Jeff Shreve - Editor
New York, United States
I'm a developmental editor and publishing consultant, specializing in science, tech, business, memoir, and health/self-improvement.
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Overview
In my time as an editor at W. W. Norton, I edited and published over forty books, from astronomers, physicists, tech experts, historians, reporters, psychologists, neuroscientists, economists, anthropologists, geologists, mathematicians, and other academics and researchers from the U.S. and abroad. I published four New York Times bestsellers. Along the way, I've built contacts with numerous agents and editors. I know what it takes to craft a successful query, and more importantly, what it takes to shape a book into something that readers (and reviewers) will want on their bookshelves.
Languages
English (US)
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Earth & Space & Environmental Sciences
Life Sciences
Music
Physics & Chemistry
Politics & Current Affairs
Psychology
Self-help & Self-improvement
Social & Behavioral Sciences
Technology
Certifications
- The New School, Copy Editing Course completion
Work experience
Freelance editor and publishing consultant
Self-employed
July, 2017
–
Present
(over 1 year)
I provide developmental editing, copyediting, proofreading, and consulting services for many clients, from individual authors to publishers to communications and technology firms.
Associate Editor
W. W. Norton & Company
April, 2015
–
June, 2017
(about 2 years)
I acquired books for Norton in the areas of popular science, politics/current affairs, memoir, music, business, and technology. Notable projects include THE SCIENCE OF INTERSTELLAR by Kip Thorne (NYT bestseller), DATA AND GOLIATH by Bruce Schneier (NYT bestseller), and THE WOLF AND THE WATCHMAN by Scott C. Johnson (longlisted for the National Book Award).
Assistant Editor
W. W. Norton & Company
July, 2011
–
April, 2015
(almost 4 years)
Editorial Assistant
W. W. Norton & Company
April, 2009
–
July, 2011
(about 2 years)
- Served as both editorial and executive assistant to W. Drake McFeely, president
- Shepherded manuscripts through the editorial and production processes, composed copy for catalogs, jackets, and press releases
Freelance Copy Editor
Self-employed
July, 2008
–
April, 2009
(9 months)
- Edited various projects for spelling, grammar, consistency, clarity and style
- Queried author or managing editor on matters not immediately resolvable
Portfolio (12 selected works)
“Bruce Schneier’s amazing book is the best overview of privacy and security ever written.”―Clay ShirkyYour cell phone provider tracks your location and knows who’s with you. Your online and in-store purchasing patterns are recorded, and reveal if you're unemployed, sick, or pregnant. Your e-mails and texts expose your intimate and casual friends. Google knows what you’re thinking because it sa... read more
The Science of Interstellar
Kip Thorne
A journey through the otherworldly science behind Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated film, Interstellar, from executive producer and theoretical physicist Kip Thorne.Interstellar, from acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan, takes us on a fantastic voyage far beyond our solar system. Yet in The Science of Interstellar, Kip Thorne, the physicist who assisted Nolan on the scientific aspects o... read more
Now: The Physics of Time
Richard A. Muller
“Now” is a simple yet elusive concept.You are reading the word “now” right now. But what does that mean? What makes the ephemeral moment “now” so special? Its enigmatic character has bedeviled philosophers, priests, and modern-day physicists from Augustine to Einstein and beyond. Einstein showed that the flow of time is affected by both velocity and gravity, yet he despaired at his failure to ... read more
Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from the Data
Charles Wheelan
“Brilliant, funny . . . the best math teacher you never had.”―San Francisco Chronicle Once considered tedious, the field of statistics is rapidly evolving into a discipline Hal Varian, chief economist at Google, has actually called “sexy.” From batting averages and political polls to game shows and medical research, the real-world application of statistics continues to grow by leaps and bounds... read more
Naked Money: A Revealing Look at What It Is and Why It Matters
Charles Wheelan
The best-selling Naked series tackles the weird world of money.Consider the $20 bill.It has no more value, as a simple slip of paper, than Monopoly money. Yet even children recognize that tearing one into small pieces is an act of inconceivable stupidity. What makes a $20 bill actually worth twenty dollars? In the third volume of his best-selling Naked series, Charles Wheelan uses this seeming... read more
Idiot Brain: What Your Head Is Really Up To
Dean Burnett
A neuroscientist's delightful tour of our mysterious, mischievous, entirely fallible gray matter.It's happened to all of us at some point. You walk into the kitchen, or flip open your laptop, or stride confidently up to a lectern, filled with purpose―and suddenly haven't the foggiest idea what you’re doing. Welcome to your idiot brain.Yes, it is an absolute marvel in some respects―the seat of ... read more
The Wolf and the Watchman: A Father, a Son, and the CIA
Scott C. Johnson
Longlisted for the National Book Award and named a Washington Post Notable Book of the Year. Growing up, Scott C. Johnson always suspected that his father was different. Only as a teenager did he discover the truth: his father was a spy, one of the CIA’s most trusted officers. At first the secret was thrilling. But over time Scott began to have doubts. How could a man so rigorously trained to ... read more
An eye-opening tour of the political tricks that subvert scientific progress.The Butter-Up and Undercut. The Certain Uncertainty. The Straight-Up Fabrication. Dave Levitan dismantles all of these deceptive arguments, and many more, in this probing and hilarious examination of the ways our elected officials attack scientific findings that conflict with their political agendas. The next time you... read more
Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism
Fumio Sasaki
The best-selling phenomenon from Japan that shows us a minimalist life is a happy life.Fumio Sasaki is not an enlightened minimalism expert or organizing guru like Marie Kondo―he’s just a regular guy who was stressed out and constantly comparing himself to others, until one day he decided to change his life by saying goodbye to everything he didn’t absolutely need. The effects were remarkable:... read more
The life, times, and travels of a remarkable instrument and the people who have made, sold, played, and cherished it. A 16-ounce package of polished wood, strings, and air, the violin is perhaps the most affordable, portable, and adaptable instrument ever created. As congenial to reels, ragas, Delta blues, and indie rock as it is to solo Bach and late Beethoven, it has been played standing or ... read more
"McClatchy's heroic labor is a remarkable achievement. . . . Mozart and Da Ponte will be smiling down on this volume."―Richard Wilbur A landmark event in the world of music, Mozart's seven major librettos have finally been translated in verse with a sparkling poetic quality that matches the magnificence of the originals. Beginning this epic endeavor with his translation of The Magic Flute, fir... read more
One of the world’s leading cultural psychologists debunks the hype surrounding DNA testing and puts to rest our mistaken anxieties about our genes.Do you fear what might be lurking in your DNA?Well, now you can find out, and you most likely will. Scientists expect one billion people to have their genomes sequenced by 2025, and as the price drops it may even become a standard medical procedure.... read more
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