Courtney Stevenson

Courtney Stevenson – Editor

Starred review Editor at HarperCollins Children's Books, with 10 years of experience of working with middle grade and young adult novels.

Overview

I joined HarperCollins in 2016 as an assistant to Rosemary Brosnan; since then, I have been lucky to help on such amazing books as The Poet X by National Book Award-winning author Elizabeth Acevedo, Ogre Enchanted by Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine, I Can Make This Promise by debut author Christine Day, and many repackaged editions of titles on our team’s rich backlist.


In building my own list, I am focused on middle grade and YA books, with a particular interest in clever humor, family dynamics, historical stories and settings not seen enough, the occasional pop nonfiction, and writing that pulls me along to the next page. Some recent titles on my list include That’s What Friends Do by Cathleen Barnhart, Dinner at the Brake Fast by Renee Beauregard Lute, and Money Out Loud by Berna Anat.


I always get excited about seeing new work from authors, and talking through their vision. My aim is to help you tell your story to others most effectively, focusing on plot, character, voice, and dialogue. I also can help to refine you query letter to grab a reader's attention and get them excited to dive into your manuscript.

Services
Fiction
Coming of Age Contemporary Fiction Middle Grade Young Adult
Languages
English (US)

Work experience

HarperCollins/Quill Tree Books

Apr, 2016 — Present

Portfolio

Courtney has 5 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

John P.

John P.

Jul, 2024

Courtney gave an excellent critique of the manuscript. I am already starting the rewrite and it reads a lot better as a middle grade novel.
Amal K.

Amal K.

Mar, 2023

Courtney assisted me with the tightening and clarification of my query letter. Much of what was needed was already there--but the thing was too wordy, so she brilliantly slashed and burned all that was necessary. This translated into a similar need to trim the ms. Once done, I hope to work with her again. I absolutely recommend her as an editor. (Oh, and she's really nice!)
Natasha D.

Natasha D.

Nov, 2022

This was my second time working with Courtney. She gave me insightful feedback on my revised submission package to continue to tighten my story around the central theme and clarify the inciting incident. She is professional and personable to work with. Highly recommend!
Jana D.

Jana D.

Sep, 2022

I very much enjoyed working with Courtney. She met and even exceeded the deadlines. She gave me very detailed feedback, as well as big picture thoughts. Her suggestions made me see things that I could improve, and have made my manuscript stronger. She seemed sincerely interested in my story! I would definitely recommend her for a development edit! Thank you!
Natasha D.

Natasha D.

Aug, 2022

Courtney reviewed my submission package and provided detailed, thoughtful, and insightful notes. She helped me understand how to streamline my manuscript by focusing on a central question, while tying other threads to this question (or cutting them), and gave me clear examples of the parts of my novel that felt too "separate" in this way. Courtney also provided helpful feedback on character dev...
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