Overview
"Emma is diligent and attentive, with the ability to be at once ruthless and gentle. This sounds a contradiction in terms, but is precisely what one wants in an editor. She’s a pleasure to work with, and the work itself is always the better for it." — Rumaan Alam, author of National Book Award Finalist Leave the World Behind
I am an editor, writer and teacher with a broad range of experience: I cut my teeth editing best-selling and award-winning authors at Alfred A. Knopf, Doubleday and Ecco Books. I have an M.F.A in Fiction from Johns Hopkins University, where I also taught fiction and poetry to undergraduates.
My experience on all sides of the creative process has led me to an editorial philosophy that prioritizes guiding authors to the best version of the story they want to tell. My role as an editor is not to shoehorn your work, but rather to help you, the author, bridge the gap between vision and execution, to help illuminate what might be buried just beneath the surface. I know that the best editorial feedback takes into consideration the overall arc of the book and its project, while also caring for the small parts—the words, the phrases, the sentences—that make up the greater whole.
I have experience with a wide range of genre—literary, upmarket and commercial fiction, graphic novels, short stories, history, narrative nonfiction, current events and essays. I have worked with authors at every step of the editorial process, and can provide services ranging from manuscript evaluation, to developmental editing, to line editing.
Services
Non-Fiction
Fiction
Languages
Certifications
- Master of Fine Arts in Fiction
Work experience
Johns Hopkins University
• Teach a seminar of 15-30 undergraduates per semester using a curriculum I created, based on the standard departmental syllabus, which introduces students to the building blocks of creative writing.
Self-employed
Ecco Books, HarperCollins
• Worked with Editorial Director to launch and handle multiple titles each season, while building my own acquisitions list. Contributed to editorial and author meetings. Managed submissions, read incoming fiction and drafted rejections. Composed catalog and flap copy, utilizing specific keywords in metadata to help drive traffic.
• Composed editorial letters and line edited authors, including Ben Fountain, Alissa Nutting, Eleanor Henderson, Louisa Hall, Rumaan Alam.
Alfred A. Knopf & Doubleday Books, Penguin Random House
• Assisted two senior editors, publishing on the Knopf, Doubleday and Pantheon lists. Handled up to nine titles a season. Attended and contributed to editorial and author meetings. Read and reported on incoming fiction and nonfiction. Composed catalog and flap copy.
• Composed editorial letters and line edited authors, including Dave Eggers, Peter Heller, Katherine Heiny, Michael Finkel, Kory Stamper.
Flatiron Books, Macmillan
Portfolio
Emma has 1 review
Professionalism
Quality
Value
Responsiveness
Pauls T.
Sep, 2021
