Overview
Starting with Electric Literature at its conception, I have worked in leadership positions at four distinct literary journals, including the St. Louis-based River Styx and West Village-based Epiphany Magazine, where I was Managing Editor. At present, I am Editor-in-Chief for the Brazenhead Review based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. A seasoned freelance writer, ghostwriter, and fiction writer in my own right, I have served as primary editor for an award-winning short story (the PEN Robert J. Dau award for first fiction) and coordinated one-on-one with college professors looking to iron out their manuscripts for publication by premier academic presses. Finally, I have years of experience as a freelance proofreader/copy-editor for WW Norton and Hay House.
I work well on deadline, and have, as the saying goes, a breadth of knowledge that runs a mile wide and an inch deep. Going back to 2009, I have edited fiction of almost every stripe — the diversity of lit mag submissions is habitually a source of wonder — and, based on my academic press work, possess a solid understanding of academic projects across the humanities as well. Whether you consider yourself a beginning, intermediate, or seasoned writer, I am confident I have something to offer your project in getting it where it needs to be.
What follow are select endorsements with writers I have worked with on Reedsy.
Ry:
"I don't know exactly what I was expecting with this Reedsy service. But whatever it was, JT exceeded all expectations. His feedback was so helpful. So thoughtful & thorough. And as a first-time short story writer, the overall experience was fun and fascinating. To have someone take such care and attention to your words and worlds; to internalize and synthesize all of that info almost more adroitly than even you, the creator, can, and then identify precisely where improvements might be made—well, it was a totally educating and worthwhile experience. Not to mention JT's edits struck the perfect balance between prescriptive and suggestive. He doesn't try to stamp any sort of my-way-or-the-highway matters of opinion. Instead, he observes and goads and subtly provokes. He sharpens your hindsight bias into laser-focus—"oh, of course I should have done this or done that," you'll say. "It's so obvious now." And his manner of getting you to that point will be equal parts friendly and authoritative. AKA, he's fun to work with. And damn good at what he does."
Nailah:
"Exceeded five stars in every category... can't say enough good about this editor.
I chose JT based on the outstanding reviews I read from writers like myself. The quality and value of his expertise and insight guided me to complete my memoir in the way I had initially envisioned. He was very patient, easy to work with and accessible."
Brent:
I wanted someone who was New York savvy to do a copy edit on my first book. Fortunately, I found him. JT zeroed in on structure, punctuation, and other errors I'd completely overlooked. GOOD WORK, GOOD GUY, GOOD CHOICE!
Services
Non-Fiction
Fiction
Languages
Work experience
Brazenhead Review
Select and edit stories for publication in the Brazenhead Review, named for the late Michael Seidenberg's "speakeasy" bookstore on the Upper East Side.
Hay House
Provide copy editing for and proofreading of Hay House's distinguished series of self-help titles, including work by such authors as Deepak Chopra, David Hawkins, Tricia Huffman, and Mark C. Crowley.
Epiphany Magazine
Stepped in for lit journal in leadership crisis. Edited, assigned, and augmented website fare, incl. concept for monthly columns; evaluated story submissions, both fiction and non-; edited PEN Robert J. Dau-winning story (prize for first published fiction). We published all sorts of work, from contemporary fiction, to historical fiction, to historical nonfiction, to humor, to mystery.
University of Chicago Press
Worked with college president Laurie L. Patton on finessing prose, proofreading, and adopting structure to meet U of Chicago editorial requests: the book is a survey of responses, from the 1980s to the present, to religious scholarship—whether the scholar be an outsider to the community under the proverbial microscope, or someone raised within it—and the increasingly common expectation of concerted blowback to such scholarship.
Onion River Press
Primary editor for chapters as they were composed by Professor Victor Nuovo in his succinct survey of political thinkers from Plato onwards, including Machiavelli, Hobbes, Spinoza, Locke, Diderot, and concluding with Madison and the U.S. Constitution.
The University of North Carolina Press
Worked with author and professor Shalom Goldman on finessing prose, proofreading, and adopting structure to meet UNC Press editorial requests. The book is a historical survey of cultural figures from the US who have made the voyage to Israel, and of the significance and legacy of those exchanges, as Israel evolved from being a darling of the American left to a wedge issue for the American right.
River Styx
Stepped in as Fiction Editor for venerable lit journal in leadership crisis; solicited and evaluated fiction submissions; edited and proofread work for print issue. Edited the work of seasoned writers, with significant followings, including a graphic novel artist, as well as a piece of debut fiction.
WW Norton Co.
Proofread various manuscripts on behalf of production editor. Titles included Sell Your Story in a Single Sentence, How to Be an Artist Without Losing Your Mind, Backyard Woodland, and a reissue of the novel Look to the Mountain by LeGrand Cannon Jr.
Electric Literature
Worked with Editor-in-Chief and Editor to determine content and ordering of issue; managed submissions with assistance of staff of volunteer readers. During my tenure, we published Michael Cunningham, Lydia Millet, Colson Whitehead, Lydia Davis, Rick Moody, and more.
JT has 33 reviews
Professionalism
Quality
Value
Responsiveness
Mel J.
Aug, 2024
Christine W.
Aug, 2024
David A.
Jun, 2024
Nate B.
May, 2024
Tim A.
Jul, 2023
Sign up to read more reviews
Create a free Reedsy account to connect with JT and thousands of other publishing professionals on Reedsy.