Adam Rosen

Adam Rosen – Editor

Scholarly and nonfiction editor with over a decade of experience in digital and print publishing. Reader advocate and prose polisher.

Overview

I'm a freelance developmental editor and line editor who has worked on the editorial side of print and online publishing since 2008. Before I became a full-time freelancer in 2016, I held in-house positions at HarperCollins, Oxford University Press, and Soomo Learning. I'm also a graduate of the Columbia Publishing Course, the six-week publishing certificate program overseen by the Columbia University School of Journalism. My book on the cult film The Room, You Are Tearing Me Apart, Lisa!: The Year's Work on The Room, the Worst Movie Ever Made, will be published by Indiana University Press in October 2022.


I've worked on over 40 nonfiction books as a freelancer. In 2021, one of the books I edited, To be Honest: Lead with the Power of Truth, Justice, and Purpose by Ron Carucci (Kogan Page), was named one of Bloomberg's best books of the year.

Simply put, I have the experience and training to make your message as effective as it can possibly be.

I specialize in:
- helping authors conceptualize, organize, and revise their work, with the end result that their manuscript feels deliberate and unified from beginning to end
- ensuring that each paragraph and sentence in the manuscript progresses logically
- improving text within the context of the author's genre (making wordy sections more concise, calling attention to sentences that are confusing or potentially difficult for a reader to understand, identifying gaps in logic, etc.) while preserving the author's voice and the tone of the manuscript

I began my career at the late, great Collins nonfiction imprint of HarperCollins, where I worked directly under the publisher on various mass-market titles. I moved into scholarly publishing in 2009. As an associate editor at Oxford University Press in New York City, I commissioned and edited contributions to the press’s flagship online references, Oxford Biblical Studies Online, Oxford Islamic Studies Online, and the Oxford African American Studies Center, a collaboration with Harvard University’s W. E. B. Du Bois Research Institute.

In 2012, I left New York for Asheville, North Carolina, where for four years I worked as an editor and course designer at Soomo Learning, an independent online educational publisher. At Soomo, I created interactive digital anthologies in early and modern world literature and international development from scratch.

For the past decade and a half I’ve also been moonlighting as a journalist and essayist. Some of the places I’ve contributed to include the Los Angeles Review of Books, the Wilson Quarterly, the Awl, Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, Literary Hub, the Baltimore Sun, the Onion, JSTOR Daily, Tablet Magazine, and many other print and online publications. In 2013 I contributed an essay on pulp literature to Pulp Fiction: The Complete Story of Quentin Tarantino’s Masterpiece (Voyageur Press).

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Business & Management Education & Reference History Political Science & Current Affairs Religion & Spirituality Sports & Outdoors
Fiction
Humor & Comedy
Languages
English (UK) English (US)
Certifications
  • Columbia Publishing Course

Work experience

Self-employed

Aug, 2016 — Present

I provide developmental editing, line editing, and copyediting services for independent authors and nonfiction and fiction book publishers. Publishing houses I've worked with include AdventureKEEN, Columbia University Press, Apollo Publishers, and Simply Charly Books.

Soomo Learning

Jul, 2012 — Aug, 2016 (about 4 years)

• Developed and managed the following interactive online humanities anthologies: Early World Literature, Modern World Literature, and Understanding Development
• Commissioned magazine feature-style commentaries, managed academic advisory board, and supervised acquisitions for Early World Literature reference
• Curated and acquired excerpts from diverse articles and publications, including New York Times-bestselling books, for inclusion in Understanding Development reference

Oxford University Press

Jun, 2009 — Jun, 2012 (about 3 years)

• Acquired and edited contributions to Oxford’s flagship online reference titles: Oxford Islamic Studies Online, Oxford Biblical Studies Online, and the Oxford African American Studies Center, a collaboration with Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Research Institute
• Managed Oxford African American Studies Center homepage
• Created and commissioned bimonthly photo essays for Oxford African American Studies Center
focusing on black history and culture

HarperCollins Publishers

Apr, 2008 — Present

• Evaluated agent-submitted nonfiction book proposals
• Worked directly under Collins imprint publisher to provide editorial support for the following nonfiction books: Bill Russell’s memoir Red and Me; CNN correspondent Suzanne Simons’s profile of Blackwater CEO Erik Prince, Master of War; Elizabeth Marshall Thomas’s The Hidden Life of Deer; and the Sarah Palin–inspired humor title Terminatrix

Portfolio

Weddings scheduled around a college football team’s bye week. Children taken out of school on Fridays so their family can attend away games. Public officials who win or lose elections based on their college affiliation. Welcome to life in the Southeastern Conf... read more
Need to run a workshop? Your attendees are trusting you with their time and attention. What are you giving them in return?Most workshops don't work. They fail to deliver real results and they fail to keep the audience energetic and engaged. They're stressful t... read more
"A seasoned author and Hemingway scholar, Scott Donaldson brings this remarkable story to life with precision, lending keen new insight into Hemingway’s elusive character. A masterful work and a cracking good read.”—Valerie Hemingway, author of Running With th... read more
Veteran hospitality expert Dan Sachs interviews top business leaders to reveal how extraordinary customer service brings high profit, brand loyalty, and a vibrant workplace, and to share how you can implement their techniques in your own business. For more tha... read more
In Searching for Oedipus, attorney Ken Glazer recounts his decades-long quest to answer the Riddle of Oedipus: why Oedipus Rex, after 2,500 years, still wields such enormous power. Along the way he slices through the scholarly debate, laying bare the many ways... read more
So you get up every day at 7 a.m., slip into a traffic jam and get shouted at by your boss for ten hours. Maybe you dream of something bigger. Well, you might be delighted to know that there’s a country where people do all that for $1,200 a month.That place is... read more
On March 2, 2018, Niyati Tamaskar heard the words that would forever change the course of her life: “All three sites have tested positive for cancer.” She was a thirty-four-year-old breastfeeding mother with a doting husband, fulfilling engineering job, and tw... read more
The statistics are eye-opening: A half-million new cases of Alzheimer's are diagnosed each year in the United States, and nearly 6 million Americans are currently living with the disease. Compounding this tragedy is the fact that every person with Alzheimer's ... read more
Scott has played over 500 concerts at hundreds of venues spanning almost two decades. From performing to the bar staff at strip mall dive bars, to a sold-out show with members of The Misfits and the Ramones, 33 Percent Rockstar: Music, Heartbreak and the Pursu... read more
In THE WOLF AT THE DOOR, veteran California attorney and elder financial abuse writer Michael Hackard draws from forty years of legal experience to advise families, caregivers, and professionals who work with seniors what elder financial abuse is, how to ident... read more
Die amerikanische Filmindustrie ist im Umbruch - und keiner merkt es. Die Studios verkaufen den Traum vom Erfolg und verheimlichen, dass ein Drittel ihrer teuersten Produktionen Flops sind. Obwohl Hollywood den Weltmarkt beherrscht, stehen die meisten Studios ... read more
Award-winning fitness guru Dr. Len Kravitz distills the hottest celebrity workout, high-intensity interval training—HIIT—and reveals how both laymen and gym rats can conquer it themselves, no expensive personal trainer required. HIIT is the “do anywhere workou... read more
Mt. Shasta is California s premier, stand-alone, 14,000-foot mountain— with the largest and longest glaciers in the state. Along with Washington s Mt. Rainier, Mt. Shasta is one of the two most prominent large mountains in the contiguous United States. Shasta ... read more
North Carolina Adventure Weekends makes it easy for campers, hikers, cyclists, paddlers, and climbers to plan weekend after weekend of memorable outdoor trips. It’s written for both novice and experienced adventurers who enjoy―or aspire to enjoy―a variety of o... read more
When Pulp Fiction was released in theaters in 1994, it was immediately hailed as a masterpiece. The New York Times called it a “triumphant, cleverly disorienting journey,” and thirty-one-year-old Quentin Tarantino, with just three feature films to his name, be... read more

Adam has 17 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Barbara C.

Barbara C.

Jun, 2023

Working with Adam has been a gift. He has definitely helped me to bring my work to the next level. His suggestions and critiques have been reasonable and in line with the attitudes and values I wish to communicate. He is responsive and detail oriented. I will be continuing to work with Adam on this and any future projects. I highly recommend him.
Gary E.

Gary E.

Jun, 2022

Adam did a comprehensive review of our manuscript and provided a detailed report with actionable feedback. We found his work to be thoughtful, thorough and insightful. His work clearly had a very positive impact on the quality of our book. He was very easy to work with, listened carefully and fully delivered on his proposal. I highly recommend Adam!
Adam R.
Thanks so much, Gary. The feeling is mutual—you and Joan were a pleasure to work with.
Barbara C.

Barbara C.

Jan, 2021

It was great working with Adam and I plan to continue. His comments were thoughtful and definitely improved the quality of my work. He communicates an enthusiasm which for a new author is invaluable.
Justin H.

Justin H.

Jan, 2021

Very happy with Adam's work, and felt he provided great feedback. I plan to use him again in the future and recommend his services to anyone.
Dean M.

Dean M.

Jul, 2019

This was my first experience hiring an editor and it went far smoother than I anticipated. Working with Adam is akin to working with a very good coach. He pointed out areas where my writing could be improved, highlighted passages that he felt were strong (which was reassuring for my first time writing professionally) and pushed me at the right times to be more creative. Quite detailed in ...
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