Larissa Melo Pienkowski – Editor

Hi, authors! As a literary agent*, editor, and sensitivity reader, I'm excited to share my editorial insight and years of expertise in the publishing industry to help you achieve your writing goals.

I approach editing as a dialogue. Rather than telling you what to change in your writing, I pose questions, offer suggestions, and shine a light on overlooked editorial issues to help you think more deeply about what you want to convey in your writing and how you might go about doing so. My goal is to work alongside you to strengthen your craft, preserve your voice, and amplify diverse experiences with understanding and compassion.

Before going into publishing, I was a social worker, which continues to inform much of my approach and my values throughout the editorial process. After earning my MA in Publishing and Writing from Emerson College, I began my publishing career at Beacon Press, Barefoot Books, and Dottir Press, and I gained experience in book acquisitions, editorial, production, publicity, and marketing before becoming a literary agent at Jill Grinberg Literary Management.*

For nearly a decade now, I've edited books by self-published authors and authors traditionally published at houses like Macmillan; St. Martin’s Press; Tor; Soho Press; Sourcebooks; Little, Brown; Hub City Press; And Other Stories; Dottir Press; Barefoot Books; and others.

While I have experience and passion for editing across genres and age groups, I have a soft spot for:

• romance and rom-coms;

• light fantasy and magical realism;

• women's fiction/book club fiction;

• horror, cozy mysteries, dark academia;

• historical fiction featuring stories, places, and time periods we don't often hear about;

• middle-grade and YA fiction;

• new adult/coming-of-age fiction; and

• adult literary fiction.

As the multilingual, mixed-race daughter of Brazilian and Polish immigrants, a proud member of #LatinxinPub, and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I am especially excited about working with BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, disabled, neurodivergent, and other historically marginalized authors.

Services I offer:

• editorial assessments

• developmental editing

• copyediting

• sensitivity reading for certain identities and experiences

• character assessments

• proofreading

• query letter and synopsis reviews

• nonfiction book proposal reviews

• nonfiction book indexing

• fully customizable editorial packages designed for your manuscript's particular needs

After I receive your query, I will work with you to learn more about your editorial needs and establish whether I will be a good fit for your work. I offer discounted package rates if you'd like to bundle together more than one editorial service (e.g., booking a developmental edit and copyedit in the same agreement), and I offer all returning clients a discount on future editorial services. I prioritize flexibility when meeting authors’ needs, so please don't hesitate to ask about your options!

*Please note that for ethical reasons, I cannot offer literary representation to anyone with whom I work in a freelance editorial capacity.