Jonathan Starke - Editor

I'm an award-winning author with fifteen years of editing and publishing experience. I've evaluated hundreds of manuscripts of all genres from writers at different stages of their careers and helped authors develop successful submission packages for agents and publishers.

I love reading a new manuscript and knowing my edits will bring the writer closer to their publishing goals while also illustrating ways they can develop their craft.

My clients have signed with top-tier agents and publishers, like HarperCollins and Penguin, and become bestsellers, such as the award-winning novel The Boat Runner, or earned multiple number-one spots on the Amazon charts, like the memoir Nocturnal Admissions: Behind the Scenes at Legendary Nightclubs.

What to expect working with me:
• An initial phone call or message exchange to build rapport and discuss your project and goals
• Feel free to ask questions throughout the entire process; I'm quick to respond
• I clean, tighten, and proofread your manuscript offering feedback in the margins
• Or edit and bolster your query and synopsis for agents and publishers
• All edits are completed using Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster's
• Once completed, I deliver two copies of the work, one with the edits showing, the other clean
• And off you go with your polished manuscript or submissions materials!

Testimonials:
• "Hiring Jonathan was the best writing-related decision I ever made. He reads all my work before I send it out, helped me sell my first novel, place dozens of stories in top-tier journals, and guided my writing to new depths." -- Dr. Devin Murphy, bestselling author of The Boat Runner
• "Jonathan exceeded all my expectations: his edits were crisp, insightful, and exact." -- Erin Popelka, founder of Must Read Fiction
• "He helped raise my novel to a prizewinner with his skilled line and copyediting abilities." -- D. E. Lee, author of the prizewinning The Sky After Rain

​A little more about me:
I'm a former bodybuilder and boxer who loves making handcrafted soap, traveling, thrifting, and recycling
My writing has appeared in dozens of top literary journals
My novel, You've Got Something Coming, won the Black Heron Press Award for Social Fiction