Fiona Simpson – Editor

Senior Editor with a focus on women’s and YA fiction including romance, thrillers, and paranormal romance. I work with both the W and Wattpad Books imprints.

My favorite part of publishing has always been the one-on-one relationship between an editor and an author. I enjoy the collaborative process and my experience with line and developmental editing can help you to improve voice; clarity, and narrative flow for a wide range of fiction and nonfiction projects.

At the end of the day, it’s your name on the book, but I can help you to have the best material inside.

At Aladdin, I oversaw the editorial direction of an imprint that published everything from picture books through Middle-Grade which gave me a broad picture perspective of the marketplace. Additionally, I edited a full list of my own titles focused primarily on chapter books and middle-grade novels, series, and nonfiction titles for various ages. My titles included New York Times bestsellers (Baseball Genius and the Michael Vey series), an Edgar-nominee (Framed!), and an Edgar-winner (Trapped!), as well as titles that appear on numerous state reading lists. I worked with the Jeter Children’s imprint to create both fiction and nonfiction titles. As, as well as working closely with art, design, sales, and marketing to create the perfect package for both the book and the marketplace, I’ve worked with many experienced and first-time authors including Richard Paul Evans, Tim Green, James Ponti, Kate O’Hearn, Ryan Calejo, and many other talented individuals.

Working primarily in licensing, I created publishing programs for series books and licensed properties directed toward readers from early childhood to young adult. I rewrote manuscripts as necessary based on script changes or series needs for novelizations, readers, and storybooks.

Licensors included major movie studios (DreamWorks Animation, New Line, and Warner Bros.), sports leagues (NBA and NFL), television (Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Discovery Channel, and DC Comics), and toy companies (LEGO and Hasbro). Additionally, I helped to launch the LITTLE SHEPHERD imprint, including the best-selling Read and Learn Bible.

I edited and assisted in developing Young Adult and Middle-Grade series and novels as well as movie and television tie-ins, picture books, and nonfiction picture books. Projects included The Saddle Club and Pony Pals series, books with the American Museum of Natural History as well as pop culture titles.

I began my career working on educational materials tackling manuscripts in all content areas and overseeing production. I have also written materials for use in classroom libraries—including an adaptation of THE CANTERBURY TALES.