John Briggs – Editor

Freelance editor working with individual authors, small businesses, and organizations, including Ari Publishing. I also continued my journalism career during this period, writing for AOL, USA Today, Livestrong, and other national and local publications.

Five years experience as an editor for a well-known newspaper syndicate, rising to the rank of National Desk Manager overseeing a team of editors contributing materials to print and online media outlets in the United States and Canada. This experience gave me strong analytical skills, made me detail-oriented, and taught me to work quickly under high-pressure deadlines. I was also a nationally syndicated children's TV critic for three years, with my work appearing in such papers as the San Francisco Chronicle, the Toronto Star, and the Kansas City Star.

I provide content/developmental editing and proofreading services for a wide variety of books, from picture books to adult romances, thrillers to humor. Over the years, I've had the privilege of working with authors from around the world. I've taken dozens of workshops related specifically to children's books, am a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and am an author of several picture books and middle-grade titles. While I have a soft spot and lengthy expertise working in the children's book market, I also specialize in humor books.

I oversaw all editorial production for a nationwide educational publisher. Initially this meant revising and updating all current texts and eventually creating new books for parents and students. I went on to become the Communications Director, adding direct-to-consumer marketing and media relations to my publishing duties, placing our writers and company representatives on local TV and radio programs and several notable publications, including Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, and The Christian Science Monitor.