Overview
Book editing is my calling. Helping writers shape and polish their literary fiction, commercial fiction and memoirs is my passion and my purpose.I spent 20+ years acquiring and doing developmental edits and line edits for bestselling, award-winning, reader favorite, well-reviewed books at HarperCollins, Harlequin and Amazon Publishing. I work closely with writers and there's nothing I love more than doing in-depth, thorough editorial letters. They are total fun for me. And I always have these goals: to bring out your manuscript's best moments and to help you make it shine. I work with writers at every stage of their careers: debut, independently published, traditionally published, hybrid, mid- or experienced. Ultimately, what I want is what you want: for readers to feel extremely satisfied with each storytelling have some writerly-editorial fun along the way!Testimonials from Author Collaborations on Reedsy ~"Kelli went above and beyond with her level of professionalism and communication. Her edits are are a lovely combination of necessary constructive suggestions and encouraging highlights. She was always responsive in a timely manner and gave thorough, detailed edits with her final review. I hope to collaborate with Kelli in the future and truly respect her work as a skilled editor." --Susannah Harris,"Working with Kelli was a joy and she really brought out the tension in my book that may have been struggling in parts. Her focus was always on the overall story and my publishing goals. That means her suggested changes will have a purpose that is easier to swallow as a writer. We tend to be precious about our words so it's nice to have an editor who respects them and offers a variety of solutions to fix certain things." --A.L. Goulden(I do not edit Young Adult or New Adult. The word count for manuscripts I edit are 70,000-100,000 words).
Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Inspirational
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction
Contemporary Romance
Literary Fiction
Psychological Thriller
Romantic Comedy
Women's Fiction
Languages
English (US)
Certifications
- B.A. from Williams College
Work experience
Self-employed
Jun, 2017 —
Present
I love spending my days doing developmental edits and line edits for individual authors and publishing houses, including Harlequin Books, Hallmark Publishing and Amazon Publishing.
Amazon Publishing
Sep, 2011 —
Jun, 2017
(over 5 years)
I served as launch editor for Montlake Romance, where I was the original acquisitions editor for romance juggernauts Catherine Bybee and Tracy Brogan. I edited novels by popular authors Bybee, Brogan, Carolyn Brown, novellas by Kendra Elliot and Melinda Leigh and successful breakout books A Dark Lure by Loreth Anne White, One Lavender Ribbon by Heather Burch and Just One Thing by Holly Jacobs.
In addition to my editing work in romance, I edited successful breakout books in commercial fiction: The Everything Series by Kerry Lonsdale, The Halo Effect by Anne LeClaire, What Remains True by Janis Thomas and Lies That Bind Us by Andrew Hart.
Harlequin
Jan, 2008 —
Aug, 2011
(over 3 years)
I loved working at Harlequin, where I led a boutique imprint that published romance pioneer Brenda Jackson as well as Jacquelin Thomas, Sally Christopher, and A.C. Arthur.
Self-employed
May, 2007 —
Jan, 2008
(8 months)
I devoted my days to writing reading group guides for Random House novels and book reviews for Publishers Weekly. In addition, I freelance edited manuscripts for Harlequin.
Hyperion Books for Children/Disney Publishing Worldwide
May, 2005 —
May, 2007
(about 2 years)
Led award-winning, pioneering boutique imprint Jump at the Sun. This was my first foray into the children's book world, where I learned so much about how art interacts with text. Plus, it was my first opportunity to lead an imprint.
HarperCollins Publishers
Feb, 1998 —
May, 2005
(about 7 years)
I was promoted up the editorial ladder as I edited fiction, non-fiction and poetry for imprints William Morrow, Harper and Amistad.
Simon & Schuster
Aug, 1996 —
Feb, 1998
(over 1 year)
I was so excited to move to New York City for my first job in publishing. I had very broad-based job where I was fortunate to interact with the Sales, Art, and Production departments. But it was working with Editorial that made the most impact.
Border Books
Dec, 1995 —
Aug, 1996
(8 months)
I absolutely loved recommending books to readers, especially teens who needed books for book reports. It was like matchmaking. I wanted them to have fun with the books they chose.
Portfolio
She can’t change what’s come before. But letting go could bring healing—and the rare love that comes once in a lifetime.When Ohio pastry chef Jada Brooks and her two best friends restored the glorious Wayfair Inn, it was a boon to Sweet Lake—and to their own l... read more
“Sometimes, you find yourself inadvertently in the dark. But I’d discovered that if you stopped fighting against it and just stood still, sometimes something marvelous comes along.”Artist Lexie McCain spends her days literally weaving the story of her life int... read more
The seventh and final tale in the dazzling, heartwarming, and pulse-racing Weekday Brides series.Gabriella Masini: She’s a woman haunted by her past, with the scars to prove it. She believes that fairy tales are for other people. An elite matchmaker at Allianc... read more
She swore off love forever…but he just might change her mind.The sixth sweet, thrilling book in the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling Weekday Brides series from Catherine Bybee.Meg Rosenthal: Matchmaker by day, realist by night, Me... read more
He’ll do anything to keep her safe…for the rest of their lives.Romance and excitement tie the knot in Taken by Tuesday, the fifth book in Catherine Bybee’s bestselling Weekday Brides series.Judy Gardner: College graduate Judy stands ready to conquer the world…... read more
She has a secret. He has a scandal. And they both have an attraction they can’t deny. Ella Dennings is furious. Soaking wet, muddy, and furious. All she wants is to enjoy a quiet summer retreat in her Red River Valley cabin. Maybe she can finish healing after ... read more
An exquisite tour de force, The Laws of Gravity is a testament to what it means to be a family, what it takes to save a life, and the lengths we will go to protect the ones we love. Two families, bound by blood. One decision holds the key to survival. Nicole, ... read more
Tessa Wilson’s life is all over the map. She may be clumsy, but this time she’s stumbled into a pickle by choice, not by accident. She’s agreed to take a month-long trip around Texas jammed into a ’59 Cadillac with a drama-loving teenager, two elderly spitfire... read more
Stella’s mama never should’ve put Stella on the church prayer list. With Stella’s twenty-seventh birthday coming up fast, Nancy desperately wants to see her daughter married and giving her grandbabies. Petitioning heaven seems like a surefire way to get it don... read more
Bell Harbor is a one-million copy bestselling series.Everyone in Bell Harbor thinks career-minded plastic surgeon Evelyn Rhoades needs a husband. Everyone, that is, except for Evelyn…sort of. Even if she did want a husband (which she doesn’t…most of the time),... read more
Falling in love can come with the most unexpected risks in this First Wives novel from New York Times bestselling author Catherine Bybee.Avery Grant doesn’t date. Her first marriage was a mutually beneficial contract that gave her the financial freedom she nee... read more
New York Times bestselling author Catherine Bybee continues her sassy series with another of the First Wives finding that love and secrets are a dangerous combination.Trina Petrov’s marriage-by-contract was only meant to be temporary. But when tragedy strikes,... read more
From New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Catherine Bybee comes the sixth novel in the warm and witty Not Quite series.No one drives in New York City. Everyone knows that, including California transplant Rachel Price. But that doesn’t stop... read more
New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Catherine Bybee delivers the fifth heartwarming, flirty novel in the wildly popular Not Quite series.Mary Kildare knows how to read people. It’s both why she makes a great therapist and why she refuses ... read more
The touching and heartwarming fourth novel in the wildly popular Not Quite series from New York Times bestselling author Catherine Bybee.Romance author Dakota Laurens believes that happily-ever-afters exist only between the covers of her sexy novels. But to he... read more
From New York Times, USA Today, and WSJ bestselling author Catherine Bybee comes the second novel in the delicious Not Quite series. Gorgeous hotel heiress Katelyn “Katie” Morrison seems to have it all. But when she crosses paths with Dean Prescott—the only ma... read more
From New York Times, USA Today, and WSJ bestselling author Catherine Bybee comes the first novel in the delicious Not Quite series. Waitress and single mom Jessica “Jessie” Mann is practical to a fault. Even if she had time to date, which she doesn’t, she’d be... read more
A #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller. In the final book in Amazon Charts bestselling author Catherine Bybee’s Most Likely To trilogy, River Bend’s rebel follows in her father’s footsteps to become sheriff. But it might be time to forge her own path…Some kids in... read more
A Wall Street Journal bestseller.Zoe Brown may have been voted Most Likely to Never Leave River Bend, but the paper-thin walls and suffocating air of her family’s double-wide trailer were not what she wanted for her life. Other than BFFs Melanie and Jo, the on... read more
Voted Most Likely to Succeed, Melanie Bartlett ended up anything but. The down-on-her-luck single mom wants a complete do-over—is that too much to ask? With her family long gone from River Bend, strong, independent Mel is as surprised as anyone to end up in th... read more
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jamie McGuire comes a riveting tale of first love that starts young but runs deep.The first time Elliott Youngblood spots Catherine Calhoun, he’s just a boy with a camera, and he’s never seen a sadder and more beautifu... read more
When Olivia Shaw’s mother dies, the sophisticated food editor is astonished to learn she’s inherited a centuries-old English estate—and a title to go with it. Raw with grief and reeling from the knowledge that her reserved mother hid something so momentous, Ol... read more
Healing the wounds of the past doesn’t come easy in this novel of friendship and forgiveness from award-winning author Liz Talley.Summer Valentine has returned to Moonlight, South Carolina, a very different woman from the naive wallflower who left years before... read more
It’s the phone call every parent dreads: in the middle of the night, Sandy Cline learns that her twenty-year-old son, Jordan, has been in a car accident. Her nephew, Travis, was also in the car, along with Travis’s girlfriend. All three are alive—but barely. T... read more
I’m the fat Puerto Rican–Polish girl who doesn’t feel like she belongs in her skin, or anywhere else for that matter. I’ve always been too much and yet not enough.Sugar Legowski-Gracia wasn’t always fat, but fat is what she is now at age seventeen. Not as fat ... read more
In this mesmerizing drama, one life-altering event catapults a family into turmoil, revealing secrets that may leave them fractured forever . . . or bind them together tighter than ever before.From the outside, the Davenports look like any other family living ... read more
Can a stack of long-hidden love letters from a WWII war hero inspire a heartbroken woman to love again?Reeling from a bitter divorce, Adrienne Carter abandons Chicago and retreats to the sun, sand, and beauty of Southern Florida, throwing herself into the rest... read more
Twelve years ago, Sarah Baker was abducted by the Watt Lake Killer and sexually assaulted for months before managing to escape. The killer was caught, but Sarah lost everything: her marriage, her child, and the life she loved.Struggling with PTSD, Sarah change... read more
From a prize-winning and New York Times bestselling author comes a chilling novel of deception under the sun…Jan needs this. She’s flying to Crete to reunite with friends she met there five years ago and relive an idyllic vacation. Basking in the warmth of the... read more
In this tour de force, a father, shaken by tragedy, tries to avenge his daughter’s murder—and restore his family’s shattered life.It was supposed to be a typical October evening for renowned portrait artist Will Light. Over dinner of lamb tagine, his wife, Sop... read more
From the author of Everything We Keep comes the final novel in the Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling Everything Series. Brimming with suspense, mystery, and romance, Everything We Give brings to a powerful close the gripping series of love, lie... read more
An Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestseller.From the bestselling author of Everything We Keep comes the highly anticipated sequel. Told from one man’s two perspectives, Everything We Left Behind effortlessly blends suspense, mystery, and romance in an ... read more
An Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestseller.A luminous debut with unexpected twists, Everything We Keep explores the devastation of loss, the euphoria of finding love again, and the pulse-racing repercussions of discovering the truth about the ones we ... read more
Kelli has 4 reviews
Professionalism
Quality
Value
Responsiveness
Mario K.
Apr, 2023
Ramona H.
Oct, 2022
Susannah H.
Jul, 2020
A.L. G.
Oct, 2019
