Constance Renfrow - Editor
Charlotte, NC, USA
Professional editor specializing in literary and historical novels, YA, and speculative fiction.
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Overview
As an editor and writer specializing in literary fiction, I am deeply in love with the English language and with telling passionate, evocative stories that leave the reader changed. I’m proud to say that I am a consulting editor (formerly lead editor) at Three Rooms Press, a fiercely independent literary publisher in New York. I am the editor of WEIRD GIRL AND WHAT'S HIS NAME by Meagan Brothers (IndieFAB Gold Winner: YA), hailed by Foreword Reviews as “[having] all the makings to become a classic of this generation." I also compiled and edited SONGS OF MY SELFIE: An Anthology of Millennial Stories, a collection of seventeen short stories by up-and-coming Millennial writers, which was an IndieFAB finalist. Bustle writes: “Doing for 'bad Millennials' what Bad Feminist did for uncertain feminists, SONGS OF MY SELFIE celebrates the Millennial stereotypes — flaws and all . . . this story collection not only stands up for Millennials, it gives Millennials a place to stand up for themselves.”
I’ve prepared more than seventy-five titles for publication at both Three Rooms Press and Skyhorse Publishing. My specialty is fiction, particularly literary fiction, and I’ve worked with YA, fantasy, thrillers, historical fiction, speculative fiction, military history, short stories, etc. I have also edited memoirs, crafting books, cookbooks, exercise guides, self-help, works in translation, and more.
As a freelancer, I help writers prepare their works in order to query agents and publishers, as well as for self-publishing platforms. I have also written and edited website copy, cover copy, bios, articles, and more. I wrote a regular column about book publishing for the website DIY MFA and hosted an open mic series at New York's Merchant's House Museum. My writing has been published or is forthcoming in such places as Red Earth Review, Mud Season Review, Litro, Huffington Post, Portland Book Review, and other places. I am currently completing my MFA in fiction from Pacific University. Visit my website to read more about my passion for editing or to discover some of my tips for a successful manuscript submission.
I’ve prepared more than seventy-five titles for publication at both Three Rooms Press and Skyhorse Publishing. My specialty is fiction, particularly literary fiction, and I’ve worked with YA, fantasy, thrillers, historical fiction, speculative fiction, military history, short stories, etc. I have also edited memoirs, crafting books, cookbooks, exercise guides, self-help, works in translation, and more.
As a freelancer, I help writers prepare their works in order to query agents and publishers, as well as for self-publishing platforms. I have also written and edited website copy, cover copy, bios, articles, and more. I wrote a regular column about book publishing for the website DIY MFA and hosted an open mic series at New York's Merchant's House Museum. My writing has been published or is forthcoming in such places as Red Earth Review, Mud Season Review, Litro, Huffington Post, Portland Book Review, and other places. I am currently completing my MFA in fiction from Pacific University. Visit my website to read more about my passion for editing or to discover some of my tips for a successful manuscript submission.
Languages
English (US)
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Fiction
Crime & Mystery
Historical Fiction
LGBTQ
Literature
Short Story
Thriller
Young Adult & Teen
Awards
- IndieFAB Gold: YA (Weird Girl and What's-His-Name)
- Langum Prize in American Historical Fiction (Shortlist) (Exile on Bridge Street)
- IndieFAB Finalist: Anthology (Songs of My Selfie)
Work experience
Lead Editor
Three Rooms Press
June, 2014
–
March, 2018
(over 3 years)
I am the lead editor at Three Rooms Press, a fiercely independent book publisher, inspired by Dada, punk, and passion. My primary purpose is to edit all upcoming titles (developmental editing, copy editing, and proofreading). Additionally, I assist the directors in acquiring titles and in marketing and publicity. I was the lead editor for WEIRD GIRL AND WHAT'S HIS NAME, an LGBT YA novel that "has all the makings to become a classic of this generation" (Foreword Reviews), and I compiled an anthology of short stories by millennial writers, SONGS OF MY SELFIE, published in April 2016.
Assistant Editor
Skyhorse Publishing
May, 2012
–
May, 2014
(about 2 years)
I served in the editorial department of this up-and-coming trade publisher for two years after graduating from Franklin & Marshall College. I began as an intern, assessing manuscript submissions and completing minor copy editing tasks, and was hired six months later as an editorial assistant. I was promoted to Assistant Editor in January 2014 and was in charge of licensing and editing books from Swedish publishers. These were usually cookbooks and crafting books, though each season I was also responsible for at least one original novel or memoir. I was lead editor of approximately thirty titles per season. Additional duties included book acquisition, copy writing, and publicity.
Portfolio (11 selected works)
SONGS OF MY SELFIE: An Anthology of Millennial Stories celebrates the millennial through the works of up-and-coming fiction writers, all under the age of twenty-six. This collection features seventeen short stories by millennial writers about actual millennial issues, exposing this generation's true ambitions and frustrations, humor and heartbreak, despair and joie de vivre.With fresh new voic... read more
Weird Girl and What's His Name
Meagan Brothers
IndieFab Young Adult Fiction Book of the Year 2015!Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Books 2015!In the podunk town of Hawthorne, North Carolina, seventeen-year-old geeks Lula and Rory share everythingsci-fi and fantasy fandom, Friday night binge-watching of old X-Files episodes, and that feeling that they don’t quite fit in. Lula knows she and Rory have no secrets from each other; after all, he came o... read more
Swing State: A Novel
Michael T. Fournier
Swing State unveils the generally overlooked decades-long economic downturn in the rural Northeast. With an unflinching eye, novelist Michael T. Founier lays bare the dim dreams and raw existence of the lives of three residents of Armbrister, New Hampshire, who share the same goal: Get out. Faced with grim prospects, the intersection of bullying and terrorism blurs, with disastrous consequence... read more
Warriors: A Novel (Highliners)
William B. McCloskey
William McCloskey is back and better than ever in Warriors, the potent new prequel to Highliners, Breakers, and Raiders. Long before Hank Crawford arrived in the waters of Ketchikan, his partners and compatriots were already in love with its shores. Following the final, crushing moments of World War II, Japanese officer Kiyoshi Tsurifune, Sergeant Jones Henry, and Resistance fighter Swede Scor... read more
The Fisherman: A Thriller
Vaughn C. Hardacker
After tracking down a crazed sniper last year, homicide detectives Mike Houston and Anne Bouchard opted to leave Boston for the isolated mountains of Maine. They adjusted nicely to chopping their own firewood, relaxing in their log cabin, and simply enjoying the solitude of the mountains.But then Anne Bouchard, meets and elderly couple looking for help in locating their missing granddaughter. ... read more
Dolph Lundgren: Train Like an Action Hero: Be Fit Forever
Dolph Lundgren
Are you ready to take your exercise and fitness routine to the next level? Then take a lesson from internationally-renowned action hero Dolph Lundgren, as he shares the personal fitness secrets gained from a lifetime of hard-fought experiences on-camera and off.Dolph has created a personal philosophy of fitness based on martial arts, yoga, strength training, biochemical research, professional ... read more
John Nutting is nineteen years old in 1966. Raised in small-town Idaho, to a family that could trace its military roots back to the Revolutionary War, Nutting knows he’s going to fight the war as a Marine. On the day of his high school graduation, he swears into the US Marine Corps and boards the plane to boot camp.All too soon he’s in the jungle, a greenhorn member of F” Company, 2nd Battali... read more
Exile on Bridge Street: A Novel (Auld Irishtown Trilogy)
Eamon Loingsigh
Exile on Bridge Street details teenage Irish immigrant Liam Garrity's struggle to adulthood in pre-Prohibition Brooklyn. Back home, Ireland's fight for its own independence erupts with the 1916 Easter Rising. The fate of Garrity's father, an Irish rebel, is unknown, which leaves his mother and two sisters vulnerable on the family farm as British troops swarm, seeking reprisals. Garrity must or... read more
Celestial Mechanics: a tale for a mid-winter night
William Least Heat-Moon
When Silas Fortunato applies for an editorial position for the spirituality” section of a local newspaper, he is asked to fill in a bubble sheet to mark his religion. The problem is, his beliefs don’t fall within any of the categories. Silas believes that selflessness enlarges vision and that what a person should strive for is to be overcome by the beyond. He believes in honoring otherness an... read more
Punk Avenue: The New York City Underground 1972-1982 is an intimate look at author Paris-born Phil Marcade’s first ten years in the United States where drifted from Boston to the West Coast and back, before winding up in New York City and becoming immersed in the early punk rock scene. From backrooms of Max’s and CBGB’s to the Tropicana Hotel in Los Angeles and back, Punk Avenue is a tour de f... read more
Downdrift: A Novel
Johanna Drucker
Narrated by an Archaeon, a 3.8 billion year old species, the oldest on earth, Downdrift is a work of speculative eco-fiction that describes the impact of ecological pressures on animals that are adopting human behaviors, with droll and sometimes alarming, results. The book follows a year of changes and the travels of a housecat and a lion who are inexplicably driven towards a rendezvous. At fi... read more
Constance has 27 reviews
Professionalism
Quality
Value
Communication
Constance evaluated my submission package and helped me get a good match-up among the query/synopsis and the pages. She is detailed-oriented, insightful, and highly experienced in trade publishing. I plan to work with her again.
Read morePeter Sacks, March 2019
Constance went above and beyond when she proofread my book, improving it in numerous ways and always displaying great care and skill. She was a pleasure to work with. Highly recommended!
Read moreRichard Wake, March 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed working with Constance...I think most important for any author is that you feel like the person you are working with has a connection with your work as as a result with you...I feel like I had that working with Constance and as a result I was more inclined to listen carefully when she was suggesting something because she had invested the time to get extremely familiar with ...
Read moreMichael Foresta, March 2019
Constance provided encouraging feedback that exceeded my expectation regarding detail of edits.
Read moreDavid Macpherson, February 2019
I cannot recommend this editor. I did not get what I paid for. Ms. Renfrow’s responses on my manuscript were heavy on criticism and light on development. I can certainly take criticism, but I was paying for a service to not only identify areas that need work but also to offer ideas, suggestions, and alternative approaches. Some of her comments were condescending. Per our agreement, I was s...
Read moreMatthew Nieland, January 2019
Dear Matt,
I am deeply saddened to learn of your disappointment with my feedback, and regret that you did not inform me of this during our collaboration. Had I known you were dissatisfied, I would, of course, have done everything in my power to make it right. After reviewing my comments and editorial letter, and document answering your many questions, I am confident that I provided thorough, useful, and actionable feedback, including suggestions for development and establishment of plot, character, setting, pacing, etc. My editorial style is descriptive rather than prescriptive, as writing and creativity are entirely subjective, and I prefer to provide knowledge and ask guiding questions that may lead you to fresh ideas, rather than simply outlining how I think you need to rewrite. I also regret your mischaracterizations of my comments as personal likes and dislikes rather than considering the contextual reasons I suggested a change.
I do apologize if any of my comments were condescending; I certainly never intended them as such. I typically aim to be humorous, lighthearted, and sincere in my comments, and I sincerely apologize if that failed. I am flummoxed, however, that you should suggest the courtesy phone call never materialized; as our messages prove, I offered multiple times to schedule a phone call, to which you did not respond. Then, you did say, when I specifically asked, that you would prefer a written response to the list of questions you sent over, in which you also noted several times that I had provided many good suggestions. I stand by my edit, and believe that if you are willing to consider my feedback in good faith, and apply it to your writing, that you will improve not only your current project but also as a writer in general. Again, my apologies if I have caused offense, and I wish you all the best in your creative endeavors.
Sincerely,
Constance
Reply from Constance Renfrow
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