My focus is memoir, upscale fiction and LGTBQ+ in all genres. I run an award-winning publishing house and editing genuinely thrills me.
Overview
I'm a seasoned senior editor at an award-winning indie publishing house, working for over ten years with experienced and debut authors of acclaimed nonfiction and fiction books. I studied writing at Northwestern and, before working as a book editor, delivered big editorial projects for a lot of big brands.As a book editor, here's my core principle: to fully embrace and uphold each author's vision. My job is to refine your voice, message and story authentically, true to you and in service of your readers. That holds for any category or genre, from business books to memoirs to novels. We'll work together to make sure your message or story lands with your readers the way you want it to.I have one bias. I'm a big believer in concision -- always striving for fewer, more powerful words. Precision in writing is more engaging and persuasive, and that's one of the few personal preferences I'll advocate for with anybody's work.We can start from scratch together, you can lean on me for a final polish, or if you're stalled or uncertain, I can find ways to keep your manuscript moving forward. Regardless of our starting point, we'll work in stages, with clear deliverables and timeframes, so you can move at your own pace, charging ahead or pausing if you need to. We'll find a process and rhythm that works best for you. Editing thrills me. I look forward to working together!
For the past 13 years, I've served as senior editor/publisher of an award-winning indie publishing house, earning praise from major and indie media as well as booksellers nationwide. Authors and books have been featured in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Publishers Weekly, and by dozens of others. My primary focus is literary fiction and mainstream nonfiction, principally novels, memoirs and biographies but also LGBTQ titles and business/management titles. Each project stands on its own legs, and I work to help each author realize their own vision, refining and elevating their individual voice and message. Clients I work with via Reedsy are engaged with separately from the editing and publishing services provided by my imprint.
Jon pinpointed weaknesses in my manuscript and made suggestions for reworking them. On time, good communication, gentle constructive criticism.
Darran S.
Feb, 2026
I am very pleased with the quantity and quality of feedback that Jon provided for my manuscript. I feel that he really understands the story I'm trying to tell and knows exactly how to get my message out there. He gave me a lot to work with, shared viewpoints that I never considered, validated so...
John has been invaluable in helping me keep hold of the narrative threads I’d dropped and guiding me to understand why certain choices worked while others needed refining. His assessment was consistently balanced—clear about the strengths, honest about the weaknesses, and always focused on improv...
Jon provided me with a very detailed assessment of my manuscript. As I read through the detailed comments, I could easily understand his references without having to refer to the manuscript. It was clear that his intent was to give me recommendations that supported the characters, narrative and p...
Jon helped me this summer to review and revise my query letter and the first three chapters of my MS. Thanks to his guidance and insight, I feel ready to do the work that is necessary to continue to edit my entire MS and to go in for a second round of querying. His comments have changed not just ...