Overview
I’m an English language and literature graduate with a lifelong reading addiction. I was senior editor and then editorial director at The Toby Press, where I edited a wide range of fiction and memoir. I offer manuscript assessments, reading your entire novel and writing a detailed assessment of its strengths and weaknesses, or developmental line-edits, in which I will help you with plot, character, theme and language on the macro and micro level.
Client Testimonials
"Deborah is very good at line editing. She'll catch small awkward moments and deftly smooth them out. She's wonderful at catching inconsistencies. You may not remember what you wrote back on page 14, but she does - and she'll hold it against you if you contradict yourself. But where she really excels is in inspiring a writer to do better. My book is much better because I hired Deborah as an editor. It's clearer, more vivid, more engaging. If you want to excel, hire Deborah." - Ira T Berkowitz, author of A Wolf in the Soul
"Deborah was my talented editor and she was everything a writer could ask for. With amazing patience, thoughtful critique and insight, she guided me through many difficult moments. Her suggestions for improvements transformed my work. At all times supportive but honest, she gave me her unending encouragement. The dialogue with Deborah was inspiring and professional. We had some wonderful exchanges. It was a perfect creative experience." - Siska Topaz-Melkman, author of Where Once My Cradle Stood.
"Deborah's remarks were text-centered, clear, and incisive. I never had the feeling that I was being 'pushed', nor did I feel any need to push back in dialogue with my editor. The King of Colored Town went on to win 'The Willie Morris Award for Fiction.’ Deborah is a great editor. Any author lucky enough to have her help will find his work strengthened and his 'voice' clear and consistent." - Darryl Wimberley
"I count myself very fortunate to have had Deborah as my editor. Deborah's creative insight and keen editorial eye was never overbearing and always right on the money, and her suggestions for improvement were always delivered with the greatest of tact and sensitivity. She was not only able to skillfully and creatively address issues within the larger themes of the novel, but also provided line-by-line copy editing with laser-like precision. Without her intelligent and passionate input, my novel, The Sound of Building Coffins, would not have come across nearly as well. I am forever indebted to her." - Louis Maistros
"I strongly recommend Deborah's editorial work. Deborah returned my manuscript to me with a detailed, thoughtful, and on-point critique. Her comments and direction were crucial during my subsequent rewrite, and resulted in a tighter, more-focused, and in my view much stronger novel. From her first critique to the final edit, Deborah was a painstaking, supportive, critical, and flexible voice, and I feel fortunate to have had the experience of working with her. - Andrew Beahrs, author of The Sin Eaters.
Client Testimonials
"Deborah is very good at line editing. She'll catch small awkward moments and deftly smooth them out. She's wonderful at catching inconsistencies. You may not remember what you wrote back on page 14, but she does - and she'll hold it against you if you contradict yourself. But where she really excels is in inspiring a writer to do better. My book is much better because I hired Deborah as an editor. It's clearer, more vivid, more engaging. If you want to excel, hire Deborah." - Ira T Berkowitz, author of A Wolf in the Soul
"Deborah was my talented editor and she was everything a writer could ask for. With amazing patience, thoughtful critique and insight, she guided me through many difficult moments. Her suggestions for improvements transformed my work. At all times supportive but honest, she gave me her unending encouragement. The dialogue with Deborah was inspiring and professional. We had some wonderful exchanges. It was a perfect creative experience." - Siska Topaz-Melkman, author of Where Once My Cradle Stood.
"Deborah's remarks were text-centered, clear, and incisive. I never had the feeling that I was being 'pushed', nor did I feel any need to push back in dialogue with my editor. The King of Colored Town went on to win 'The Willie Morris Award for Fiction.’ Deborah is a great editor. Any author lucky enough to have her help will find his work strengthened and his 'voice' clear and consistent." - Darryl Wimberley
"I count myself very fortunate to have had Deborah as my editor. Deborah's creative insight and keen editorial eye was never overbearing and always right on the money, and her suggestions for improvement were always delivered with the greatest of tact and sensitivity. She was not only able to skillfully and creatively address issues within the larger themes of the novel, but also provided line-by-line copy editing with laser-like precision. Without her intelligent and passionate input, my novel, The Sound of Building Coffins, would not have come across nearly as well. I am forever indebted to her." - Louis Maistros
"I strongly recommend Deborah's editorial work. Deborah returned my manuscript to me with a detailed, thoughtful, and on-point critique. Her comments and direction were crucial during my subsequent rewrite, and resulted in a tighter, more-focused, and in my view much stronger novel. From her first critique to the final edit, Deborah was a painstaking, supportive, critical, and flexible voice, and I feel fortunate to have had the experience of working with her. - Andrew Beahrs, author of The Sin Eaters.
Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
History
Religion & Spirituality
Fiction
Fantasy
Literary Fiction
Mystery & Crime
Science Fiction
Thriller & Suspense
Young Adult
Languages
English (UK)
English (US)
Certifications
- Chapterhouse Proofreading and Copy-Editing Certification
- B.A. Hons English Language and Literature
Work experience
"The Bookshaper"
Jun, 2010 —
Present
Since becoming a freelancer I have worked with many clients on both fiction and non-fiction titles. I have done manuscript assessments and full developmental edits across a range of genres, including literary fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, science-fiction, memoir, and more. I was also retained to write a book of creative non-fiction, which has not yet been published.
The Toby Press
Dec, 2005 —
Jun, 2010
(over 4 years)
In addition to the work I did as senior editor at Toby Press, after my promotion I also helped choose the books for our list, supervised junior editors, managed a team of freelancers, and traveled to sales conferences in New York, London and Toronto twice a year. A fuller description of my work and a recommendation from my boss can be found on my website in the 'About Me' section.
The Toby Press
Jan, 2003 —
Dec, 2005
(almost 3 years)
Toby Press published a wide range of fiction and a few select non-fiction titles. I was one of two editors on staff. I edited half the books on our list (doing both developmental and line editing), and proofread the other half. I also read manuscripts for assessment, and where necessary, wrote critiques for authors suggesting improvements and changes. I wrote cover copy and marketing copy for our books.
Portfolio
The children of the Israeli town of Keshet are born with the ability to bend nature to their will and 13-year-old Jordan has just discovered his gift of the power to transform into water. All of Jordan’s friends have unique powers: Noam can alter cloud formati... read more
J.J. Spencer is one of the many hungry young lawyers eager to climb the corporate ladder to the great future awaiting him. With his first annual review approaching, J.J. is confident his keen work for the top Manhattan law firm he is employed by will be praise... read more
A long overdue retelling of New Grub Street—George Gissing’s classic satire of the Victorian literary marketplace—Grub chronicles the triumphs and humiliations of a group of young novelists living in and around New York City.
Andrew Carpenter was a celebrity doctor, a star in his field. Now he's dead, killed in a hit-and-run on the streets of Manhattan. The police think it was an accident, but his devastated wife is sure it was murder.Private detective Nathaniel Singer agrees to ta... read more
Blackmail, a secret organization hiding within the elite society of New Orleans, a white supremacist running for governor of Louisiana; these are the key ingredients in this fine Southern crawfish boil of a novel about guilt, privilege and racism in one of Ame... read more
In this hard boiled detective novel, Patrick Grimes, a WWII veteran and reporter, investigates the murder of a young woman in a seedy area of NYC. He uncovers truths that jeopardize not his only his life but his sanity.
Jacob's Return invites readers into the hearts and minds of one family, the Strongblood Goldmans, while on vacation in Hawaii. There they face tragedy and the Navy's sonar program, technology which threatens the survival of marine mammals. This is a heroic jou... read more
The Prime Ministers is the first and only insider account of Israeli politics from the founding of the Jewish State to the near-present day. It reveals stunning details of life-and-death decision-making, top-secret military operations and high level peace nego... read more
The journey begins when Sarah, a strong, aging, haunted woman, defies Sam Ridley, lord of her small English village. After a cruel punishment prompts Sarah's swift, unforgettable revenge, Ridley takes his own brutal oath of vengeance. Forced to flee the villag... read more
What would it be like to have a God who doesn't care about rules and is purely interested in one thing; the love and preservation of his own creation? Jim Gudsen is just a regular guy, newly returned from the killing fields of Vietnam - cynical about life in g... read more
He wants to get away from it all. Despite a satisfying career as chief curator of a museum devoted to the vanished American past, he finds he himself wants to vanish. So with the help of a book on the life and culture of a vanished tribe of Indians known as Bl... read more
The Misremembered Man is a beautifully rendered portrait of life in rural Ireland which charms and delights with its authentic characters and gentle humor. This vivid portrayal of the universal search for love brings with it a darker tale, heartbreaking in its... read more
There are good people and bad on both sides of the tracks that divide Laureate from 'Colored Town'. Our instruction in that hard truth comes as we follow two African-American teens, Cilla Handsom and Joe Billy King, as they endure the backlash resulting from t... read more
A scholar, returning to her family home in Jerusalem becomes embroiled in a family dispute over a discovered Codex, brought home originally her great-great grandfather. Set against the backdrop pf a hundred and thirty years of change, this is a novel of exile ... read more
Every time Hoppy enters a town in his truck, he is greeted with delight and anticipation, showered with warmth, offered meals, and more often than not, pretty girls trying to catch more than just his eye. It's not that Hoppy is so special; it's the pitcher sho... read more
When the curtains are drawn back on the cabinet of wonders, every individual you meet is an original, the indelible mark of their uniqueness shaped in their flesh. Molly and Faye are spirited teenagers - and conjoined twins. Saffron is the Wolf Girl, her femal... read more
It is 1955. Achsa is a lonely, passionate and precocious fourteen-year-old. Isolated at school by her intelligence and disfigurement, troubled at home by the undercurrents in her parents' relationship, she finds comfort and inspiration in the tunes and rhythms... read more
"One has to write with considerable authenticity to pull off a story steeped in magic and swamp water that examines race and class, death and rebirth, Haitian voodoo, and the beginnings of jazz in 1891 New Orleans. Maistros's gritty debut novel follows the int... read more
Forty years ago, Donald Harington created the little town of Stay More, hidden away in the hills of the Ozarks. He populated it with generations of families in search of open space, green pastures, freedom from convention, sweet air and water, or, simply, a wo... read more
With is the sensual, suspenseful and irresistible tale of Robin Kerr, a young girl abducted from her family and brought to a remote Ozark mountaintop, where she is left to fend for herself. Over the course of a decade, Robin grows up without human relationship... read more
Throughout history, numerous famous and infamous men and women have contributed in their sometimes perverted but almost always intriguing ways to the world of gastronomy. The stories of those people, their culinary habits and the dishes either created by them,... read more
SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO BECOME A WOLF BEFORE YOU CAN BE A MAN Meet 18 year-old Greg Samstag. With his high cheekbones, slanted green eyes, and all-too-graceful gestures, he seems more like a cat than a wolf. Yet a shadowy, nameless force has been haunting Greg, ... read more
From the black jazz clubs on Central Avenue in Watts, to the tidy homes of the war widows he cons, Louis Greenberg lives life on the outside. No matter how charming and passionate he is, an outsider he will always be. He is white, a Jew, and that never goes away.
Deborah has 4 reviews
Professionalism
Quality
Value
Responsiveness
Deborah A.
Oct, 2021
Steven H.
Feb, 2019
Christopher C.
Jan, 2018
Julie N.
Mar, 2017
