Alaya Johnson – Editor

Who I am:

I am an author of Science Fiction and Fantasy with over fifteen years of experience in publishing. I have published eight novels for adults and young adults with major New York houses such as Macmillan and Scholastic (including Trouble the Saints and The Summer Prince), as well as dozens of award-winning short stories and novellas. I have extensive experience critiquing novels for professional workshops and writer's organizations, including Tin House, Mendocino Coast Writers Workshop, Aspen Words, and Clarion.

Who you are:

A writer of speculative fiction who has worked hard to master the basics. You have read extensively in the genre, you have solicited feedback from others, and you have revised your novel beyond the first draft. You get positive comments in your rejections from agents and editors, but a 'yes' still feels elusive. If you want to figure out how to get your writing from "decent" to "publishable," and are willing to put in the work, then I would be delighted to work with you.

Editorial philosophy:

I am a puzzle-solver who loves to figure out *how* and *why* stories work the way they do. I want to work with writers to clarify their creative vision in order to help untangle the thorny problems preventing it from being fully realized on the page.

I am offering in-depth developmental edits as well as general editorial assessments. A developmental edit with me includes in-line comments, including sentence shaping (as-needed in order to give you an idea of the prose-level issues that you can then address globally), a 3-10 page in-depth editorial letter analyzing the both the strengths and weaknesses of the plot, characters, and general flow of the manuscript, and an hour long conversation where we can go over any remaining questions before you tackle your revision. The general editorial assessment will include a 5-10 page editorial letter analyzing the manuscript (plot, characters, general flow) as well as a 45-minute conversation where we go over any questions you might have.

I'm here to answer any questions you might have, so please don't hesitate to get in touch. I look forward to hearing from you!

Testimonials from clients:

Abby P.

"I have been stuck in an editorial roadblock for months but I just got Alaya’s editorial thoughts back and they were detailed and brilliant and inspiring. I actually feel like diving back into my draft instead of hiding from it. Hire her!!"

Amanda H.

"Alaya's editorial notes helped me identify key points in my novel draft for revision that have shifted it from a first draft to a more honed draft that I can query with. Her feedback was indispensable."