Jasmine Gower - Editor
As a fantasy author with a Master of Arts in Book Publishing, Jasmine knows the editorial process from every angle.
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Overview
As an author myself, I’ve been working with editors for over half a decade in preparing projects for publication, ranging from short stories to full-length novels. In addition to my familiarity with the various stages of editing and foundational knowledge of the conventions of genre fiction, I’m also well-acquainted with writing and editing marketing copy that is valuable in promoting books, including blog and social media posts. From my experience in the author’s position, I am highly sympathetic to the author’s vulnerability in the editorial process and understand how to navigate between editorial suggestion and an author’s creative vision.
My graduate degree in Book Publishing from Portland State University was earned by working in a hands-on publishing environment via PSU’s Ooligan Press, a fiction and non-fiction publishing house run directly by the graduate students in the Book Publishing program. In my 2 and a half years working at Ooligan Press, I became practiced in the various methods used by publishers to bring a book into the world, such as acquisition, editing, marketing, design, and business operations. My skills as an editor were trained on actual manuscripts, including my developmental editing efforts on Connie King Leonard’s Sleeping In My Jeans, which went on to win the 2018 Oregon Spirit Award for a debut book and receive a nomination for the Oregon Book Awards’ Leslie Bradshaw Award for Young Adult Literature.
In addition to editorial work in the publishing industry, I also have experience writing, editing, and proofreading in business and academic environments. This includes 1.5 years experience creating and polishing internal documentation for Providence Health Plan and 3 years copyediting and proofreading internal and public-facing memos and reports from the Dean of the College of Urban and Public Affairs at Portland State University. My variety of experience in multiple industries allows me to be flexible in my editorial approaches and meet the needs of various types of text beyond the genre fiction I work with in my writing career.
My graduate degree in Book Publishing from Portland State University was earned by working in a hands-on publishing environment via PSU’s Ooligan Press, a fiction and non-fiction publishing house run directly by the graduate students in the Book Publishing program. In my 2 and a half years working at Ooligan Press, I became practiced in the various methods used by publishers to bring a book into the world, such as acquisition, editing, marketing, design, and business operations. My skills as an editor were trained on actual manuscripts, including my developmental editing efforts on Connie King Leonard’s Sleeping In My Jeans, which went on to win the 2018 Oregon Spirit Award for a debut book and receive a nomination for the Oregon Book Awards’ Leslie Bradshaw Award for Young Adult Literature.
In addition to editorial work in the publishing industry, I also have experience writing, editing, and proofreading in business and academic environments. This includes 1.5 years experience creating and polishing internal documentation for Providence Health Plan and 3 years copyediting and proofreading internal and public-facing memos and reports from the Dean of the College of Urban and Public Affairs at Portland State University. My variety of experience in multiple industries allows me to be flexible in my editorial approaches and meet the needs of various types of text beyond the genre fiction I work with in my writing career.
Languages
English (US)
Fiction
Epic Fantasy
Horror
LGBTQ Fiction
Literary Fiction
Urban Fantasy
Young Adult Fantasy
Work experience
Freelance Editor
Self-employed
June, 2019
–
Present
(over 3 years)
Developmental editing, line editing, and copy editing for works of fiction, particularly in the genres of fantasy, science fiction, horror, and young adult. Additionally, I provide editorial assessment for projects in their earlier stages. I've worked with works of numerous formats, including single short stories, short story anthologies, novellas, and novels.
In addition to my professional editing work, I am also a volunteer member of the publications team at the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), where I regularly provide line edits on non-fiction articles that publish to the SFWA Blog.
Graduate Publisher
Ooligan Press
January, 2017
–
June, 2019
(over 2 years)
As a student in Portland State University's Book Publishing Graduate Program, I worked in a hands-on capacity as a publisher at the graduate program's own press, Ooligan Press. Ooligan Press publishes fiction and non-fiction about the Pacific Northwest region and is run by students in the Book Publishing program. In my time at Ooligan Press, I fulfilled multiple roles within the press, including in the spheres of marketing, promotion, digital, and design, but my worked leaned particularly toward editing.
I provided editorial assessment for a number of titles coming through our acquisition channels, including multiple titles that went on to be published by Ooligan, including Three Sides Water, Breaking Cadence, and Odsburg. Additionally, I provided copyediting and proofreading for marketing and supplemental materials for the promotion of At the Waterline, as well as editorial assement and developmental editing for Elephant Speak. However, my most involved project at Ooligan Press was Sleeping in My Jeans, for which I was on the publication team from acquisition to publication, and I had a hand in the editorial, marketing, and design process at nearly every step of this book's publication journey.
Freelance Author
Self-employed
January, 2014
–
Present
(almost 9 years)
As an author, my primary job involves conceptualizing, writing, editing, and marketing works of fiction, particularly fantasy and cross-genre speculative fiction with a queer and disabled voice. While my shorter fiction is now out of print, my debut novel Moonshine published in 2018 and was nominated for an Endeavour Award. I continue to write and edit speculative fiction novels and engage in the science-fiction/fantasy sphere on panels regarding the craft of writing. My author website can be found at jasminegower . com.
Portfolio (12 selected works)
Moonshine
Gower, Jasmine
Sleeping In My Jeans
Leonard, Connie King
Elephant Speak: A Devoted Keeper's Life Among the Herd
Crandall, Melissa
Unspeakable: A Queer Gothic Anthology
Frohn, Celine, Gibson, S.T., Reid, Jude
Blurred Lines
Ricci, Caitlin, Gower, Jasmine, Lynn, K., Hart, Sian, Tudor, Kathleen
At the Waterline
Friesen, Brian K.
Three Sides Water
Donahue, Peter
Breaking Cadence: One Woman’s War Against the War
Del Duca, Rosa
Odsburg: A Socio-anthropo-lingui-lore-ological Study
Tompkins, Matt
They See Me and Other Haunting Stories
Anne, Stephanie
A Hunter Among Wolves: a Novella
Stava, Ben
Witches of the North: Winter Journey
Nate Oldrin
Things look bleak for Christopher Hawks, a 23 year old trans man, this year: last September he shattered the legendary sword of the kingdom of Northland and is now being tracked down by the elite Hunters – events being a result of a few unfortunate choices made in order to help a Witch named Winter (who, in turn, also receives help from a Witch named Ian). Now, Chris, following Winter’s lead a... read more
Jasmine has 11 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
I absolutely loved working with Jasmine. She is always professional, provides regular updates on her progress, and is very easy to communicate with. I am so happy I trusted Jasmine with my first novel. She's a wonderful editor and gave me great advice to help my story flow better. I definitely look forward to working with her again and will recommend her to other authors in need.
Klarina Usach, September 2022
Absolutely incredible to work with, very professional and understanding, did their best to get into the core of my novel and help me make it the best version it could be.
Nate Oldrin, July 2022
Jasmine has been able to offer sound and reliable advice that I both value and agree with. Her love for the written word and the works of art she reads provide loving motivation that shows through her determination as an editor. I will be asking her for her advice and guidance in the future as she is certainly one of a kind.
Jessica Kiedrowski, July 2022
Jasmine did an incredible job and not only elevated my manuscript, but provided so much helpful feedback that'll be useful going forward.
Ben Stava, June 2022
Jasmine provided great edits for a short story of mine. She has a good eye and caught a number of things I had missed. Her suggested changes very much improved my story.
Seth Warkentien, May 2022
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