Jessica Easto

Jessica Easto – Editor

Former indie trade publishing editor of cookbooks, memoir, food and travel narratives, literary fiction, and more.

Overview

I'm an editor and writer with in-house trade publishing experience. Although I'm always interested in new opportunities, I specialize in cookbooks, narrative nonfiction, and fiction. I especially love food narratives, travel narratives, memoir, and upmarket fiction, particularly if there is a historical element. Oh, and I'm from the Midwest and love working on projects about the region!

I've worked with all types of writers, from indie authors to academics to Pulitzer Prize–winning newspaper columnists to Michelin-starred chefs. As a writer myself, author-care is very important to me and informs my editing. As a former editor at an indie press, I have a solid understanding of the publishing industry as a whole, including production and marketing, which brings a certain sensibility to my editorial work.

I offer a broad range of services, including manuscript/proposal evaluations, developmental editing, line editing, copy editing, and proofreading. If you're not sure which service would be the best fit for your manuscript, we'll work together to figure it out.

I have a degree in journalism and an MFA in fiction writing. My book CRAFT COFFEE: A MANUAL was named a top food and drink book of 2017 by Food Network, Wired, Sprudge, and Booklist.

I hope we can work together soon!

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits Health & Wellbeing Travel
Languages
English (US)

Work experience

Agate Publishing

Aug, 2015 — Mar, 2019 (over 3 years)

Self-employed

May, 2013 — Present

Agate Publishing

Jul, 2014 — Aug, 2015 (about 1 year)

Crab Orchard Review

Aug, 2011 — May, 2013 (over 1 year)

Southern Illinois University

Aug, 2010 — May, 2013 (over 2 years)

I taught English composition and creative writing to undergraduate students.

Portfolio

This Town Sleeps

Dennis E Staples

"Set on an Ojibwe reservation in northern Minnesota, This Town Sleeps is the story of Marion Lafournier, a gay Ojibwe man, and his search for meaning in a town he cannot seem to leave. When he begins a romance with a closeted former high school classmate Shann... read more
Fly Creek Cider Mill and Orchard is one of New York State's oldest working cider mills. Owned by authors Brenda and Bill Michaels, the mill sits on the banks of Fly Creek near historic Cooperstown, where for more than 150 years visitors have come to watch as a... read more
This redesigned, repackaged, and updated edition of Street Food surveys common street foods from more than 75 countries and regions across the globe.An estimated 2.6 billion people worldwide eat street food every day. Once associated with developing countries,... read more
Yvonne Maffei is the founder of the hugely popular cooking blog and Islamic lifestyle website My Halal Kitchen. Her new book, My Halal Kitchen: Global Recipes, Cooking Tips, and Lifestyle Inspiration, celebrates halal cooking and shows readers how easy it can ... read more
“Engaging and insightful.” —BooklistMuch Ado, written by award-winning journalist Michael Lenehan, gives readers an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the lauded American Players Theatre’s 2014 production of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.Wall S... read more
He Never Came Home is a collection of 22 personal essays written by girls and women who have been separated from their fathers by way of divorce, abandonment, or death. The contributors to this collection come from a wide range of different backgrounds in term... read more
Baking just invited Gluten-Free and Vegan to the Party!Sticky Buns, Fudgy Brownies, Salted Caramel Cupcakes, and more―who says your favorite sweets can’t be gluten-free and vegan? Gluten-Free Vegan Baking serves up the best recipes for the tastiest treats so t... read more
Chicago is a bona fide theater town, bursting with an explosive, innovative vitality that’s fed every sector of the entertainment industry—from Hollywood to Broadway to Studio 8H—for as long as it’s delighted adoring local fans. Ensemble is an in-depth, first-... read more
Written by cooking instructor Madelaine Bullwinkel, Artisanal Preserves is a how-to guide that is perfect for eager cooks and seasoned preservers alike, providing 100 foolproof recipes for jams, jellies, marmalades, and more. For those new to the craft, it inc... read more
The Self-Care Cookbook, written by health and wellness expert Dr. Frank Ardito, explores the intersection of cooking, eating, health, and wellness by offering 130 recipes designed to help you improve every aspect of your life.Unlike most diet and health cookbo... read more
Latkes. Gnocchi. Aligot. Knishes. Samosas. Munini-imo. Poutine. Potatoes—consumed globally at a rate of about 68 pounds per capita each year—are the stars of some of the world’s most beloved dishes. Perhaps this is why most of us tend to underestimate the humb... read more
In 1924, University of Chicago students Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were young, rich, and looking for a thrill. The crime that came next—the brutal, cold-blood murder of 14-year-old Bobby Franks—would come to captivate the country and unfold into what many... read more
As one of only nine women in a class of 500 at Harvard Law School when she enrolled in 1956 and one of only four female Supreme Court justices in the history of the United States, Ruth Bader Ginsburg is frequently viewed as a feminist trailblazer and an icon f... read more
Discover the culinary heart of Northern Portugal through the stories, food, and history of Bolhão. Bolhão Market’s century-old walls are crumbling as its vendors and visitors wait for the restoration that will return it to its former glory. Though the deterior... read more
Jeff Bezos started Amazon in 1994 as an online bookstore based out of his garage. Since then, the ever-expanding enterprise has revolutionized shopping and, in many important ways, invented e-commerce as we know it. Today, Amazon is the third-most valuable com... read more
At the outset of her career, acclaimed food writer and cooking instructor Gail Monaghan graduated from culinary school knowing a multitude of professional techniques and boasting a vast repertoire of delicious recipes. But alone in her own kitchen, she quickly... read more
Wisconsin Supper Clubs: Another Round, a sequel to author/photographer Ron Faiola's wildly popular first book on the topic (now in its sixth printing), gives readers a peek inside 50 additional clubs from across the Badger State.Traveling from the Northwoods t... read more
“An engrossing, page-turner of a cookbook.” —Brian McGinn, Emmy-nominated director and executive producer, Chef’s TableYou may not realize that Filipino Americans are the second-largest Asian American group living in the United States, especially when you comp... read more
An essential lifestyle guide to reducing headaches and other symptoms related to migraine, vertigo, and Meniere’s disease. Its “slow-approach” plan and more than 75 trigger-free recipes set readers up for success—even when they’re in pain.In The Migraine Relie... read more
"The Human City presents the most cogent, evidence-based and clear-headed exposition of the pro-suburban argument. . . . enriching our understanding of what cities are about and what they can and must become.” —Wall Street JournalAround the globe, most new urb... read more
An unforgettable memoir about a mixed-race Jewish woman who, after fifteen years of estrangement from her racist great-aunt, helps bring her home when Alzheimer’s strikes In 1970, three-day-old Marra B. Gad was adopted by a white Jewish family in Chicago. For ... read more
Bourbon, the first uniquely American distilled spirit, is nearly synonymous with Kentucky, its birthplace. The region conjures images of verdant hills of bluegrass, rolling pastures punctuated like an intricate quilt with horse farms’ defining white fences, co... read more
Asheville Bee Charmer, opened in 2014 by beekeepers Jillian Kelly and Kim Allen, has become a destination for both local foodies and tourists. This honey purveyor, located in one of the most pollinator-friendly parts of the United States, offers a range of bee... read more
Set against a backdrop of social change during the 1970s, State is a compelling first-person account of what it was like to live through both traditional gender discrimination in sports and the joy of the very first days of equality—or at least the closest tha... read more
Most people are familiar with classic Italian pesto, a green sauce made from basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt, and olive oil. But Leslie Lennox, founder of the award-winning artisanal pesto company Hope’s Gardens, shows us that pesto need no... read more
We’ve all ordered from a restaurant menu. But have you ever wondered to what extent the menu is ordering you? In this fascinating new book, art historian and food lover Alison Pearlman takes an inquiring look at the design of physical restaurant menus—their co... read more
Craft beer is the new seasonal ingredient.From Jacquelyn Dodd―the woman behind the award-winning website The Beeroness—comes Lush, a celebration of fruit, vegetables, and craft beer. After all, beer is as seasonal as produce; its ingredients come from the soil... read more

Jessica has 1 review

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Betsy D.

Betsy D.

Jun, 2021

Jessica was everything I had hoped for and more: knowledgable, detailed, exacting, prompt, and an excellent communicator. She did both copy editing and proofreading for me. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for a skillful professional in the editing world.

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