Tracy Gold - Editor
Passionate about helping writers realize their visions for their stories. I love picture books, young adult, fantasy, memoir, and more.
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Overview
I am an editor, writer, and teacher who is passionate about helping writers tell their stories. I provide editing for writers across a wide variety of genres, including picture books, middle grade, young adult, literary and genre fiction, and memoir.
I help writers define and realize their unique visions, always keeping the author's individual publishing goals in mind. If an author doesn't know what their publishing goals are, I help them navigate the traditional and self publishing worlds to find the right fit. I have helped writers with literary agents and book deals, writers seeking literary agents, and writers who self publish. I have worked on books published by major imprints including Simon Pulse, Inkyard, Bloomsbury Spark, and Delacorte.
Personally, two of my books were published in 2021. "Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat," from Sourcebooks eXplore, is a rhyming picture book about a bat trick or treating for bugs illustrated by Nancy Leschnikoff. "Everyone's Sleepy but the Baby" is a board book from Familius, illustrated by Adele Dafflon. It was inspired by my daughter, who hates sleeping as much as I love it. I have two more picture books forthcoming from the same publishers; "Hide and Seek, Nuts to Eat" and "Call Your Mother." I love helping authors decide whether their picture books should be rhyming and if so how to knock the rhyme out of the park.
My editing work is informed by my time interning with literary agent Carrie Pestritto of Laura Dail Literary Agency, my Masters of Fine Arts at the University of Baltimore, and my years of experience as an editor for both businesses and individuals. I taught composition at the University of Baltimore, and now teach creative writing classes for Johns Hopkins University's continuing education program, Odyssey. I love helping writers find their voices both in the classroom and one-on-one.
*Repeat clients, if I am "out of office" on Reedsy, but you'd like to book an edit, you should still be able to send a request. If not, please send me a message via our last project. I always do my best to make time for repeat clients.
Testimonials
"Tracy has a keen editorial eye and does an excellent job spotting ways to fully draw out the potential in an author's writing. I always trusted her opinion on manuscripts she read for me and was consistently impressed with her insightful evaluations and thorough edit letters. She also has a fantastic, positive personality that makes her a joy to work with. I highly recommend her!" Carrie Pestritto, Literary Agent at Laura Dail Literary Agency
“Tracy is the kind of attentive editor that finds the better writer inside the average writer and the good writer inside the better writer, bringing the author’s talents to the page without leaving fingerprints. My work on the Baltimore Love Project book was greatly enhanced by her editorship.” Rafael Alvarez, author, "Crabtown, USA" and "Tales from the Holy Land," staff writer, "The Wire" (HBO)
I help writers define and realize their unique visions, always keeping the author's individual publishing goals in mind. If an author doesn't know what their publishing goals are, I help them navigate the traditional and self publishing worlds to find the right fit. I have helped writers with literary agents and book deals, writers seeking literary agents, and writers who self publish. I have worked on books published by major imprints including Simon Pulse, Inkyard, Bloomsbury Spark, and Delacorte.
Personally, two of my books were published in 2021. "Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat," from Sourcebooks eXplore, is a rhyming picture book about a bat trick or treating for bugs illustrated by Nancy Leschnikoff. "Everyone's Sleepy but the Baby" is a board book from Familius, illustrated by Adele Dafflon. It was inspired by my daughter, who hates sleeping as much as I love it. I have two more picture books forthcoming from the same publishers; "Hide and Seek, Nuts to Eat" and "Call Your Mother." I love helping authors decide whether their picture books should be rhyming and if so how to knock the rhyme out of the park.
My editing work is informed by my time interning with literary agent Carrie Pestritto of Laura Dail Literary Agency, my Masters of Fine Arts at the University of Baltimore, and my years of experience as an editor for both businesses and individuals. I taught composition at the University of Baltimore, and now teach creative writing classes for Johns Hopkins University's continuing education program, Odyssey. I love helping writers find their voices both in the classroom and one-on-one.
*Repeat clients, if I am "out of office" on Reedsy, but you'd like to book an edit, you should still be able to send a request. If not, please send me a message via our last project. I always do my best to make time for repeat clients.
Testimonials
"Tracy has a keen editorial eye and does an excellent job spotting ways to fully draw out the potential in an author's writing. I always trusted her opinion on manuscripts she read for me and was consistently impressed with her insightful evaluations and thorough edit letters. She also has a fantastic, positive personality that makes her a joy to work with. I highly recommend her!" Carrie Pestritto, Literary Agent at Laura Dail Literary Agency
“Tracy is the kind of attentive editor that finds the better writer inside the average writer and the good writer inside the better writer, bringing the author’s talents to the page without leaving fingerprints. My work on the Baltimore Love Project book was greatly enhanced by her editorship.” Rafael Alvarez, author, "Crabtown, USA" and "Tales from the Holy Land," staff writer, "The Wire" (HBO)
Languages
English (US)
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Fiction
Fantasy
Historical Fiction
Literary Fiction
Picture Books
Science Fiction
Short Story
Young Adult
Certifications
- Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts from the University of Baltimore
- TeenPit Mentor, 2017
Awards
- 2015 and 2016 Pitch Wars Finalist
- 2017 Query Kombat Young Adult Champion
Work experience
Editor and Writing Coach
Self-employed
January, 2015
–
Present
(about 8 years)
I help writers improve their craft, find community, and connect to experts. I help writers self-publish manuscripts, find literary agents, develop early drafts into marketable books, and perfect their prose.
I offer a variety of services from coaching, project management, developmental editing, copy editing, and proof reading. I also offer ghost writing services for the right projects.
Literary Agent Intern
Agent Carrie Pestritto (formerly of Prospect Agency, now with LDLA)
May, 2016
–
August, 2017
(over 1 year)
A large part of my expertise in editing and publishing comes from my work interning with literary agent Carrie Pestritto. As Carrie's intern, I read her queries and provided feedback on current and prospective client manuscripts. I also helped her authors with marketing plans, contest entry, and brainstorming and outlining new projects.
Membership and Social Media Coordinator
SCBWI MD/DE/WV
May, 2016
–
Present
(almost 7 years)
As the Membership and Social Media Coordinator for my SCBWI region, I welcome new members to the region, stay abreast of regional news and publishing trends, and help organize regional events where I work with agents and editors.
Adjunct Professor of Composition
University of Baltimore
January, 2015
–
May, 2019
(over 4 years)
At the University of Baltimore, I taught my students how to embrace the process of drafting and revision to improve their writing and thinking skills. I worked with my students to analyze purpose, audience, and genre so they would have the tools to approach any writing situation in their academic and professional careers. I worked with many multi-language learners at the University of Baltimore and enjoy working one-on-one with writers whose first language was not English.
Marketing and Content Specialist
Marketing Agency
October, 2010
–
December, 2018
(about 8 years)
I strategically planned and executed marketing programs for clients at a marketing agency and as an independent consultant. I worked on a mix of content strategy, social media strategy, social media management, project management, account management, content creation, and content editing. I wrote, edited, and published many white-labeled non-fiction articles, white papers, and ebooks in this role.
Portfolio (17 selected works)
You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone
Rachel Lynn Solomon
A heartbreaking and lyrical debut novel about twins who navigate first love, their Jewish identity, and opposite results from a genetic test that determines their fate--whether they inherited their mother's Huntington's disease.Eighteen-year-old twins Adina and Tovah have little in common besides their ambitious nature. Viola prodigy Adina yearns to become a soloist--and to convince her music ... read more
Kneel
Buford, Candace
The Summer of Bitter and Sweet
Ferguson, Jen
Baltimore Love Project Book
Baltimore Love Project Project Book
Rafael Alvarez composed a narrative to put the Baltimore Love Project into context. Hear stories from a spectrum of perspectives, see the project in a new light through Sean Scheidts photos and spread Love using your own stencil insert from the book. Let the conversations about love continue. A poster will be include with every book purchase.
Blood of Other Worlds
Bremer Acosta
A three-nosed performer who escaped from a small town, A man in love with a neuro-bot in a futuristic dome world, A lone seeker questing for a name in a psychedelic desert. Blood of Other Worlds is a kaleidoscopic universe, a celebration of the strange and surreal. From the strangers of a damned fair to the grid-lines of technological lust, themes of identity and existence are explored. "All t... read more
Xantan County
Abby Shaffer
Xantan County is about the people you remember on your way out of town. Its seven loosely connected short stories about mythologized local heroes, superstitions and those quiet moments alone when you're forced to face the noisiest parts of your life. They're character driven stories about identity and growing up, moving on, life andLove, in whatever way that presents itself. Between friends, f... read more
Mandated (War and Wilderness)
Jordy Leigh
War and Wilderness, book two: Mandated* * *--BACK COVER DESCRIPTION--She’s a teen, not a survivalist. He’s a villain, not a hero.Louise steadied herself by exhaling slowly. "After all I’ve done to help him, he’s been so thankless." Granted, she hadn’t been perfectly gracious, either.Canada, September 2016—A refugee of war, Louise Stella has been forced into the forests of Quebec to fend for he... read more
The demons want her soul. The colony wants her hanged. No one said being a sorcerer’s apprentice would be easy.Kate Finch is desperate to outrun the murderous spirits stalking her. The sixteen-year-old orphan couldn’t save her family—but once she sets foot in Boston in 1736, she swears she won’t lose another person in her life to a demon. When her path leads to the abandoned town of Salem, she... read more
Demon in the Whitelands
Nikki Richard
Sixteen-year-old Samuel, son of devout cleric, has endured shame and prejudice his entire life. Though he is destined to follow in his father’s footsteps, he longs for an ordinary life in the whitelands away from talk of demons and holy roots. When the mayor claims to have captured a mute demon-girl, Samuel is forced to become her caretaker. But as Samuel gets to know the prisoner, he finds he... read more
Ghost at Dusk
Kevan Dale
Would you haunt your family to save them?Held captive for thirty-eight years by the demon responsible for his death, Tim Lane grasps a sliver of hope. But escape means unwinding the demon’s harrowing deceptions—by driving his beloved family out of their home. Tim’s choice? Move on to the afterlife proper, or risk everything to put an end to his infernal captor’s terrible scheme. One desperate ... read more
A leading figure in the art world unravels the mystery of the world’s most controversial relic.The history of the Christian church is strewn with holy relics and artifacts, none more controversial than the Shroud of Turin, the supposed burial cloth of Christ. In The Holy Shroud Gary Vikan shows that the shroud is not the burial cloth of Jesus, but rather a photograph-like body print of a medie... read more
At First Blush
Beth Ellyn Summer
Finding the perfect lip gloss? Easy. Finding your way in the world? A whole lot harder . . .Who would have thought that a teenager could have a successful career creating makeup tutorial videos on YouTube? For Lacey Robbins, this dream has been her reality. An up-and-coming YouTuber, she has thousands of fans and can't wait for the day when her subscriber count reaches the one million mark. An... read more
Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat
Gold, Tracy, Leschnikoff, Nancy
Everyone's Sleepy but the Baby
Gold, Tracy C., Dafflon, Adèle
The Inside-Out Company: Putting Purpose and People First
Manekin, Donald A, Myers, Asha
Watch You Burn
Amanda Searcy
From the author of The Truth Beneath the Lies, which the bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying, Karen M. McManus, called "smart, suspenseful, and unpredictable," comes a psychological thriller about a girl who must keep her arsonist ways hidden--or watch her life go up in flames.Jenny didn't want to move to the creepy, possibly haunted town with her dad. But the cops are on to her, and the ... read more
Tracy has 41 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
Tracy was wonderful and very communicative. I would highly recommend working with her.
Rachelle Elliott, March 2023
Tracy is wonderful as always. I appreciate her honesty. I have learned from her and hope that I have become a better writer because of her comments.
Martha Campbell, March 2023
This is my first experience working with an editor and Tracy has been awesome. Tracy has really explained the editing process as she goes. Her guidance has been priceless and I'm so happy I decided to work with her. Tracy will be my go to for books from here on out. I can't recommend her enough, especially to anyone who's newer to this world.
Victoria Clark, December 2022
Tracy is patient, thoughtful, thorough, and very easy to work with. She's extremely responsive and goes above and beyond to answer questions. I'm so glad I worked with her!
Amy Margulies, November 2022
Tracy is wonderful. Her suggestions have helped me to think deeply about the message I want to convey. She has also been so thoughtful and patient with me.
Martha Campbell, November 2022
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