Brent Howard – Editor

I'm a freelance editor with nearly two decades of experience publishing books at Penguin Random House.

For fiction, I specialize in thrillers, suspense, mysteries, espionage, and horror—especially stories with historical settings. I can help you tighten your plot, sharpen your characters, fine-tune your prose, and raise your manuscript to a professional, submission-ready level.

Nonfiction? I specialize in history, military, politics, and biography. I’ll help you uncover your core narrative, streamline your research, and make your storytelling vivid and unforgettable.

Over the course of my career as an acquiring editor, I have reviewed thousands of query letters. I can help you avoid common pitfalls, capture an editor's attention, and make your letter stand out—leading editors to jump straight to your proposal or manuscript for an immediate read.

"Brent is a real author's editor, gifted in his knowledge of narrative and nuance."--Martin Dugard, #1 New York Times bestselling author of KILLING LINCOLN and TAKING PARIS