Celia Johnson – Editor

***My rates are .07/word for a developmental edit and .05/word for a manuscript review. These rates reflect my level of experience.***

I worked as an Acquisitions Editor for over a decade at two major publishers, Random House and Grand Central Publishing.

Over the course of my career, I've edited a broad range of titles. Fiction. Nonfiction. Commercial. Literary. I worked with celebrities. I also introduced debut authors to the marketplace. Many of my books were award-winners and New York Times bestsellers.

At Grand Central Publishing, I helmed the Mysterious Press imprint, working with several Mystery Writers of America Grand Masters, among others, on mysteries, suspense novels, and true crime.

At the core, I aim to edit the kind of book you just can't put down, the kind that makes you miss your subway stop or keep your light on for an extra hour, despite that early-morning presentation. And, to that end, I'm a master at pacing, plotting, and restructuring.

I understand the creative process from the writer’s perspective, too. I'm the author of two essay collections, Odd Type Writers: The Obsessive Habits and Quirky Techniques of Great Authors (Penguin/Perigee) and Dancing With Mrs. Dalloway: Stories of the Inspiration Behind Great Works of Literature (Penguin/Perigee). My articles have appeared in Poets & Writers, Writer’s Digest, and Spirit magazine, among other publications.

I was the Creative Director of SLICE Literary, a New York-based nonprofit that produced a print magazine and hosted an annual writers’ conference.