Lara Jones – Editor

I'm an editor at Simon and Schuster with 8 years of experience working on #1 internationally bestselling fiction and non-fiction titles.

Overview

As an editor, I've worked on a variety of projects including thrillers, women's fiction, psychological suspense, mysteries, crime procedurals, literary fiction, fiction in translation, and select non-fiction (I'd be happy to discuss my involvement on any of the titles below). No matter the genre, I strive to help authors create a dynamic finished manuscript and ensure a smooth publication process. I'm available to help at any stage of your writing process, from development to line edits to proofreading to drafting query letters. I'd love to chat about how I can help you get to the next stage of your book!

Services

Editorial Assessment

Query Letter Review

Fiction

Historical Fiction Horror Literary Fiction Mystery & Crime Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction

Non-Fiction

True Crime

Languages

English (US)

Certifications

Columbia Publishing Course (2014)

Work experience

Editor

Simon & Schuster--Emily Bestler Books/Atria Books

Jun, 2015 — Present

-Acquires books for a division of Simon and Schuster -Edits manuscripts, providing big-picture editorial letters and detailed line edits -Evaluates proposals, writes pass letters, creates acquisition materials

Editorial Assistant

Europa Editions

Sep, 2014 — Apr, 2015 (7 months)

-Evaluated manuscripts and wrote readers reports -Proofread acquired manuscripts, drafted jacket copy -Translated Italian media hits for jacket and marketing purposes -Wrote reading group guides, sales and marketing copy, social media posts, and monthly newsletters

Portfolio

The Chateau: A Novel

Goldis, Jaclyn

Chef's Kiss: A Novel

Alexander, TJ

To the Greatest Heights: Facing Danger, Finding Humility, and Climbing a Mountain of Truth

Vanessa O'Brien

This riveting and uplifting memoir by Vanessa O’Brien, record-breaking American-British explorer, takes you on an unexpected journey to the top of the world’s highest mountains. Long before she became the first American woman to summit K2 and the first British... read more

The Split: A Novel

Frick, Kit

Chef's Choice: A Novel (Chef's Kiss)

Alexander, TJ

All the White Spaces: A Novel

Wilkes, Ally

Vessel: A Novel

Lisa A. Nichols

An astronaut returns to Earth after losing her entire crew to an inexplicable disaster, but is her version of what happened in space the truth? Or is there more to the story…. A tense, psychological thriller perfect for fans of Dark Matter and The Martian. Aft... read more

Lara has 10 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Ted L.

Jan, 2024

Lara provided a comprehensive editorial review. It highlighted areas of the draft that were working as well as those which could be omitted or rewritten. She helped me determine the elements of the story (characters, plot devices) that were working, and those that could be further improved. I hig...

Reply from Lara J.

Thanks for your kind words, Ted, it was a pleasure working with you!

Resolute L.

Sep, 2023

Lara provided an invaluable comprehensive editorial assessment of my manuscript and offered insightful guidance on my query letter. I appreciated Lara's thoroughness and tact in delivering direct feedback. I found her perspective illuminating as it navigated the developmental elements of the manu...

Michael H.

Jul, 2023

Enjoyed working with her. Thoughtful and precise. Answered my questions. Helped me understand and grow.

Dan D.

Mar, 2023

Lara is wonderful to work with and her years of experience in professional publishing are invaluable. The query she drafted is fantastic. It’s clear, concise, and interesting, all while capturing the soul of my manuscript’s story. What’s more, thanks to Lara the query now has excellent —and relev...

Tyrone T.

Nov, 2021

Lara has been great to work with. I'm pretty new to the writing/publishing world and it has not been easy to step outside of myself and see what I'm not doing so well. She's done a great job with this developmental edit on my manuscript and I'm definitely looking to work with her again in the n...