Adam Rosen - Editor
Scholarly and nonfiction editor with over a decade of experience in digital and print publishing. Reader advocate and prose polisher.
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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, 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. I’m currently under contract with Indiana University Press to edit and contribute a chapter to a collection of essays about the cult film The Room, to be published in October 2022.
Simply put, I have the experience and training to make your writing stronger.
As a freelancer, I've edited or proofread the following authors: historian and PEN America member Scott Donaldson (The Paris Husband, a biography of Hadley Hemingway); UNC–Greensboro professor Andrea Hunter (forthcoming collection of personal essays about growing up in the South); German film journalist Philipp Koenig (English translation of Hollywood critique Luck & Disasters); National Indie Excellence Book Award-winner Thomas Burchfield (the novel Butchertown); author of the bestselling Unofficial Guides series Bob Sehlinger (Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas); and others.
I began my career at the late, great Collins nonfiction imprint of HarperCollins, where I worked directly under the publisher on mass-market titles including 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.
I moved into scholarly publishing in 2009. As an associate editor at Oxford University Press, 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 City 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 I’ve 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. I've also contributed an essay on pulp literature to the 2013 book Pulp Fiction: The Complete Story of Quentin Tarantino’s Masterpiece (Voyageur Press).
I’m proficient in Chicago and MLA styles, and I’m conversant in Associated Press style.
Simply put, I have the experience and training to make your writing stronger.
As a freelancer, I've edited or proofread the following authors: historian and PEN America member Scott Donaldson (The Paris Husband, a biography of Hadley Hemingway); UNC–Greensboro professor Andrea Hunter (forthcoming collection of personal essays about growing up in the South); German film journalist Philipp Koenig (English translation of Hollywood critique Luck & Disasters); National Indie Excellence Book Award-winner Thomas Burchfield (the novel Butchertown); author of the bestselling Unofficial Guides series Bob Sehlinger (Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas); and others.
I began my career at the late, great Collins nonfiction imprint of HarperCollins, where I worked directly under the publisher on mass-market titles including 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.
I moved into scholarly publishing in 2009. As an associate editor at Oxford University Press, 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 City 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 I’ve 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. I've also contributed an essay on pulp literature to the 2013 book Pulp Fiction: The Complete Story of Quentin Tarantino’s Masterpiece (Voyageur Press).
I’m proficient in Chicago and MLA styles, and I’m conversant in Associated Press style.
Languages
English (UK)
English (US)
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Business & Management
Education & Reference
History
Political Science & Current Affairs
Religion & Spirituality
Sports & Outdoors
Fiction
Humor & Comedy
Certifications
- Columbia Publishing Course
Work experience
Editor-Owner
Self-employed
August, 2016
–
Present
(about 6 years)
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.
Development Editor
Soomo Learning
July, 2012
–
August, 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
Associate Editor
Oxford University Press
June, 2009
–
June, 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
Editorial Assistant
HarperCollins Publishers
April, 2008
–
Present
(over 14 years)
• 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 (22 selected works)
The Workshop Survival Guide: How to design and teach educational workshops that work every time
Rob Fitzpatrick, Devin Hunt
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 to run and painful to attend.Designing and running a brilliant workshop is easier than you think. It's not about flashy showmanship or na... read more
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 Conference (SEC), the most fanatical family in college football, if not all of college sports. In the fall of 2014, self-professed Notre Dam... read more
You Are Tearing Me Apart, Lisa!: The Year's Work on the Room, the Worst Movie Ever Made (Year's Work: Studies in Fan Culture and Cultural Theory)
Rosen, Adam M, Palmer, Landon, Abrams, Nathan, Cruz, Lenika, Curnow, James, Donegan, John, Dyck, John, Mathijs, Ernest, Foy, Matt, Kahn-Harris, Keith, Klein, Amanda Ann, MacDowell, James, Middlemost, Renee, Morin, Ross, Satrio Priambodho, Hario, Soles, Carter, Wright, Ellen
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, became a sensation: the next great American director. Nearly twenty years later, those who proclaimed Pulp Fiction an instant classic have... read more
Butchertown
Thomas Burchfield
Paul Bacon, ex-Navy boxer and fun-loving, Jazz-Age fashion plate, moved to 1920s California for the endless sunshine, oranges, and bright, white beaches. But all he finds is loneliness and misery in the chilly, fog-choked canyons of San Francisco.One night, homesick and miserable, he meets, and falls for, Molly Carver, a mysterious beauty who lures him on a romantic weekend escapade across the... read more
North Carolina Adventure Weekends: Best Outdoor Getaways
Jessie Johnson, Matt Schneider
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 outdoor pursuits but don’t have time to spend hours researching the best destinations or can’t get away for a long trip. Most outdoors en... read more
Mount Shasta: A Guide to Climbing, Skiing, and Exploring California's Premier Mountain
Andy Selters, Michael Zanger
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 is sought after by so many climbers and skiers nationwide because it offers such a wide variety of routes, especially moderate ones for ... 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 workout.” It uses your own bodyweight to burn fat and build muscle. It alternates short periods of intense, heart rate raising exercise with l... read more
Glück & Katastrophen (German Edition)
Philipp Koenig
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 kurz vor der Pleite. Filmstudios sind gigantische Bürokratien, die alles versuchen, um das Risiko klein zu halten. Aber gerade wenn sie ... read more
The Wolf at the Door: Undue Influence and Elder Financial Abuse
Michael Hackard
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 identify it, and—most importantly—what to do if abuse is suspected. As the baby boomer generation rapidly ages into retirement, elder financi... 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 Pursuit of Rock Stardom is about the love of music and life as a struggling musician. It is the true story of what happens when you give up e... 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 or dementia is a potential victim of inheritance-related exploitation. The two scourges go hand in hand, each year leading to tens of th... read more
Unafraid: A survivor's quest for human connection
Niyati Tamaskar
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 two children under four. How could this be happening to me? She wondered, shell shocked. Further complicating things, Niyati grew up in In... read more
Beer & Meth: Inside Capitalist Czech Republic
Jakub Ryska, Pavel Splichal
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 the Czech Republic—birthplace of Donald Trump’s first wife, the words “robot” and “Budweiser,” and the very best methamphetamine in the... read more
Searching for Oedipus
Kenneth Glazer
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 this ancient masterpiece still speaks to us today.
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 than twenty years, Dan Sachs has helped established and emerging businesses use hospitality practices to strengthen employee moral, custome... read more
CONFESSIONS OF A RADICAL ACADEMIC: A Memoir
Pincus, Fred L.
Back in the Day: The Education of an Oklahoma Boy (A Memoir)
Young, Kenneth R.
To Be Honest: Lead with the Power of Truth, Justice and Purpose
Carucci, Ron A., Haidt, Jonathan
Conscious Breathing: The Art of Meditation
Snyder, Larry, Chowdery, Bhante
"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 the Bulls: My Years with the HemingwaysErnest Hemingway was not only one of the most important 20th-century American writers, but also a m... read more
Write Useful Books: A modern approach to designing and refining recommendable nonfiction
Fitzpatrick, Rob, Rosen, Adam
Adam has 16 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
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!
Gary Eichhorn, June 2022
Reply from Adam Rosen
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.
Barbara Cali, January 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.
Justin Hamrick, January 2021
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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Dean M, July 2019
Adam is an excellent communicator, and knowledgeable. I'm following up with Adam for additional services.
Jim Yarin, July 2019
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