Brandon Coward, Editor in Washington D.C., DC, USA

Overview

I've worked behind the scenes on both sides of the publishing world at one of the top agencies (ICM Partners) and one of the top publishers (Little, Brown and Company).

I know what it takes to bring a book to life and into the market at the highest level, having provided big ideas (title/concept) and strategic support (book/proposal doctoring) for authors ranging from:

- An NYT bestselling former White House national security adviser and 3-star general

- A multiple NYT bestselling political scientist hailed as the "poet laureate of civil society"

- A Pulitzer-nominated reporter with an upcoming HBO series based on his true-crime book

- A long-haul trucker with a thoughtful memoir that sold tens of thousands of copies

If you're considering writing a book (NON-FICTION ONLY) and would like to discuss how we can work together to make it a success, including ...

- Idea/proposal development and strategy

- Proposal writing

- Query writing and review

- Finding the right agent/editor/publisher

- Manuscript writing or doctoring

- Copy/line editing

- Using your book to make money

... please reach out to me.

Services

Developmental Editing

Copy Editing

Editorial Assessment

Proofreading

Query Letter Review

Non-Fiction

Biographies & Memoirs Business & Management History Political Science & Current Affairs Self-Help & Self-Improvement Sports & Outdoors Technology True Crime

Languages

English (US)

Awards

MDDC Best of Show - News Design

Certifications

NYU Summer Publishing program
UNC-Chapel Hill - Bachelor's of Arts, Journalism

Work experience

Publications Assistant/Proposal Editor

ICM Partners/Sagalyn Literary Agency

May, 2013 — Jul, 2020 (about 7 years)

» Supported high-level, high-volume (30+ acquisitions per year; $100K+ average) literary/talent agent in all facets of client service, including:

- Proposal/book development and doctoring for hundreds of books, including NYT bestsellers
- Scouting emerging talent and developing new ideas for existing clients
- Contract negotiation and accounting/administration
- Writing sales/marketing copy for pitch letters to Big 5 acquisitions editors and for customer-facing foreign rights listings (via Curtis Brown)
- Crafting pitches and managing contracts for sales of TV/film rights

Editorial Assistant

Little, Brown and Company

Aug, 2012 — Apr, 2013 (8 months)

» Supported VP-level editor at one of the world's top publishers—authors included Malcolm Gladwell, Jake Tapper, Ben Bradlee Jr., Evan Thomas, James Bradley, and many others. Duties included:
- Evaluating agent-submitted proposals for acquisition
- Entering and suggesting edits, from developmental and structural changes to proofreading/line editing for manuscripts up to 360,000 words
- Preparing manuscripts and materials (photos/illustrations, frontmatter, backmatter, etc.) for final transmittal and laying out/coded galleys for order directly from the printer
- Writing and editing customer-facing marketing copy
- Requesting and approving permissions for photos and text