Dan Tucker

Dan Tucker - Editor

New York, NY, USA

A versatile and experienced editor of fiction and nonfiction books, specializing in history, pop culture, middle grade and YA.

Request a quote

Overview

For more than twenty years, I’ve helped writers of all abilities bring focus and polish to their ideas and their stories.

As the author of five published books (https://reedsy.com/author/dan-tucker), I’ve been on both sides of the editorial table. I get it—you want honest, respectful feedback. The goal is always to make the book better.

My secret sauce is honest communication and humor.


THE PROCESS

I’ll try to understand your goals for your book before jumping in. Those become the DNA of our collaboration. After I review your manuscript, I’ll:

**give you an editorial assessment and create a road map for bringing it to completion
**offer specific suggestions for revising the overall structure and content of your work, if we agree that’s necessary
**provide detailed comments about your voice and use of language, giving you specific suggestions for edits
** flag grammatical, spelling, and factual errors, as well as errors of consistency and clarity
** give you a realistic sense of where your book could fit into the publishing ecosystem


OTHER SERVICES

**Image editing and sourcing
**Book proposals and query letters
**Production and design consulting

NOTE: There are so many great proofreaders on Reedsy, please hire one of them for that vital task.


BACKGROUND

I’m the founding partner of Sideshow Media, a highly regarded book producer. I’ve edited and produced more than 100 successful illustrated and narrative nonfiction books for trade publishers, including YA fiction series as well as nonfiction books for middle-graders.

Prior to founding Sideshow, I held executive editorial and marketing positions at publishers including Rizzoli, Stewart, Tabori & Chang (now part of Abrams), and Watson-Guptill/Billboard.


TESTIMONIALS

“You were extraordinary to take a risk on me, and so patient, and I feel like I got to use some of COVID time attending graduate school with the most wonderful professor.”

—Rebecca Ascher-Walsh, co-author, How to Survive Middle School: U.S. History (Random House Children's Books)

“Dan Tucker is one of those rare publishing people whose incredible smarts and literary sensibilities are complemented by enviable powers of organization, a profound understanding of the state of the business and how it has been transformed by the information age, and an almost preternatural affability.”

—Nathaniel Marunas, former Executive Editor, Sterling Publishing and Publisher, Quercus Publishing

“During my tenure as Editorial Director of the Frommer’s Travel Guides, I had the sincere pleasure of working with Dan over a 3-year span on the critically acclaimed launch of our full-size, full-color “Day by Day” travel guides. … He was a creative, versatile, and rock-steady partner on a high-stakes project, and I would jump at the chance to work with him again."

—Kelly Regan, former Editorial Director, Frommer’s

Let’s see if we’re a good match. I’m eager to hear your idea, read your work, and start a dialogue. Meanwhile, happy writing!





Languages
English (US)
Non-Fiction
Art
Children’s Non-Fiction
Education & Reference
Entertainment
History
Travel
Fiction
Middle Grade

Work experience

Founder and Principal

Self-employed
January, 2000 – Present (about 23 years)

 Assemble and guide teams of editorial, design, and production talent to meet the needs of each individual project; negotiate contracts with all parties, including the publisher.
 Oversee every aspect of making a book—from developing an idea to editing, design, picture editing and research, and production.
 Hands-on developmental and line editing, working closely with writers on structure and language.
 Hands-on management of commissioned or acquired photographs, illustrations, or other artwork.
 Hands-on collaboration with design teams to insure that visuals and typography resonate with the text.

Sideshow focuses on travel, history, the visual and performing arts, popular culture, and the New York region.

Marketing Director

Rizzoli International Publications
May, 1996 – June, 1999 (about 3 years)

Marketing Director
 Developed and maintained worldwide network of distributors and sales agents.
 Directed publicity, special sales, marketing and promotion departments and supervised all staff, trade show efforts, advertising and promotion.
 Participated in editorial meetings as a member of the core group that selected titles for publication; set financial targets and managed annual sales budgets for ~100 frontlist and ~700 backlist titles.

How to Survive Middle School: U.S. History: A Do-It-Yourself Study Guide

Ascher-Walsh, Rebecca, Scavelli, Annie, Tucker, Dan, Carpenter Collective

Hamptons Bohemia: Two Centuries of Artists and Writers on the Beach

Harrison, Helen, Ayers, Constance, Albee, Edward

Frommer's Italy Day by Day

Hogg, Sylvie, Brewer, Stephen

Dan has 1 review

Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality

Tsogtsaikhan Tsedensonom
Without any hassle, professionally edited the text of the book, thank you!

Tsogtsaikhan Tsedensonom, August 2022

Dan Tucker
Thanks for the nice review, Do Taij. It's genuinely been a pleasure to help you craft Temujin's story for an English-language audience. No doubt he will conquer the West just as he did the most of ...
Read more

Reply from Dan Tucker

Explore the Reedsy Community

Reedsy is a community of top publishing professionals. Join Reedsy today to browse 1000+ profiles.

Tiffany Hawk

I'm a traditionally-published novelist and editor who particularly loves women's fiction, travel themes, and memoir.

Tucson, AZ, USA

Harrison Demchick

The world's most thorough content editor. Expert in fiction and memoir. More than 70 books and 60 authors guided toward publication.

Washington D.C., DC, USA

To view 1,000+ more profiles, Join Reedsy