Gary Sunshine

Gary Sunshine – Editor

Nurturing editor with 15+ years of experience at Kensington, S&S, and Hal Leonard. Loves middle grade, YA, mystery, and TV/film.

Overview

Language, structure, grammar, polish—I've been helping writers make their text sparkle for nearly two decades.


I'm a copy editor, line editor, developmental editor, and proofreader with many years of book publishing experience. I've worked for S&S Children's, Kensington, Hal Leonard, Michael Wiese Productions, Divine Arts, the Philip Lief Group, and more on a broad range of titles, including historical and contemporary romance, YA fiction, TV & film, theater, music, true crime, New Age, self-help, and biography.


I'm skilled at working in Word using Track Changes, and have used InDesign codes extensively.


Additionally, I can help sharpen your dialogue, as I'm an award-winning published playwright and documentary director, and have written for several nationally broadcast TV series.


Education: AB in English, Princeton University; MFA in Dramatic Writing, NYU/Tisch School of the Arts

Services
Non-Fiction
Entertainment
Fiction
Historical Fiction Middle Grade Mystery & Crime Romance Women's Fiction Young Adult
Languages
English (US)
Awards
  • Sundance Film Festival Freedom of Expression Award
  • HBO Audience Choice Award
  • Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Playwrights
  • WGA Nomination for Outstanding Writing, Daytime Serial

Work experience

Self-employed

Jan, 2013 — Present
Provide copy-editing and proofreading services for YA and middle grade titles, including GEORGE AND THE SHIP OF STARS, CALICO GIRL, and YOUR DESTINATION IS ON THE LEFT.

Self-employed

Jul, 2008 — Present
Provide copy-editing services for contemporary romance, historical romance (including Regency), inspirational, cozy mystery, suspense, and urban romance titles. Authors have included Fern Michaels, Lisa Jackson, Mary Monroe, and Susan Holloway Scott.

Self-employed

Sep, 2008 — Apr, 2018 (over 9 years)
Provided copy-editing services, including direct communication with authors, for nonfiction titles in film, theater, TV, and general reference categories. Worked on numerous volumes of Hal Leonard's FAQ series.

Self-employed

Jul, 2008 — Apr, 2017 (almost 9 years)
Provided full range of editorial services from first draft of manuscript through finished book, including developmental editing, copy editing, proofreading, InDesign coding, writing promotional copy, and trafficking with designers. Worked on TV and film production titles through the MWP imprint, as well as New Age and wellness titles through Divine Arts imprint.

Self-employed

May, 2008 — May, 2009 (about 1 year)
Developed, edited, and developed promotional campaign for A COP'S TALE, a NYPD veteran's true-crime memoir offering a rare look into the Big Apple's bare-bones, down-and-dirty brand of law enforcement that has since passed into history.

Self-employed

Jun, 2006 — Sep, 2010 (over 4 years)
Provided full range of editorial services from first draft of manuscript through finished book, including developmental editing, copy editing, proofreading, InDesign coding, writing promotional copy, and trafficking with designers.

The Philip Lief Group

Jun, 1991 — Jun, 1997 (about 6 years)
Wrote over 200 nonfiction book proposals for pioneering book packaging company. Also served as project editor for approximately 10 nonfiction trade books per year.

Portfolio

Leaving Independence (Go West, Young Man)

Johnstone, William W.

Pinnacle Books

Copy Editing
Grow Up, Luchy Zapata

Alessandri, Alexandra

Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Copy Editing
A Whisper in the Walls (2) (Waxways)

Reintgen, Scott

Margaret K. McElderry Books

Copy Editing
A Season Most Unfair

Coats, J. Anderson

Copy Editing
The Book Spy

Hlad, Alan

Copy Editing
Mother of the Bride Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery)

Meier, Leslie

Copy Editing
Our Dogs, Ourselves -- Young Readers Edition: How We Live with Dogs

Horowitz, Alexandra

Copy Editing
Joey: The Story of Joe Biden

Biden, Dr Jill

Copy Editing
A Snowy Little Christmas

Fern Michaels

Sometimes love needs a little help from Mother Nature—and what better time than the holidays to let it snow . . . and snow . . . and snow . . . STARRY NIGHT * Fern Michaels As the host of a ra... read more
Copy Editing
A Cop's Tale: NYPD: The Violent Years

Jim O'Neil

A Cop’s Tale focuses on New York City’s most violent and corrupt years, the 1960s to early 1980s. Jim O’Neil, a former NYPD cop, delivers a rare look at the brand of law enforcement that ended... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
The Art of Plotting: Add Emotion, Suspense, and Depth to your Screenplay

Linda J. Cowgill

The Art of Plotting is a complete, clear guide to creating compelling plots for film. Integrate plot, characterization, and exposition to make stories real. Learn with examples from new and cl... read more
Copy Editing
The Weekend Novelist Rewrites the Novel: A Step-by-Step Guide to Perfecting Your Work

Robert J. Ray

This follow-up to the bestselling The Weekend Novelist will guide writers of all levels through the next phase in crafting their novel: the rewrite. You’ve finished your first draft—congratula... read more
Copy Editing
Just Outside The Spotlight: Growing Up with Eileen Heckart

Luke Yankee

Did you ever wonder what it was like to be a part of showbiz history? Marilyn Monroe babysitting your brothers. Ethel Merman teaching you how to make martinis. Paul Newman giving you acting ti... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
The God Molecule: 5-MeO-DMT and the Spiritual Path to the Divine Light

Gerardo Ruben Sandoval Dr.

“Carlos Castaneda” meets “Breaking Bad” in the true story of the world’s most powerful entheogen. Leaving behind a sheltered, high-society lifestyle as a Mexican teenager desperate to understand his place in the universe, the author embarks on a majestic enthe... read more
Why Does the Screenwriter Cross the Road?: And other screenwriting secrets

Joe Gilford

Writers will understand why they’re stuck and how to get unstuck through proven methods of breaking the logjam of self-judging and second-guessing that keeps good screenplays from being finished. Attain confidence by knowing your story is clear and solid. Seal... read more
John Badham On Directing: Notes from the Set of Saturday Night Fever, War Games, and More

John Badham

Veteran director John Badham explains the elements of action and suspense and dissects the essentials of any good scene from any genre. Badham’s list of “12 Questions You Must Ask Before Stepp... read more
Developmental Editing
The Divine Art of Dying: How to Live Well While Dying

Karen Speerstra

The Divine Art of Dying looks at the unique moment when a person turns toward death and examines what the dying person and their caregivers can expect. Based on the author’s own current experi... read more
Developmental Editing
Calico Girl

Jerdine Nolen

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2017 “Nolen’s tender story of the Wilcomb family’s losses and aspirations will resonate. At once heartbreaking and uplifting, a gentle, lyrical story of a determi... read more
Copy Editing
Dionysus and the Land of Beasts (Heroes in Training)

Tracey West

Zeus and his friends discover another Olympian who might be able to help in their quest to defeat King Cronus in this Heroes in Training adventure.With a clue from their trusty oracle, Pythia,... read more
Copy Editing
Your Destination Is on the Left

Lauren Spieller

“Emotional and sexy…I loved it!” —Miranda Kenneally, bestselling author of Catching Jordan “Dessa is a winning and resilient heroine.” —Elizabeth Wein, New York Times bestselling author of Cod... read more
Copy Editing
Lily & Kosmo in Outer Outer Space

Jonathan Ashley

Explore outer outer space where dastardly villains await in this hilarious and inventive illustrated middle grade novel.Brooklyn, Earth. 1949. Lily Lupino is going to be an astronaut when she ... read more
Copy Editing
Murder at Crossways (A Gilded Newport Mystery)

Alyssa Maxwell

In late August 1898, reporter Emma Cross attends the final fête of the Newport social season and discovers the party's over for a visiting prince . . . The days are getting shorter as summer's... read more
Copy Editing
Monty Python FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Spam, Grails, Spam, Nudging, Bruces and Spam

Brian Cogan

Ni! Peng! Nee-wom! Applause Theatre & Cinema Books revered and august publisher of weighty tomes on all things histrionic is proud to present ÊMonty Python FAQ: All That's Left to Know About S... read more
Copy Editing
Goodbye Parkinson's, Hello life!: The Gyro–Kinetic Method for Eliminating Symptoms and Reclaiming Your Good Health

Alex Kerten

Parkinson’s Disease, a disorder of the central nervous system, affects 1 million people in America and 10 million worldwide. In Goodbye Parkinson’s, Hello Life! Alex Kerten presents his breakt... read more
Copy Editing
George and the Ship of Time (George's Secret Key)

Lucy Hawking

George travels to the future in the epic conclusion of the George’s Secret Key series from Lucy Hawking.When George finds a way to escape the spacecraft Artemis, where he has been trapped, he ... read more
Copy Editing
Murder with Collard Greens and Hot Sauce (A Mahalia Watkins Mystery)

A.L. Herbert

Mahalia’s Sweet Tea boasts the most flavorful soul food in all of Prince George’s County, Maryland. But as events at the beauty industry’s leading trade show turn ugly, owner Halia Watkins nee... read more
Copy Editing
I, Eliza Hamilton

Susan Holloway Scott

In this beautifully written novel of historical fiction, bestselling author Susan Holloway Scott tells the story of Alexander Hamilton’s wife, Eliza—a fascinating, strong-willed heroine in her... read more
Copy Editing

Gary has 4 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Holli H.

Holli H.

Jun, 2021

As both encourager and story surgeon, Gary S. understands the broad sweep of history and the tiniest details of human nature, timelines, and grammar. From our first communication, Gary expressed particular interest in my MG project and was careful to ascertain my needs and goals before we began....
Read more
Gary S.
What a joy it was to work with you on this gripping, utterly humane, and timely story. I can't wait to see RIA AND THE WAR OUTSIDE at my local bookstore!
C.N. S.

C.N. S.

Apr, 2021

Gary was great to work with. I hired him for copy editing services because he was reasonably priced and very responsive. He finished before the deadline and was always available to answer questions. He also caught some discrepancies that the beta readers hadn’t noticed.
Topher A.

Topher A.

May, 2020

Gary was great to work with. His credentials spoke for themselves and he was professional from start to finish. He offered a service tailored to my specific project and gave high quality feedback. He will be at the top of my list next time I need an editor.
Katalin I.

Katalin I.

Aug, 2019

Gary is awesome. Simple as that. He's upbeat, positive, but will question all your choices that were questionable, and he'll make you rethink all the things that you need to rethink, while also getting the smallest things into shape. The revision was so smooth and the result so much better. He's...
Read more
Gary S.
What a pleasure it was to work on Katalin's remarkable first novel. I couldn't have been more pleased with the experience, and feel truly honored to have played a role in bringing it into the world.

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