Kerry Cullen

Kerry Cullen – Editor

I'm interested in thoughtful, voice-driven manuscripts. I especially love stories that include queer characters and/or speculative elements.

Overview

I am an editor and writer who has worked on both the editorial and the agency side of book publishing, as well as having read submissions for multiple literary magazines. I'm happy to give insight on how to streamline a query letter and make it stand out.


I am a writer myself--my debut novel is forthcoming from Simon and Schuster in 2025. I earned my MFA at Columbia University, and I've also had many of my own stories published, so I also have a unique perspective on the editor-author relationship, and pride myself on open and empathetic communication with authors.




TESTIMONIALS


"Kerry C. is an exceptional editor with incredibly sharp editorial instincts. She has the rare ability to provide structural and thematic feedback along with granular, sentence-level suggestions. She has an eye for distilling the essence of a story and communicating this with clear, actionable edits. I have rarely worked with an editor who has her poetic sensibility to language and empathy for the writer. Kerry is also incredibly fast—she immediately grasped the themes of my novel and articulated the central tensions and character relationships in ways I had struggled to put into words."

--Sanaë Lemoine, author of The Margot Affair

Services
Fiction
Coming of Age Contemporary Fiction Contemporary Romance Horror LGBTQ Fiction Magical Realism Psychological Thriller Time Travel
Languages
English (US)

Work experience

JMH Scouting

Sep, 2022 — Jan, 2024 (over 1 year)

Henry Holt & Company

Aug, 2015 — Nov, 2020 (over 5 years)

Curtis Brown, Ltd.

Aug, 2014 — Aug, 2015 (about 1 year)

One Story Magazine

Apr, 2012 — Aug, 2014 (over 2 years)

Portfolio

Oola: A Novel

Newell, Brittany

Want: A Novel

Strong, Lynn Steger

Port Anna

Buck, Libby

Simon & Schuster

Princess Dracula

Kennedy, John Patrick

Kerry has 85 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Ellen B.

Ellen B.

Mar, 2025

I had a feeling Kerry was the right person to work with after we exchanged a few messages during the offering process. She was so thoughtful with every communication, and it helped that we had really similar taste in novels . Now that I've received her feedback, I know for certain that Kerry was ...
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Brandy T.

Brandy T.

Dec, 2024

Kerry is always great! Insightful, thorough and very helpful. Her recommendations are always right on. She's excellent at pinpointing character issues.
Amelia B.

Amelia B.

Nov, 2024

Working with Kerry absolutely went above and beyond my expectations. I was on the fence about working with someone at this point, but I'm so glad that I did. Kerry went through my manuscript with so much thought and care and asked me so many important and necessary questions. She also pointed out...
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Joy C. D.

Joy C. D.

Sep, 2024

Kerry provided a level of service that was not only effective but also deeply supportive of my creative goals. She is responsive, perceptive, and skilled at enhancing a manuscript while respecting the heart of my story. Kerry is truly gifted and has made my story shine.
Melissa R.

Melissa R.

Jun, 2024

This is the second time I've worked with Kerry on a writing project. This time, Kerry looked at my first chapter and query letter. Her specific feedback is exactly what I need to fine tune this next revision. She's so uniquely insightful that I'll definitely be working with her again.

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