Overview
While at Hachette, I worked on books for ages 0-18 at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, including board books, picture books, middle grade, and young adult; I'm a lifelong reader and writer of romance and speculative fiction/science fiction/fantasy for all ages as well, so I'm interested in and tapped into that part of the market. I'm in support of stories that haven't found their way into the current marketplace, so please reach out with LGBTQ work, stories with disabled characters, and books set in or outside the United States with BIPOC characters.
While I've edited both fiction and nonfiction, novels are my wheelhouse, and rolling up my sleeves and diving in to support a story arc is my delight. (And a note: I'm generally not open to editing or assessing picture book manuscripts, or early chapter books, at this time.) But you're more interested in how I can help you make your story its best version. Here's how we can work together:
For editorial assessments, I'll provide you with a document detailing what is and isn't working with your manuscript, and if you're seeking traditional publication, its market outlook. Keeping the big picture in mind, I'll delve into plot, character, pacing, structure, theme(s), and other elements that make books satisfying and memorable, and offer suggestions for revision.
For developmental editing, I like to begin with a brief call or online meeting to find out about your goals for the book and for your writing, along with anything I might need to know to frame my feedback to you, such as historical inspiration, personal experiences, or current events. (Note that this is optional; we can skip this step if it causes you stress!) As with an editorial assessment, I'll provide you with a document addressing strengths in your story and areas to improve, and I'll also make notes in your manuscript using tracked changes in Word so that you can pinpoint rough or slow spots, consider cuts or smoother transitions, evaluate small-scale questions of consistency and character, and so on. In my offer, I'll provide a plan for one or more rounds of edits to cover everything, so I appreciate having your entire manuscript in your request brief, as that helps me accurately assess the work to be done.
I endeavor to be thorough and thoughtful: let's not leave any stone unturned! It's my job to help you stress-test your book in the pre-publication stage so that when it's time for publication, you've told the story you wanted to tell in the way that you wanted to tell it -- and told in a way that captivates readers and showcases your skills.
Services
Fiction
Languages
Certifications
- MS in Publishing: Digital and Print Media
- BM in Music Education
- Certificate, Denver Publishing Institute
Work experience
Hachette (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Stewarded books from submission to publication, working with design, production, marketing, publicity, sales, and other departments, to bring books to market. Provided editorial guidance to authors on board books, picture books, and books for the middle grade and young adult audience. Created book descriptions, metadata, catalog copy, and other title information, and presented books at internal sales conferences.
Scholastic, Macmillan, Entangled Publishing
Before joining the editorial department at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers at Hachette, I was fortunate to be an editorial intern at Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan), a freelance production editor copyediting and proofreading everything from books/ebooks to activity kits at Scholastic, and an editorial reader of romance at Entangled Publishing. I've also interned at literary agencies, including McIntosh & Otis.
Sirens
I'm one of the founders of Narrate Conferences, a 501(c)3 volunteer-run nonprofit dedicated to bringing together readers, writers, academics, and others to discuss topics of interest. Most recently, we've been producing Sirens, a conference that addresses gender and speculative fiction (for all ages). In this role, I manage the attendee-driven programming offerings, which are selected by an independent board, from initial submissions to the final conference schedule, and handle other issues as needed, which have ranged from audio-visual support to bookstore management (time to read a couple hundred books to see what we should stock this year!) to site and author guest speaker selection. I've occasionally presented at this conference on topics such as heteronormativity in young adult fantasy, depictions of princesses in picture books, mentors in middle grade fantasy, horror in children's books, book reviewing, and the acquisitions process for books, including profit and loss statements.
Some of the time, I edit and format the conference compendium for publication; this volunteer role is sometimes shared with others -- we all pitch in! -- and has given me insight into self-publishing processes and providers.
Portfolio
Hallie has 1 review
Professionalism
Quality
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Dave H.
Mar, 2023
