A. J. Sass

A. J. Sass – Editor

I am an award-winning author with 10+ years of experience helping writers polish their manuscripts to query agents and publishers.

Overview

I am a traditionally published author with over five years of experience in the publishing industry and over 15 years of experience mentoring writers and providing editorial feedback on their stories. I have worked with critically acclaimed middle grade and YA authors like Lin Thompson and Kate Anderson, award-winning authors such as Nicole Melleby, and many other wonderful writers. My own books and short stories have received multiple starred reviews, won an honor from the American Library Associations Youth Media Awards (a Sydney Taylor Book Award Honor), have been listed as 'Best Books of the Year' by Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Booklist, and been nominated for many state awards.


Additionally, I have presented as an author at conferences such as NCTE (National Conference of Teachers of English), been a guest teacher at The Children's Book Academy, and worked as a mentor with programs such as Pitch Wars, Author Mentor Match, We Need Diverse Books, and #WriteMentor. I adore books that present compelling narratives across age categories.

I'm passionate about working with authors whose goal is to craft engaging stories that depict characters with nuance and sensitivity. My strength lies in contemporary or lightly speculative narratives in all age categories, and I'm especially excited to work on stories that depict Jewish, queer, and neurodivergent experiences across genres and age categories.


My services:

Developmental edit on novels or short stories: You will receive an edit letter of approximately 5+ pages (NB, may be fewer pages for a short story) and a line edit that includes my impressions on your line-level prose and dialogue and any questions that arise associated with character development or plot inconsistencies. A post-edit call can be purchased for an additional fee. Note that line editing does not include proofreading or copyediting (a separate service).


Query review: For a one-page query, I will include in-doc feedback and the opportunity for you to ask one round of questions/clarifications. Additional rounds of feedback can be purchased at a reduced rate. I am also available to review your entire submission package (e.g., query letter, novel synopsis, opening pages). If this is of interest, please choose Query Review and indicate as such in your request.


Book Coaching: I'm excited to work with writers on a one-off or recurring basis to discuss any topic that would be most helpful. These can include, but are not limited to: strategies for how to write a novel, how to query literary agents, what the traditional book publication process looks like, book promotion, and more. I'm also available to answer questions, brainstorm story ideas, offer encouragement, and help you define a writing schedule that works to keep you on task and achieving your goals. 30- and 60-minute calls are available.

Services
Fiction
LGBTQ Fiction Middle Grade New Adult Picture Books Romance Short Story
Languages
English (US)
Awards
  • Author Mentor Match Mentor
  • We Need Diverse Books Mentor
  • Pitch Wars Mentor

Work experience

Simon & Schuster; Blue Rider Press; Random House Children's; Labyrinth Road

Jun, 2020 — Present

Pitch Wars; Author Mentor Match; We Need Diverse Books; #WriteMentor

Apr, 2019 — Present

Justia

Mar, 2013 — Apr, 2019 (about 6 years)

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