Erik Hane

Erik Hane – Editor

Editor with years of in-house experience. Founder of a literary agency. Writer. Host of Print Run Podcast.

Overview

I'm a literary agent, editor, and writer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Since graduating from the Knox College Writing Program and the Denver Publishing Institute in 2012, I've served as a book editor for Oxford University Press as well as The Overlook Press. I am the Founder of Headwater Literary Management, and a host of the award-winning Print Run Podcast. I've worked on books of many different genres and profiles, a range that includes everything from commercial and literary novels to upmarket and even academic nonfiction. This variety is now represented in my client list as a freelance editor.

I now edit for many publishers around the country, as well as for individual authors looking to get a manuscript ready to submit to agents or publishers. I'd love to talk about editing or ghostwriting a project for you or your company.


Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Career Guides History Life Sciences Nature Sports & Outdoors
Fiction
Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Middle Grade
Languages
English (UK) English (US)
Awards
  • Edited a 2016 New York Times Editor's Choice book (Abba Eban, by Asaf Siniver)
  • Winner of Digital Book World's 2019 Award for "Best Use of Podcasting in Publishing"
  • 2019 Publishers Weekly reader's choice for "Person of the Year"
Certifications
  • Publishing Certificate, Denver Publishing Institute
  • Graduation with Honors, Knox College Creative Writing Program

Work experience

Headwater Literary Management

Sep, 2019 — Present

I am the Founder of Headwater Literary Management, a boutique literary agency in Minneapolis. At Headwater I represent writers working as novelists, journalists, historians, political commentators, essayists, art critics, and much more, and I sell their books to the largest commercial houses, the most well-regarded independent and university presses, and everywhere in between.

Red Sofa Literary Agency

Jan, 2016 — Sep, 2019 (over 3 years)

I represented both fiction and nonfiction authors, working with them and selling their projects to editors and publishers around the country.

Self-employed

Sep, 2015 — Present

I edit projects across a variety of genres and profiles, and am hired by both individual authors and publishing houses.

The Overlook Press

Jan, 2015 — Oct, 2015 (9 months)

Oxford University Press

Dec, 2012 — Jan, 2015 (about 2 years)

I assisted in the acquiring and editing for the OUP academic and trade science list, working on both popular science books and academic monographs ranging across a variety of scientific disciplines.

Portfolio

A History of the Human Brain: From the Sea Sponge to CRISPR, How Our Brain Evolved

Stetka, Bret

Image Control: Art, Fascism, and the Right to Resist

Nathan, Patrick

How Are You Going to Pay for That?: Smart Answers to the Dumbest Question in Politics

Cooper, Ryan

IRL: Finding Our Real Selves in a Digital World

Stedman, Chris

Arcadian Nights: The Greek Myths Reimagined

John Spurling

The vibrant retelling of the central Greek myths by acclaimed novelist John Spurling, author of The Ten Thousand Things, winner of the 2015 Walter Scott Prize for Historical FictionThe classical Greek intellectual tradition pervades nearly every aspect of our ... read more
Mallory McDonald, Super Sitter

Laurie B. Friedman

Mallory's new neighbors, the Goldmans, have twin five-year-old boys who need babysitters. Mrs. Goldman hires Mallory and her friend Chloe Jennifer to watch the boys while she works from home. Mallory can't wait! The boys are adorable, so this job will be tons ... read more
Body of Water: A Sage, a Seeker, and the World's Most Elusive Fish

Chris Dombrowski

Chris Dombrowski was playing a numbers game: two passions—poetry and fly-fishing; two children, one of them in utero; and an income hovering perilously close to zero. Enter, at this particularly challenging moment, a miraculous email: can’t go, it’s all paid f... read more
Hopeful to Hired: How to Score the Job You Want Straight Out of College

Adam Dince

In today's job market, only a quarter of college graduates have jobs that are related to their major. Add to that massive amounts of student debt and economic uncertainty, and graduation can feel more like a time of panic than of hope. In the face of this adve... read more
All Tomorrow's Parties: A Memoir

Rob Spillman

Rob Spillman—the award-winning, charismatic cofounding editor of the legendary Tin House magazine—has devoted his life to the rebellious pursuit of artistic authenticity. Born in Germany to two driven musicians, his childhood was spent among the West Berlin co... read more
Christodora: A Novel

Tim Murphy

In this vivid and compelling novel, Tim Murphy follows a diverse set of characters whose fates intertwine in an iconic building in Manhattan’s East Village, the Christodora. The Christodora is home to Milly and Jared, a privileged young couple with artistic am... read more
A Nation and not a Rabble: The Irish Revolutions 1913-1923

Diarmaid Ferriter

Renowned Irish historian Diarmaid Ferriter presents a new look at the Irish revolutionary period from 1913-1923, drawing from newly available historical sources as well as the testimonies of the people who lived and fought through this extraordinary period. Pa... read more
Humanity in a Creative Universe

Stuart A. Kauffman

In the hard sciences, which can often feel out of grasp for many lay readers, there are "great thinkers" who go far beyond the equations, formulas, and research. Minds such as Stephen Hawking philosophize about the functions and nature of the universe, the imp... read more
Collecting Evolution: The Galapagos Expedition that Vindicated Darwin

Matthew J. James

In 1905, eight men from the California Academy of Sciences set sail from San Francisco for a scientific collection expedition in the Galapagos Islands, and by the time they were finished in 1906, they had completed one of the most important expeditions in the ... read more
The Fermented Man: A Year on the Front Lines of a Food Revolution

Derek Dellinger

Fermentation is all the rage in health and fitness circles, but can a person live for one year on nothing but fermented foods? One brave homebrewer tries to find out.On January 1, 2014, homebrewer and writer Derek Dellinger began a journey that would change ne... read more
The United States of Soccer: MLS and the Rise of American Soccer Fandom

Phil West

A New York Times Book Review Holiday Gift PickThe spirited and detailed account of the first 20 years of Major League Soccer, the visionaries who believed Americans would finally embrace soccer, and the fans who fulfilled that vision.In 1988, FIFA decreed that... read more
Abba Eban: A Biography

Asaf Siniver

The definitive biography of Abba Eban, an Israeli diplomat often revered by every nation except the one he represented. The book draws from a wide range of primary sources to create a complex portrait of a man who left an indelible mark on the quest for peace ... read more

Erik has 30 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Qwame S.

Qwame S.

Feb, 2024

Erik's developmental edit of my manuscript was exceptional. I believe my genre may have been outside of his usual purview, and he still managed to provide outstanding insights and critiques, both broadly and as precise as the craft level. An overwhelmingly positive experience; I hope I'm able to work with him again in the future.
Richard S.

Richard S.

Jan, 2024

Erik was very specific with his critiques of my work and detailed in what should be changed and how. All I wanted was honest criticism, which is what I received. I can't say enough good things about Erik.
Jeff W.

Jeff W.

Oct, 2023

Erik’s editorial assessment of my novel was timely and thoughtful, offering professional-level suggestions to heighten and preserve the tension and optimize what appears on the page versus what might be condensed as background. His many comments on the manuscript came across as relatable and not obfuscated in academic-sounding jargon. Encouraging and a pleasure to work with.
Berk C.

Berk C.

Sep, 2023

Erik performed a developmental edit of my manuscript. His analysis, critiques, and recommendations were all excellent. It will necessitate a significant rewrite, but the final product will be dramatically improved.
Chuck P.

Chuck P.

Jun, 2023

Writing is hard. Erik makes it a little easier. (He should charge more.)

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