especially drawn to less-explored fantasy settings (i.e. somewhere other than medieval Europe), and am interested in queer characters and narratives in particular. I love witches and magic, folklore/fairy tale fantasy, space opera, time travel, as well as grounded speculative fiction. I have an affection for literary SF/F and LGBTQ+ retellings of classic stories—if you've got Shakespeare influences in your work, I'm all over it! I'm also very open to romance and romantic elements.



TESTIMONIALS

"From our very first introduction, Rachel approached my work with such deep respect and thoughtfulness that it felt as if we were old friends. She was able to pick up on so many minute yet pivotal logic gaps in my worldbuilding and character development that, unnoticed, would have detracted from the overall story. She is equal parts editing whiz, book champion, and author advocate. I so dearly loved working with her on The Endless Skies and wouldn't hesitate to work with her again in the future. Thank you, Rachel!"—Shannon Price, author of A Thousand Fires and The Endless Skies

“Rachel’s edits are precise, thoughtful, and interactive in the best way. Both her in-line comments and edit letters are focused, meaningful, and cut through to the heart of the story, character, and theme of the work. Your writing will be better simply by giving her a chance to read it.”—Sarah Henning, author of The Kingdoms of Sand and Sky series


"Rachel is a pleasure to work with - perceptive, thoughtful, and supportive. With a keen eye for detail, as well as a broader awareness of the work’s overall structure, Rachel communicated her ideas honestly and respectfully, always taking the time to explain the reasoning behind her suggestions. Working through her in-line comments was a joy - not only did she deftly identify issues, she also gave me the encouragement I needed to confidently fix them. AFTER THE FOREST is a stronger book because of Rachel. I look forward to working with her again!"—Kell Woods, author of the upcoming After the Forest

Services
Fiction
Fantasy LGBTQ Fiction Magical Realism Paranormal Romance Romantic Comedy Space Opera Time Travel
Languages
English (CAN) English (UK) English (US)

Work experience

Self-employed

Jun, 2022 — Present

Tor Books

Jul, 2021 — Jun, 2022 (11 months)

- Received and read science-fiction and fantasy submissions with the goal of curating a unique and interesting editorial list
- Worked directly with authors on editing their work and guiding them through the production and publication process as their editor
- Worked closely with several senior editors and was deeply involved in their submissions, editing processes, marketing conversations, cover decisions, copy writing, and more.

Tor Books

Sep, 2020 — Jul, 2021 (10 months)

Tor Books

Nov, 2016 — Sep, 2020 (almost 4 years)

I started off as the assistant to the associate publisher (now publisher of Tor Publishing Group), and was involved in the acquisition and editing process for numerous books including Arkady Martine's Hugo Award-winning A MEMORY CALLED EMPIRE, and Jenn Lyons' Chorus of Dragons series, as well as assisting on Brandon Sanderson's OATHBRINGER and RHYTHM OF WAR.

Rachel has 14 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Alex R.

Alex R.

Oct, 2023

Pinned
Rachel is truly wonderful to work with. Her feedback is thoughtful, thorough, and invaluable. I was stuck in a rut with my work but couldn't see why. She quickly identified the issues there and gave insightful commentary on areas that may need to be rearranged. Because of that, I can now see some of those issues in later parts of this project. She worked on Act 1 of my novel, and I'm 100% keepi...
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Eric W.

Eric W.

May, 2023

Pinned
Absolutely loved working with Rachel. She was my first choice, and she did not disappoint. She was very professional and understanding, and I really appreciated all of her notes. Very helpful!
Lisa D.

Lisa D.

Oct, 2022

Pinned
I cannot begin to express my gratitude for Rachel's insightful and--on point--edits! Her letter is amazing, and provides specific, actionable (and downright brilliant) suggestions; she's honest and clear about her thoughts, but gives plenty of positive reinforcement along the way, too. I felt like she was invested in the manuscript, and in helping me make it shine. She communicates regularly an...
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J K.

J K.

Sep, 2024

Rachel found the major issue with my work and cut right to it.
Esme B.

Esme B.

Sep, 2024

From start to finish Rachel was a genuine delight to work with. I went into this process with very little understanding of what a query pack should look like, but as someone who works within the publishing sphere, I was aware of some barriers to my success - namely my word count. I made this clear in my brief, and Rachel was the only professional who seemed to understand that this was something...
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