Aly Owen

Aly Owen – Editor

Food, travel, literary + YA fiction, and mental health editor. Worked at SAGE, Phaidon, TripSavvy, Narrative Magazine, and Red Hen Press.

Overview

I’m a versatile editor, copywriter, and publishing professional with over 14 years of experience commissioning, editing, managing, and publishing content. With a proven track record of adapting to new styles and target audiences quickly, I have produced content for literary magazines and fiction publishers (short stories, poetry collections, and novels), scholarly and nonfiction publishers (cookbooks, social science textbooks, mental health and psychology books, newspapers, and travel/leisure features), and digital outlets (apps, websites, blogs, and social media). While I am comfortable working in any genre, my expertise includes:


- Young adult, new adult, & literary fiction (ex. my own award-winning realistic fiction, Parnucklian for Chocolate)

- Food, wine, and travel (ex. feature stories for TripSavvy, The Nordic Cookbook)

- Psychology and mental health (ex. Lyra, Doing Qualitative Research in Psychology)

- Poetry (ex. my own award-winning poems, Chopper! Chopper! Poetry for Bordered Lives)


Other particular areas of interest and market knowledge include humor and psychological thrillers.


I grew up in the equestrian world, and I see my editing style as similar to the dynamic between horse and rider: I work to establish a partnership grounded in trust and mutual respect that offers steering and guidance to bring out the best of your skills and individual voice. Whether you need to keep momentum, trim the fat, or find that little bit of magic to pull it all together, I use the needs of your project and target audience as well as my knowledge of successful craft and the market to structure my approach.


I am equally comfortable digging through the weeds as I am looking across an entire field: I thrive in doing surgical deep-dives into grammar as well as broader paint strokes across plots. Whatever level of editing you require, I want our experience to be a dialogue that can flex and adjust as needed along the way while working not only to shape this particular project, but also improve your writing overall and give you the tools and confidence to continue refining your brand.


My experience on both the author and the editor side of the publishing industry gives me a unique perspective on the challenges authors face and the desires publishers have—and how to accommodate those in a happy partnership of which you both can be proud.


Testimonial:


“Aly’s thoroughness and commitment to me as an author has been pivotal in the production of meaningful texts that we can both be proud of. [Her] consummate professionalism, endless patience and boundless emotional intelligence made the tentative steps worthwhile. […] She is the encapsulation of an ‘ideal’ commissioning editor, and I wouldn’t consider working with anyone else.” Dr. Robert Thomas, author

Services
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction Humor & Comedy Literary Fiction New Adult Poetry Short Story
Non-Fiction
Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits Psychology
Languages
English (UK) English (US)
Awards
  • Editor for SAGE Product of the Year Nominee
  • Editor for Most Promising New Textbook Winner
  • Editor for British Book Design and Production Shortlist Nominee
  • Beau Bordeaux Poetry Scholarship
  • First Place Behavioral Sciences at the International Science and Engineering Fair
  • Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
Certifications
  • MA in Publishing
  • BA in Creative Writing and Psychology

Work experience

Self-employed

Oct, 2021 — Present

Provide editorial services and support (from initial idea through to publication), write features articles for a variety of publication outlets, and develop copy, promotional materials, and creative strategy for brands.

SAGE Publications

Sep, 2015 — Oct, 2021 (about 6 years)

Recruit and provide creative development support to new authors and editorial talent on the Research Methods list (across social sciences and humanities).

Phaidon Press

Nov, 2014 — Jul, 2015 (8 months)

Write app-based copy and assist in designing mobile apps for Wallpaper* City Guides and Where Chefs Eat, and typeset, and proofread Phaidon cookbooks.

Jiwar Creation and Society (Barcelona) and Takt Kunstprojektraum (Berlin)

Sep, 2013 — Jan, 2014 (4 months)

Application-only artist in residence programs where I wrote a novel, hosted public readings and exhibitions, and continued to build a network with local and international artists and publishers.

Red Hen Press

Sep, 2012 — May, 2013 (8 months)

Editorial: correspond with authors; prepare manuscripts; evaluate submissions; write reader reports

Design: typeset fiction and poetry books; perform galley, pre-flight, and cover proof checks

Marketing: create adverts, flyers, and graphics; attend selected events and conferences as a brand ambassador

Narrative Magazine

Aug, 2012 — Mar, 2018 (over 5 years)

Evaluate and edit fiction and poetry submissions and recommend for publication or rejection

Portfolio

Developmental Editing Copy Editing Proofreading
Song for Chance

Van Kirk, John

Editorial Assessment Proofreading
The Lust of It All

Moran, Stephanie

Editorial Assessment Book Coaching
Developmental Editing Editorial Assessment Book Coaching
Lyra

Franchini, Emily

Developmental Editing Copy Editing Proofreading
Developmental Editing Editorial Assessment Book Coaching
Developmental Editing Editorial Assessment Book Coaching
Developmental Editing Editorial Assessment Book Coaching
Editorial Assessment Proofreading
Editorial Assessment Proofreading
Interrobang

Piazza, Jessica

Editorial Assessment Proofreading
The Nordic Cookbook

Nilsson, Magnus

Proofreading

Aly has 78 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Raph K.

Raph K.

Jan, 2025

She is an outstanding writer—highly skilled, professional, and consistently punctual. Her work is of the highest quality, always delivered with meticulous attention to detail and a clear understanding of the task. In addition to her technical abilities, she is a pleasure to work with courteous, approachable, and genuinely committed to achieving the best results. I highly recommend her for any w...
Read more
Tyler D.

Tyler D.

Dec, 2024

I’ve had the absolute pleasure of working with Aly on two separate projects now, and I can confidently say I couldn’t have chosen a better editor. Aly is remarkable and dedicates an incredible amount of time and effort to ensure every detail met my standard (she even went as far as providing multiple versions of certain lines, allowing me to choose the one that best aligned with my vision). Her...
Read more
Lisa M.

Lisa M.

Nov, 2024

Aly was an angel sent from above, she met my expectations as no other could have. I am so glad I chose to work with her on my first book because she informed me of all the details, I didn’t know before, gave me all the developmental guidelines to follow and therefore helping me expand my knowledge and grow as an Author.
Adalia G.

Adalia G.

Oct, 2024

Ms. Aly was very professional and thorough; she communicated well and went into great detail with her feedback. Her quality of work has raised my standards and expectations with anyone I work with in the future. That said, I would love to work with Ms. Aly again on future projects.
Garrett K.

Garrett K.

Oct, 2024

Really incredible to work with and helpful every bit of our collaboration. Her feedback is resourceful and pointed. A true pleasure to collaborate with and I highly recommend her to anyone searching for a prime editor

Sign up to read more reviews

Create a free Reedsy account to connect with Aly and thousands of other publishing professionals on Reedsy.

Professionals similar to Aly

Get a range of offers by requesting quotes from multiple professionals.

Julie Fergusson

Julie F.

Literary agent and editor. Books include bestsellers and prizewinners. Master’s degree in creative writing.

Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

100% reply rate

View profile
Katherine Kirk

Katherine K.

I work on SFF, cozy crime, and romance, with a sentence-level focus on keeping readers immersed in your story, told in your voice.

Rabat, Morocco

100% reply rate

View profile
Lydia Unsworth

Lydia U.

Managing editor with 5+ years' experience in literary fiction, non-fiction, memoir, translated fic. PhD. Published poet with 7 collections.

Manchester, UK

100% reply rate

View profile