Aly Owen – Editor

I’m a versatile editor, copywriter, and publishing professional with over 16 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, The Art of Stealing Chips in the Mizzle, 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