Connolly Bottum

Connolly Bottum – Editor

Former HarperCollins editor specializing in editorial assessments, developmental edits, and book coaching for YA, MG, and romance novels.

Overview

Prior to freelancing, I worked as an in-house editor at HarperCollins for nearly five years. At the beginning of my time with the company, I edited romance novels for Harlequin Intrigue, Love Inspired, and Love Inspired Suspense before later becoming an editor for Inkyard Press, a children’s imprint of HarperCollins, which gave me the opportunity to edit many wonderful young adult and middle grade novels. I am proud to say that books I edited have won awards, become Indie Next picks, and been selected for several subscription book boxes, including OwlCrate, The Bookish Box, and Beacon Book Box, among others.

I specialize in editorial assessments, developmental edits, and book coaching since my favorite part of the editorial process is helping authors to ensure their story structures are as strong as possible. I love exploring new fantastical worlds and inviting authors to consider how they can make their contemporary settings feel more realistic, and I adore the puzzle-like process of figuring out how a novel could feel more cohesive and engaging.

I was raised in San Francisco but later moved to the East Coast to attend Amherst College, where I received a BA in Psychology and English with a concentration in Children’s Literature. After residing in New York City for several years, I moved back to San Francisco, where I now live with my Chihuahua mix, Jasper.

I look forward to hearing from you!

***

"Working with Connolly has been one of the highlights of my career. Connolly has a keen editorial eye and excels at helping writers play to their strengths, while never losing sight of their unique voice and perspective. She's also an amazing cheerleader—her encouraging notes make all the difference during the revision process. I've grown as a writer thanks to Connolly, and I would eagerly work with her in the future!" —Mara Rutherford, author of The Poison Season, Luminous, and the Crown of Coral and Pearl duology

Services
Fiction
Contemporary Romance Middle Grade Middle Grade Fantasy New Adult Paranormal Romance Romantic Fantasy Urban Fantasy Young Adult Fantasy
Languages
English (CAN) English (UK) English (US)

Work experience

Self-employed

May, 2022 — Present

Inkyard Press/HarperCollins

Oct, 2021 — May, 2022 (7 months)
• Acquired and edited 7-9 books annually for Inkyard Press, an imprint publishing young adult and middle grade novels, while also preparing materials for paperback editions of titles released previously in hardcover • Wrote copy for all of my projects, optimizing the voice and content for the intended audience

Inkyard Press and Harlequin Intrigue

Oct, 2019 — Oct, 2021 (about 2 years)
• Acquired and edited approximately 4-6 Inkyard titles and 8-10 romance titles annually

Harlequin/HarperCollins

Nov, 2017 — Oct, 2019 (almost 2 years)
• Worked as the departmental assistant for Harlequin Intrigue and Harlequin’s Subsidiary Rights and Audio team • Served as the editor for five authors who write for Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense

Dystel, Goderich & Bourret LLC

Jun, 2016 — Aug, 2016 (2 months)
• Read and evaluated over 200 queries to determine which manuscripts should be requested for further consideration • Wrote over 30 reader’s reports comprised of synopses, evaluations, and recommendations in order to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of manuscripts

Portfolio

A Forgery of Roses

Olson, Jessica S.

The Poison Season

Rutherford, Mara

Inkyard Press

Made with Reedsy
Gilded Wicked Mirrors

St. Lewis, Hazel

Hidden Siren

Love Makes Mochi (Love in Translation Book 3)

Valentine, Stefany

Joy Revolution

Made with Reedsy
Grasping for Starlight

Hollis, Livvy

Livvy Hollis

Made with Reedsy
Queen of Spades

Wu, Katelynn

Katelynn Wu

Love Craves Cardamom (Love in Translation)

Avachat, Aashna

Joy Revolution

Love Requires Chocolate (Love in Translation)

Stringfield, Ravynn K.

Joy Revolution

A Multitude of Dreams

Rutherford, Mara

These Vengeful Hearts

Laurin, Katherine

You Truly Assumed

Sabreen, Laila

The Last One to Fall

Lepore, Gabriella

Every Time You Go Away

Johnson, Abigail

I Like Me Better

Weber, Robby

Sing Me Forgotten

Olson, Jessica S.

This Is Why We Lie

Lepore, Gabriella

Luminous

Rutherford, Mara

Connolly has 79 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Aubrey D.

Aubrey D.

Jul, 2025

Connolly was immensely helpful when I was writing my first draft of my fantasy novel! I finished the project in four months and having her there to hold accountability for the submissions and provide insightful feedback made the process so much more enjoyable and attainable! Wonderful book coach!!
Amanda T.

Amanda T.

Jun, 2025

I really enjoyed working with Connolly. She was professional and completed the work on time. I especially liked being to have a call with her after she delivered the report.
Kelsey S.

Kelsey S.

Jun, 2025

Connolly is smart, helpful, clear, and kind. She provides detailed feedback and reasons why she makes specific suggestions which is very helpful! I think it's difficult when people aren't able to articulate why they're making a suggestion, but Connolly always does. She answers any questions I hav...
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Jen J.

Jen J.

Jun, 2025

Connolly understood the heart of my piece, and that made all the difference in the editing suggestions. She asked questions that helped make the piece more personal, which was exactly what I was looking for. Thank you! I look forward to working with her again.
Ellen C.

Ellen C.

Jun, 2025

Working with Connolly has been a delight. In addition to her keen eye for story flow and comprehension, she has a strong sense of market placement and genre/age expectations. By my request, she offered feedback on potential tweaks to help my manuscript meet expectations for traditionally publishe...
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