Lily Choi

Lily Choi – Editor

Former HBG and PRH editor with a decade of experience working in kidlit and adult commercial fiction.

Overview

I'm a former Associate Desk Editor at Little, Brown Young Readers, where I edited a wide range of bestselling children's fiction and non-fiction. Prior to that, I worked on the adult side at Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House, where I edited thrillers, romance, cozy mysteries, and women's fiction. I love collaborating in all genres and age groups, although my heart lies in voice-driven MG and YA, twisty thrillers (of any age group), and romance of any kind!

Notable children's authors I have worked include James Patterson, Chris Colfer, Ernest Cline, Grace Lin, Jewell Parker Rhodes, and Stephenie Meyer, among others. On the adult side, I've worked with Clare Mackintosh, Karen Rose, Marta Perry, and Jenn McKinlay.

I also graduated in 2020 with my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

I truly enjoy the collaborative writing/editing process and consider myself a very hands-on editor. If this sounds ideal to your creative process, please feel free to reach out!

Services
Fiction
Mystery & Crime Romance Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction Young Adult
Languages
English (US)
Certifications
  • MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults

Work experience

LBYR

Nov, 2021 — Dec, 2024 (about 3 years)
• Collaborated with such notable authors as James Patterson, Chris Colfer, Ernest Cline, Jewell Parker Rhodes, Grace Lin, and Stephenie Meyers, among others • Provided developmental editorial support for for the entire editorial team, working closely with the Vice President, Executive Editorial Director • Provided editorial support for James Patterson's children imprint

Putnam

Mar, 2016 — May, 2016 (2 months)
• Provided editorial support, including drafting contract request forms and contract amendments, requesting and routing author payments, and running P&L’s • Assisted in editing two manuscripts • Organized art logs for more than 100 photos for two nonfiction books • Wrote title information sheets and flap copy for four nonfiction books • Read and logged about 30 nonfiction and fiction submissions and wrote about the same number of rejection letters • Liaised with high-profile authors, agents, and in-house departments at every step of the editorial process and acted as in-house liaison for a remote executive editor • Providing general administrative support, including answering phones, keeping track of project due dates, scheduling meetings, and preparing copy

Penguin Random House

Nov, 2015 — Aug, 2018 (over 2 years)
• Acquired and provided line and developmental edits for over a dozen authors • Provided editorial support, including editing, writing readers reports and rejection letters, creating P&Ls and title information sheets for my and my supervisor's authors • Created a bible for an original cozy mystery idea for a writer-for-hire • Handled manuscripts through all stages of publication and liaised with authors and in-house departments • Managed seven frontlist authors and over 70 backlist authors

Portfolio

Will's Race for Home

Rhodes, Jewell Parker

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Middle School: Too Uncool for School (Middle School, 17)

Patterson, James

jimmy patterson

The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon (Deluxe Limited Edition)

Lin, Grace

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Bridge to Bat City

Cline, Ernest

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Minerva Keen's Detective Club (MK's Detective Club, 1)

Patterson, James

jimmy patterson

The Time Travel Twins (The Time Travel Twins, 1)

Patterson, James

jimmy patterson

Middle School: Million Dollar Mess (Middle School, 16)

Patterson, James

jimmy patterson

Ali Cross: The Secret Detective (Ali Cross, 3)

Patterson, James

jimmy patterson

Represent: The Unfinished Fight for the Vote

Dyson, Michael Eric

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Attacked!: Pearl Harbor and the Day War Came to America

Favreau, Marc

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Thanks for the Money: How to Use My Life Story to Become the Best Joel McHale You Can Be

McHale, Joel

G.P. Putnam's Sons

I'm Fine...And Other Lies

Cummings, Whitney

G.P. Putnam's Sons

Shock the Monkey (The N.O.A.H. Files, 2)

Shusterman, Neal

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Chinese Menu: The History, Myths, and Legends Behind Your Favorite Foods

Lin, Grace

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Good Luck with That

Kristan Higgins

One of Purewow's Best Beach Reads of Summer 2018New York Times bestselling author Kristan Higgins is beloved for her heartfelt novels filled with humor and wisdom. Now, she tackles an issue every woman deals with: body image and self-acceptance.Emerson, Georgi... read more
The Sunshine Sisters

Jane Green

“A plum of a novel: juicy, ripe and bursting with sticky situations. I savored every page.”—Elin Hilderbrand, New York Times bestselling author of The Identicals“A warm, satisfying tale about the love that binds even the most dysfunctional of families.”—People... read more

Lily has 11 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Dani A.

Dani A.

Sep, 2021

Every part of my experience with Lily has been exceptional. She is courteous, insightful, professional, and throrough. In short, she is everything an author wants in an editor.
Christopher P.

Christopher P.

Aug, 2021

Lily was great! It was so helpful to work with someone who understands story mechanics and can offer big-picture advice, pose thought-provoking questions and keep you pointed in the right direction.
Monday O.

Monday O.

Jul, 2021

Lily was wonderful to work with. Her incite and edits helped me accurately rewrite my story. I would recommend her to absolutely everyone and I would most definitely use her again. She is professional and the quality of her work can't be beat. I loved working with Lily, and my story is all the b...
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Jazmine H.

Jazmine H.

Jun, 2021

Lily is very kind and personable! She will challenge your work without tearing you down, which was encouraging for a new writer like myself. She also keeps a great balance of positive feedback and compliments as she works through your manuscript. I would certainly recommend her to anyone who’s ne...
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Betsy S.

Betsy S.

May, 2021

Lily has been such a pleasure to work with! I appreciate her enthusiasm - it gave me quite a boost to know she was excited about collaborating. She provided a detailed and specific manuscript review that helped me shape the next round of revisions. Importantly, she provided needed outside perspec...
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