Ema Barnes

Ema Barnes – Editor

Globally focused editor/coach with an emphasis on contemporary and women's fiction. An inquisitive style guides Ema's big picture editing.

Overview

Ema spent over three years at literary agency Park & Fine Literary and Media after working in the rights departments for Farrar, Straus & Giroux and Henry Holt. She worked with authors to sell translation rights to all types of projects including contemporary fiction, popular science, and young adult. In university, Ema wrote her thesis on the portrayal and romanticisation of depression in Young Adult Literature.


Ema is detail oriented and will ask probing questions in order to elevate authors to realize their potential. Her experience selling books into 40+ languages means that she also examines manuscripts with an eye to success in the global markets. She particularly enjoys examining the big picture while developing a manuscript, as well as completing line edits for a final polish. Knowing how complex the publishing industry can be from the outside, she's always happy to answer questions and demystify the publication process.


A native of New Zealand, Ema has called six states and five countries home, and recently spent a winter working in Yellowstone National Park. Her favorite books bring her new perspectives of life, make her feel big emotions, or keep her flipping pages in suspense. When not reading, writing, or editing, Ema is generally watching live music or climbing a mountain.


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Praise for Ema:

"I've never been more excited to keep working on a project." -Owen M.


"Ema has given me a bunch of actionable feedback that has made me think and plan my editing journey more effectively." -Shikha V.


"Ema brings a distinct brand of kindness, humor, and curiosity to this process which made our editorial work together not only easy, but comfortable and exciting! She reminded me that revision should be exciting." -Regan H.

Services
Fiction
Coming of Age Contemporary Fiction Contemporary Romance Literary Fiction Romantic Comedy Women's Fiction Young Adult
Languages
English (NZ) English (US)

Work experience

Amazon

Jul, 2022 — Present

Ema reads, reviews, and reports on contemporary books and their suitability for adaptation to screen for Amazon's Acquisitions and IP Development.

Park & Fine Literary and Media

Nov, 2018 — Nov, 2021 (about 3 years)

As an associate at a full service literary agency, Ema worked closely with authors such as Nicholas Sparks and Taylor Jenkins Reid to sell translation rights, coordinate film releases, and create global publication strategies. She offered editorial feedback on select manuscripts with an eye towards their success in international markets.

Self-employed

Jan, 2018 — Present

While working as a freelance editor, Ema has done developmental editing, copyediting, and editorial assessments. She has worked one-on-one to do developmental editing prior to submission on all sorts of projects, from young adult novels and romantic comedies, all the way to a project that combined memoir with science fiction! Ema has also provided copyediting services on agented projects and projects ready for submission.

Macmillan Publishers

Aug, 2017 — Nov, 2018 (over 1 year)

Penguin Random House

May, 2017 — Sep, 2017 (4 months)

Portfolio

The Launch Date: A Novel

Slator, Annabelle

Avon

Developmental Editing
Freckles

Ahern Cecelia

The Return

Sparks, Nicholas

Malibu Rising: A Novel

Reid, Taylor Jenkins

Wishing Upon the Same Stars

Feldman, Jacquetta Nammar

Editorial Assessment
Made with Reedsy
Glimmer

Aleks, Sam

Editorial Assessment

Ema has 82 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Heidi H.

Heidi H.

Jul, 2024

Pinned
Working with Ema has been tremendous! She understands story structure and editing very well and is excellent and guiding. She helped me with a completed manuscript as well as creating outlines for related stories in the series. It has been so helpful and I plan on setting follow-up projects with her for the next book.
David J.

David J.

May, 2024

Pinned
Ema was exactly the sort of editor I was hoping to find when I signed up for Reedsy. She made herself available for general questions as she reviewed the manuscript. She read the entire manuscript carefully and provided thoughtful questions and feedback. She corresponded with me and helped me think through some potential solutions to problems in sequencing and plot. She had a full 1-hour phone ...
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Miranda B.

Miranda B.

Mar, 2024

Pinned
I thought I knew my manuscript better than anyone else ever could. Then Ema read it…I now believe Ema knows the characters and plot even better than I do. I’ve hired multiple editors in the past for other projects. Usually, I dread getting the editorial letter. I’m left feeling overwhelmed and confused. Emma’s letter was the opposite. She gave me clear, concise direction for moving forward. ...
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Mark M.

Mark M.

Jan, 2025

Over-delivered! Ema has a knack for bringing clarity to one's work, especially with a fresh eye. Her questions brought up solutions to the main area that had stalled me: Unwittingly leaving too much drama underdeveloped or on the "cutting room floor." Our discussion and her notes helped me strengthen key scenes by fully mining underlying tension and conflict in the story more. Most importantly,...
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JH T.

JH T.

Dec, 2024

Ema was amazing to work with. We worked together on a query letter package, and the insights Ema provided were incredible. Ema not only treated the work with kindness, but was able to drill down in successive steps until we got to the heart of what the story was about. Responsiveness, timeliness, and depth of value were all a huge part of what Ema provided. I hope we can work together again soon!

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