Jasmine Gower

Jasmine Gower – Editor

As a fantasy author with a Master of Arts in Book Publishing, Jasmine knows the editorial process from every angle.

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.
Services
Fiction
Epic Fantasy Horror LGBTQ Fiction Literary Fiction Urban Fantasy Young Adult Fantasy
Non-Fiction
Writing & Publishing
Languages
English (US)

Work experience

Self-employed

Jun, 2019 — Present

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 Association (SFWA), where I regularly provide line edits on non-fiction articles that publish to the SFWA Blog.

Ooligan Press

Jan, 2017 — Jun, 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, which publishes fiction and non-fiction about the Pacific Northwest region. 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, including Three Sides Water, Breaking Cadence, and Odsburg. Additionally, I provided copy editing for marketing and supplemental materials for At the Waterline, as well as 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.

Self-employed

Jan, 2014 — Present

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

Moonshine

Gower, J.

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 mad... read more
At the Waterline

Friesen, B.

Blurred Lines

Ricci, C.

Jasmine has 13 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Liam L.

Liam L.

Apr, 2023

Jasmine was a pleasure to work with. She was very thorough and went above and beyond what I expected. I would 100% recommend her. Truly a great experience.
Jonathan D.

Jonathan D.

Feb, 2023

Jasmine did a great, professional job. Highly recommended
Klarina U.

Klarina U.

Sep, 2022

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.
Nate O.

Nate O.

Jul, 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.
Jessica K.

Jessica K.

Jul, 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.