Karli Jackson - Editor
Clarksville, TN, United States
Editor who specializes in developing manuscripts and is passionate about helping authors craft their best stories!
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Overview
Hello! My focus as an editor is to take your story to the next level by evaluating character development, structure and pacing, overall tone, and consistency throughout the manuscript. It’s always my goal to maintain the integrity of what an author has created and elevate the existing strengths of a story while fine-tuning what hasn’t quite come across on the page!
I began my career with the rights department at HarperCollins Christian Publishing and transitioned to the editorial team where I found my passion nurturing relationships with authors and helping them shape and create their stories.
My editing credits include New York Times and USA Today bestsellers and award-winning authors such as Rachel Hauck, Lauren Denton, and Denise Hunter. During my time as an acquisitions editor, I worked closely with authors from the development of a story idea through its substantive edit and onward to titling, packaging, and jacket copy.
It’s become my first priority to build trust and understanding with an author, and the process that follows is not only productive but fun! Every author and their manuscript is different, and it’s an honor to get to come alongside such a personal and creative process.
I began my career with the rights department at HarperCollins Christian Publishing and transitioned to the editorial team where I found my passion nurturing relationships with authors and helping them shape and create their stories.
My editing credits include New York Times and USA Today bestsellers and award-winning authors such as Rachel Hauck, Lauren Denton, and Denise Hunter. During my time as an acquisitions editor, I worked closely with authors from the development of a story idea through its substantive edit and onward to titling, packaging, and jacket copy.
It’s become my first priority to build trust and understanding with an author, and the process that follows is not only productive but fun! Every author and their manuscript is different, and it’s an honor to get to come alongside such a personal and creative process.
Services
Languages
English (US)
Fiction
Literary Fiction
Romance
Women's Fiction
Young Adult
Certifications
- Chicago Manual of Style
Work experience
Associate Acquisitions Editor
HarperCollins Christian Publishing
August, 2016
–
November, 2017
(over 1 year)
During my time as an acquisitions editor, I worked closely with authors from the development of a story idea through its substantive edit and onward to titling, packagaing, and jacket copy. My editing credits include New York Times and USA Today bestsellers and award-winning authors such as Rachel Hauck, Lauren Denton, and Denise Hunter. I worked with authors writing in a broad range of genres, including but not limited to romance, women’s fiction, Southern fiction, split-time, and Amish.
Associate Editor
HarperCollins Christian Publishing
January, 2014
–
August, 2016
(over 2 years)
As an associate editor, I managed the proofreading and production stage of the editorial process for half of the HCCP Fiction list, including both Thomas Nelson and Zondervan titles.
Subsidiary Rights Specialist
HarperCollins Christian Publishing
July, 2012
–
January, 2014
(over 1 year)
Managed accounts and created pitch sheets for film and TV opportunities for all of HarperCollins Christian Publishing’s catalog, to include both fiction and nonfiction titles.
Portfolio (52 selected works)
Reason to Breathe (A Chandler Sisters Novel Book 1)
Raney, Deborah
The Secrets of Paper and Ink
Harrel, Lindsay
Cooking Up Christmas
Jane, CS
Going Home: Snow Globe Café Book One
Calton, Kelly J
Things We Keep: A Lowcountry Novel
Hostetter, Heidi
ANOINTED: BethEl Book One
Hutzel, H.R.
WITNESS: BethEl Book Two (Anointed)
Hutzel, H.R.
Our Shared Story: Can Best Friends fall in Love?
McCormick, CJ
Fragments of Light
Phoenix, Michele
Scouting for Love
McCormick, CJ
Eddie's Boy
Schwab, Robert
The Beekeeper's Wife
Hinton, Lynne
Hooked on You (A Maple Falls Romance)
Fuller, Kathleen
Matched and Married (An Amish Mail-Order Bride Novel)
Fuller, Kathleen
The Lambda Factor
Patel Desai, Dimple
The London House
Katherine Reay, Madeleine Maby, Harper Muse
Earning It
Dodd, E.F.
Risky Restoration
Dodd, E F
The Hideaway
Lauren K. Denton
Now a USA Today and Amazon Charts Bestseller!“A story both powerful and enchanting: a don’t-miss novel in the greatest southern traditions of storytelling.” —Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling authorWhen her grandmother’s will wrenches Sara back home, she learns more about Margaret Van Buren in the wake of her death than she ever knew in life.After her last remaining family membe... read more
From the author of the USA Today bestseller The Hideaway comes another story of families and mending the past.Betsy and Ty Franklin, owners of Franklin Dairy Farm in southern Alabama, have long since buried their desire for children of their own. While Ty manages their herd of dairy cows, Betsy busies herself with the farm’s day-to-day operations and tries to forget her dream of motherhood. Bu... read more
The Writing Desk
Rachel Hauck
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Dress comes a new captivating novel of secrets, romance, and two women bound together across time by a shared dream.Tenley Roth’s first book was a runaway bestseller. Now that her second book is due, she’s locked in fear. Can she repeat her earlier success or is she a fraud who has run out of inspiration?With pressure mounting from her ... read more
The Wedding Shop
Rachel Hauck
From New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Dress comes The Wedding Shop.Two women separated by decades. Both set out to help others find their dreams when their own have crumbled.It's the early 1930s, but Cora Scott is walking in stride as a career woman ?after having inherited her great aunt's wedding shop in Heart’s Bend, Tennessee, where brides come from as far away as Birmingham... read more
The Wedding Chapel
Rachel Hauck
From New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Dress comes The Wedding Chapel.A lonely wedding chapel built as a tribute to lost love just might hold the long-awaited secret to hope and reconciliation.For sixty years, the wedding chapel has stood silent and empty. Retired football hall-of-famer Jimmy “Coach” Westbrook built the chapel by hand, stone by stone, for his beautiful and belov... read more
Ascension of Larks
Rachel Linden
“Winsome kids and family friends add depth and warmth to the well-developed cast of characters. Readers will eagerly await future offerings from this promising new author.”--Publishers Weekly, STARRED review“Linden’s debut novel is a bittersweet tale of enduring friendship, family ties, and the complexities of love that will engage readers of thoughtful women’s fiction.”--Library Journal, STAR... read more
Sisters Waverly Ross and Charlie Talbot have spent all of their adult lives on separate continents pursuing their very different dreams and dealing with life’s hurdles independent of each other. But when the aunt who raised them passes away, they come together again only to realize how desperately they need each other.Celebrity chef Waverly Ross has built a successful career with her home ente... read more
The Angels' Share
James Markert
Some believed he was the second coming of Christ.William wasn’t so sure.But when that drifter was buried next to the family distillery, everything changed.Now that Prohibition has ended, what the townspeople of Twisted Tree, Kentucky, need most is the revival of the Old Sam Bourbon distillery. But William McFee knows it’ll take a miracle to convince his father, Barley, to once more fill his fa... read more
All Things Bright and Strange
James Markert
In the wake of World War I in the small, Southern town of Bellhaven, South Carolina, the town folk believe they’ve found a little slice of heaven in a mysterious chapel in the woods. But they soon realize that evil can come in the most beautiful of forms.The people of Bellhaven have always looked to Ellsworth Newberry for guidance, but after losing his wife and his future as a professional pit... read more
What Blooms from Dust: A Novel
James Markert
Just as Jeremiah Goodbye is set to meet his fate in the electric chair, a tornado tears down the prison walls, and he is given a second chance at life. With the flip of a coin, he decides to return to his home town of Nowhere, Oklahoma, to settle the score with his twin brother Josiah. But upon his escape, he enters a world he doesn’t recognize—one that has been overtaken by the Dust Bowl. And... read more
Blue Ridge Sunrise (A Blue Ridge Romance)
Denise Hunter
"This must-read romance stirs a touch of heat into a sweet story of self-acceptance and rekindled love. Recommended!" USATodayFormer free spirit Zoe Collins swore she'd never again set foot in Copper Creek or speak to the man who broke her heart. But return she must when her beloved Granny dies, leaving the family legacy to Zoe--a peach orchard nestled at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains.W... read more
Sweetbriar Cottage
Denise Hunter
“Sweetbriar Cottage is a story to fall in love with. True-to-life characters, high stakes, and powerful chemistry blend to tell an emotional story of reconciliation.” —Brenda Novak, New York Times bestselling authorWhen Noah and Josephine discover their divorce was never actually finalized, their lives are turned upside down.Following his divorce, Noah gave up his dream job and settled at a re... read more
Just a Kiss (A Summer Harbor Novel)
Denise Hunter
Riley Callahan’s plans to reveal his secret feelings for his best friend are derailed when his life is drastically altered in Afghanistan.Watching the love of his life fall for his brother was enough to send Riley straight to boot camp. But over a year later, he’s officially a marine, and Beau and Paige are no longer an item. When Riley’s tour in Afghanistan is up, he intends to confess his fe... read more
The Goodbye Bride (A Summer Harbor Novel)
Denise Hunter
She only remembers loving him. But he can’t forget the way she left. Lucy Lovett can’t remember the last seven months of her life. She doesn’t remember leaving her fiancé Zac Callahan weeks before their wedding or moving to Portland, Maine. And she sure doesn’t remember getting engaged to another man. All she remembers is loving Zac more than life itself. Zac was just beginning to get his life... read more
Honeysuckle Dreams (A Blue Ridge Romance)
Denise Hunter
After Brady Collins’ ex-wife dies, he receives devastating news—his nine-month-old son Sam isn’t his son at all. And Sam’s wealthy maternal grandparents want custody of the child. Brady knows he’s in for the fight of his life. But regardless of what any blood test says, Sam is his son, and Brady will go to any lengths to keep him.Brady’s attorney tips him off that one major life change would v... read more
The Love Letter: A Novel
Rachel Hauck
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Dress comes a story of long-lost love and its redemption in future generations.With the colonies at war and his country divided, Hamilton Lightfoot must choose sides: Fight for the British Crown or for the Independence of America. But after witnessing the death of his family at the hands of redcoats, he fears he’ll fight for revenge ins... read more
Lindsay Harrel presents a powerful story of healing, adventure, and learning how to live life to the fullest.Megan Jacobs always wished for a different heart. Her entire childhood was spent in and out of hospitals, sitting on the sidelines while her twin sister Crystal played all the sports, got all the guys, and had all the fun. But even a heart transplant three years ago wasn’t enough to pro... read more
Love Held Captive (A Lone Star Hero’s Love Story)
Shelley Shepard Gray
After the War Between the States, a Confederate officer longs to heal the heart of a beautiful woman—but first he’ll have to right the wrongs that were done to her.Major Ethan Kelly has never been able to absolve himself of the guilt he feels for raiding a woman’s home shortly before he was taken prisoner during the Civil War. He is struggling to get through each day until he once again crosse... read more
An Uncommon Protector (A Lone Star Hero’s Love Story)
Shelley Shepard Gray
Overwhelmed by the responsibilities of running a ranch on her own, Laurel Tracey decides to hire a convict—a man who’s just scary enough to take care of squatters and just desperate enough to agree to a one year post.The years following the war have been hard on Laurel Tracey. Both her brother and her father died in battle, and her mother passed away shortly after receiving word of their demis... read more
An Amish Summer: Four Novellas
Shelley Shepard Gray, Amy Clipston, Kathleen Fuller, Kelly Irvin
A new novella collection of sweet, summer romances from some of our favorite Amish authors!A Reunion in Pinecraft by Shelley Shepard GrayWhen sisters Sharon and Sherilyn Kramer attend a wedding in Shipshewana, one of them returns with a new penpal while the other returns to her job at the bakery. After sending weekly letters back and forth, Sherry and Graham Holland arrange a reunion in Pinecr... read more
An Amish Heirloom: A Legacy of Love, The Cedar Chest, The Treasured Book, A Midwife's Dream
Amy Clipston, Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, Kelly Irvin
A Legacy of Love by Amy ClipstonLocal volunteer fire fighter Leon King agrees to repair his ex-girlfriend Susie Bontrager’s grandparents’ antique rocking chairs for her future home with her fiance and is forced to acknowledge that his feelings for her have not quite gone away. As Susie spends time with Leon, she begins to recognize she is marrying the wrong man for all the wrong reasons.The Ce... read more
They Took My Wife's Breast
Olive, Ken
Greco's Game: An Aleksandr Talanov thriller
Turner, James Houston
Department Thirteen: An Aleksandr Talanov thriller
Turner, James Houston
Fit to Be Tied (Bucklin Family Reunion Book 2)
Mayne, Debby
Her Majesty's Quill: Naupaka Novella 1
Kanehl, Mira
String of Treason: A Novella (Naupaka Book 2)
Kanehl, Mira
Existence: The Lives of Annika Venn
Vitale, Maria
Amish Midwives: Three Stories
Clipston, Amy, Gray, Shelley Shepard, Long, Kelly
Karli has 13 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
Karli is an experienced and professional editor. I hired her for a developmental edit; she did a great job honing in on the story I was trying to tell, and gave me pointers on improvements to tell that story better. I felt she understood my characters (and could even point at something and say, "this felt out of character for X! What would feel more believable is...") and her suggestions were t...
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Sara Wegman, September 2022
Karli did an excellent job of evaluating the big picture and helping me to decide on key structural adjustments to bring my manuscript to a professional level. More importantly she provided recommendations with tactful grace while inspiring me and my writing journey.
Timothy Frazier, March 2022
Karli Jackson, gave me a glowing Developmental Edit report. As soon as I can make the basic changes she suggests, I’ll do a phone consult and finish up my “ready for agent” draft.
I am more than satisfied with Karli’s assessment and the way she presented her thoughts to me. I look forward to our continued collaboration.
Mary Pfeiffer, July 2021
Karli is easy to work with. As a new author, I found her assistance with the basics helped me immensely. Her collaborative style explains the 'why' of each of her critiques. This enables you to improve your technique or decide if you want to use her suggestion or not.
Larry Webber, May 2021
Karli did a great job on my developmental edit. She had so many ideas that will help me shape the manuscript. I am a novice and feel like her contribution was substantial and worth every penny.
Jennifer Snyder, April 2020
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