Lindsay Guzzardo

Lindsay Guzzardo – Editor

Collaborative and supportive dev. editor with numerous bestsellers in women's fiction & romance at Amazon, Guideposts, and Penguin.

Overview

Through tenures at Amazon, Guideposts Books, and Penguin, I have edited numerous bestselling titles to fantastic customer and trade reviews, particularly in women's fiction and romance.

Some of my proudest career achievements include acquiring debut romantic suspense author Kendra Elliot, whose titles have now sold 8+ million copies, editing Guideposts Books’ first New York Times-bestseller "A Sweethaven Summer," and acquiring The Vineyard Series by Marina Adair which was turned into a hit movie trilogy by the Hallmark Channel.

I adore fruitful collaboration with authors and delighting readers. One of my greatest joys is working with an author to "crack the case" - meaning, if there's an element that isn't quite working, we'll brainstorm together until we figure out the one idea that causes everything else to align.

I am enthusiastic, professional, and very detail- and deadline-oriented, and I foster excellent client communications. I'll offer any suggestions that I think could help strengthen the story, as well as bring my industry and market expertise to the table, but at the end of the day, I will always respect that it's your baby and your vision.
Services
Fiction
Chick Lit Christian Fiction Contemporary Romance Cozy Mysteries Historical Fiction Psychological Thriller Romantic Comedy Young Adult Fantasy
Languages
English (US)
Awards
  • National Readers' Choice Winner
  • Golden Leaf Award winner for YA Fiction
  • 3x RITA Award finalist
  • Carol Award finalist
  • HOLT Medallion Award winner

Work experience

Freelance

Jan, 2013 — Present

• Work directly with Amazon Publishing authors under tight deadlines to shape stories, complete structural and line edits, and ensure manuscripts are of publishable quality (60+ titles across genres), including:

o “A Year of Extraordinary Moments” (Oct. 2018) by USA Today-bestseller Bette Crosby.
* “[B]eautifully explores the theme of letting go...[A] sweet novel.”—Kirkus

o “Somebody’s Daughter” (April 2018) by USA Today-bestseller Rochelle B. Weinstein.
* “[D]ebuts at precisely the perfect cultural moment…it has an understanding eye for what being a teenager is like.”—Entertainment Weekly

o “The Memory of Butterflies” (Sept. 2017) by USA Today-bestseller Grace Greene.
* 100K+ copies sold.

• Write sales, promotional, and cover copy for Amazon Publishing titles (samples available upon request).

• Associate Editor for The Editorial Department, offering detailed feedback on authors’ query letters, writing samples, book proposals, and full manuscripts.

Amazon

Aug, 2011 — Jan, 2013 (over 1 year)

• An original editor for Amazon Publishing’s romance imprint, Montlake

• Acquired 75+ titles for Montlake Romance and Lake Union Publishing, both self-published and agented, and managed books through to publication.

• Acquired debut romantic suspense author Kendra Elliot, now one of APub’s marquee authors and top three bestsellers, whose titles have sold 7 million+ copies.

• Acquired and edited the “Vineyard Series” by Marina Adair which became a hit movie trilogy for the Hallmark Channel.

• I was interviewed by the Aspen Times about the journey and success of “The Bloodletter’s Daughter” (250K+ copies sold).

• Additional titles of note that I acquired:

o “Chasing Rainbows” and “Meant to Be” hit #1 in the US Kindle Store.
o “The Second Chance Café” was nominated for a 2014 RITA Award.
o “Forged in Fire” was nominated for two 2013 RITA Awards.
* The follow-up “Forged in Ash” was nominated for a 2015 RITA Award.
o “Buried” was an International Thriller Writers finalist and nominated by RT Reviews for the Best Romantic Suspense of 2013.
o “Storm Warrior” was selected as #5 in PW’s Top 10 Romance, Fall 2013.

• Represented Montlake at BEA and RWA and sat on the Montlake panel at RWA’s Publisher Spotlight.

Guideposts Books

Jun, 2009 — May, 2011 (almost 2 years)

• Edited Guideposts Books’ first New York Times-bestseller “A Sweethaven Summer.”
* nominated for the CBA's highest honor, the Carol Award.

• Developed, launched, and generated storylines for original sweet and cozy fiction and mystery series, including “Secrets of Mary’s Bookshop,” “Miracles of Marble Cove,” and “Postcards from Misty Harbor Inn.”

Penguin

Apr, 2006 — May, 2009 (about 3 years)

• Edited New York Times-bestsellers, including Jen Lancaster’s “Pretty in Plaid,” Lynn Viehl’s “Shadowlight,” and Bertrice Small’s “The Border Lord and the Lady.”

• Conceived of and acquired “Twelve Wicked Nights” which was nominated for an RT Reviewers’ Award.

Portfolio

2013 Winner - NJRW Golden Leaf Award for Young Adult FictionFor Glory, life inside the domed city is anything but safe. After rescuing her brother, Glory returns to Haven as a double agent to locate and save fellow Deviants. Far from her family, Glory faces da... read more
In Glory's world, different means deviant—and dead. In a post-apocalyptic world, where the earth is buried by asteroid dust that’s mutated the DNA of some humans, an orphaned sixteen-year-old, Glory, must hide and protect her younger brother. If their Deviant ... read more
A faded scrapbook reveals secrets that reconnect old friends in a place called Sweethaven.Campbell Carter has come to Sweethaven in search of answers about her mother's history. Just before losing a battle with cancer, Suzanne Carter sent letters to childhood ... read more
Now a Hallmark Channel original movie.When Alexis “Lexi” Moreau caught her husband, Jeff, sampling the sous-chef’s more intimate wares in their New York restaurant, she ran—all the way back to her hometown of St. Helena, California. Six months later, Lexi has ... read more
Regan Martin stopped believing in Christmas miracles six years ago when she lost everything—her house, her job, and her impeccable reputation in the wine industry—after she fell in love with a man she had no idea was married. Then Regan gets a chance for a fre... read more
#1 Amazon Family Saga and Series Romance Best-sellerBook 1 in the Seasons of The Heart Series, with recurring characters in the #1 Amazon Short Story, Here in My Heart, the heartwarming beginning to the Echoes of the Heart series!Anna DeStefano presents a touc... read more
Where the Wind Blows, Book One of USA Today bestselling author Caroline Fyffe’s award-winning western historical romance Prairie Hearts series.In the free and untamed Wild West, love might blossom in the most unexpected place…When the man from the orphanage mi... read more
Enslaved for millennia by the masters of the Welsh faery realm, the fierce Celtic warrior Rhys is doomed to wander the earth forever. But when a brave beauty unwittingly breaks the enchantment, he is drawn into a strange new world…and an all-consuming desire.S... read more
Out of Sorts

Aurélie Valognes

Ferdinand Brun hasn’t always been a grumpy old man. Many years ago, he was a grumpy young man. Now he’d much rather spend time with his canine companion, Daisy, than any of his nosy neighbors. But as his behavior becomes increasingly peculiar, his daughter gro... read more
Diligent, hardworking Paige Levine survived a traumatic childhood and went on to work her way through college, landing a coveted job in the Governor’s cabinet. But when a steamy scandal threatens to tarnish her innocent reputation, Paige finds herself unemploy... read more
Whitney Bartolina gets what she wants. At just thirty-four, she’s worked her way up from mailroom coordinator to casting director at a major Los Angeles television network and had a string of steamy flings, most recently with movie star Nolan Rivera. But when ... read more
Wethering the Storm

Samantha Towle

Music journalist Tru Bennett has done the impossible: capture the heart of rock-star bad boy Jake Wethers. Now they’re busy planning a wedding and navigating their new life together in the US. Of course Tru misses London and her best friend, Simone, but living... read more
Joanie Bigbee, cupcake baker extraordinaire, likes to keep her options open—and she’s good at it. She's started and sold some 30 businesses in her postage stamp-sized Tennessee town, and at the moment she can be found in a short skirt and go-go boots, selling ... read more
From USA Today bestselling author Bette Lee Crosby comes a heartwarming novel about letting go of the past to make way for a brighter future.Tracy Briggs has finally gotten her act together. She’s focusing on her own life and helping her hearing-impaired son l... read more
One family learns that love is the greatest miracle of all—from USA Today bestselling author Bette Lee Crosby.Aspiring journalist Meghan Briggs has always been the responsible one in the family. So when her father passes away unexpectedly, leaving behind his a... read more
After a year of grieving her divorce and living a life permanently stuck on pause, Laila Richardson is finally ready to have her own happy ending. Then a listing for a quaint cottage in another town answers her prayers for a fresh beginning—one that will bring... read more
The Virtues of Oxygen

Susan Schoenberger

From the award-winning author of A Watershed Year comes a heartrending story of unlikely bonds made under dire straits. Holly is a young widow with two kids living in a ramshackle house in the same small town where she grew up wealthy. Now barely able to make ... read more
A Watershed Year

Susan Schoenberger

What it means to be a mother, what it takes to save a life.Lucy never confessed her love to her best friend, Harlan, before he passed away. Two months after his funeral, she is haunted by the power of things left unsaid. But then she receives the first of his ... read more
Winner of the National Readers' Choice Award for Romantic SuspenseFrom award-winning romance author Loreth Anne White comes a story of justice, loyalty, and unbreakable bonds that is both a thrilling mystery and a moving love story. Newly exonerated ex-con Jeb... read more
The third Bennet sister, Mary, steps into the spotlight in this graceful retelling of Pride and Prejudice.As a middle child flanked by two pairs of closely bonded sisters, marginalized by her mother, and ridiculed by her father, Mary Bennet feels isolated with... read more
Treachery rules the Highlands of 1423. With their king captured by the English, Scottish nobles plot to ransom James behind the back of the brutal regent holding their land in his iron grip. But not every clan wishes to see King James back on his throne…Sittin... read more
2012 OKRWA's National Readers’ Choice Winner2013 HOLT Medallion Award WinnerSteal away on a journey to the heartland, where a wounded soldier meets the one woman who could be his new beginning…Noah Langford narrowly survived the roadside bombing in Iraq that c... read more
Sometimes the next best thing is what you’ve been looking for all along…Beth Chandler has spent her whole life pleasing others. She went to law school to make her grandparents happy. She agreed to marry her workaholic boyfriend, Lucas, to make him happy. And, ... read more
Somebody's Daughter

Rochelle B. Weinstein

From USA Today bestselling author Rochelle B. Weinstein comes an emotional novel for mothers, daughters, and anyone who has ever felt imperfect.Emma and Bobby Ross enjoy a charmed life on the shores of Miami Beach. They are a model family with a successful bus... read more
A heartwarming, hilarious novel for anyone who has ever had a family, from the author of Lift and Separate.After a lifetime of marriage, Marcy Hammer is ready to get herself unhitched—just as everyone else in her life is looking for a commitment. Her new boyfr... read more
Someone is out to destroy the family vineyard—and expose its secrets—in this atmospheric novel from Cynthia Ellingsen, Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Lighthouse Keeper.Abby Harrington’s family has dedicated their lives to cultivating the family vineya... read more
Counting Stars

Kathleen Long

When Bernadette Murphy's brother, Mark, dies unexpectedly, her world is rocked. Jenny, the wife he left behind, skips grieving and goes straight into survival mode. That is, until she shows up at Bernie's door in tears, holding a battered canvas journal in whi... read more
Includes Reader’s Guide for book club discussions.Chocolate. Tattered robe. Wedding video. Wine.Things aren’t looking so good for Bernadette Murphy.With the breakup of her marriage, the sudden death of her father, and the announcement of her best friend’s preg... read more
Remembering You

Tricia Goyer

Television producer Ava Ellington cannot refuse her grandfather's last wish--that she accompany him to Europe on a tour of World War II battle sites. Ava has little interest in historical battles, but this may be her last chance to break down the barriers that... read more
Paper Boats

Dee Lestari

She’s a free-spirited dreamer. He’s a brilliant painter. But now their shared passion for art has turned into something deeper…For as long as she can remember, Kugy has loved to write. Whimsical stories are her passion, along with letters full of secret longin... read more
She thought her fiancé was the perfect man—until he turned out to be the perfect killer… Katherine Cole is running for her life, desperate to escape the Valentine Killer—so-called because he stabs his victims through the heart and leaves them holding a telltal... read more
A Daphne du Maurier Award WinnerBuried is the third book in Bone Secrets, the multimillion-copy bestselling series.Reporter Michael Brody is used to getting answers. The one that’s eluded him, though, for twenty long years is learning what happened to his brot... read more
In 1920s New York, the price of a woman’s independence can be exorbitant—even fatal.In 1924 Manhattan, women’s suffrage is old news. For sophisticated booklover Julia Kydd, life’s too short for politics. With her cropped hair and penchant for independent livin... read more
Growing up, Kaylie Flynn was shuffled from foster home to foster home before being welcomed into Winton and May Wise’s family. It was May who taught Kaylie the comfort of home, and the healing power of baking the perfect brownie. Years later, May leaves Kaylie... read more
To keep devastating family secrets from being revealed, a young mother lies, but her secrets could end up destroying everything, and everyone, she loves. The Memory of Butterflies is a poignant story of family and forgiveness--of knowing when to let go and whe... read more
2013 RITA® Finalist for Best Romantic Suspense AND Best First BookBeth Brown doesn’t believe in premonitions. But her recent dream feels too real to ignore: a commercial airliner is hijacked, and a handsome passenger is shot dead. Beth hasn’t met the mystery m... read more
Now a Hallmark channel original movie.Frankie Baudouin has a hundred reasons not to trust Nate DeLuca. First, he's a DeLuca. Second, he kissed her—in front of the entire town—and then never called. Oh, and he's after her land. Sorrento Ranch is Frankie's last ... read more
Within the glittering Hapsburg court in Prague lurks a darkness of which no one dares speak…In 1606, the city of Prague shines as a golden mecca of art and culture carefully cultivated by Emperor Rudolf II. But the emperor hides an ugly secret: His bastard son... read more
Hidden is the first book in Bone Secrets, the multimillion-copy bestselling series.Eleven years ago, the Co-ed Slayer murdered nine female students on the Oregon State University campus. Lacey Campbell barely escaped his attack, but lost her best friend whose ... read more

Lindsay has 4 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Lauren T.

Lauren T.

Sep, 2020

Lindsay was great to work with. She was very professional, submitted the work ahead of schedule, and gave detailed feedback. I would definitely recommend her!
Vicki V.

Vicki V.

Jun, 2020

Lindsay was wonderful! She improved my query, showed me how less is more, and was very quick to answer all my questions about content. It was definitely money well spent.
Drue M.

Drue M.

Jun, 2020

When you think about how a collaboration can and should be, one needs to consider a few things: someone of professionalism, compassion, and creativity. This is what Lindsay embodies and what she brings to the table. To really leave a proper review I have to express how I came across Lindsay; I searched high and low for someone to copy edit my book THE INCREDIBLE EXISTENCE OF YOU and help me p...
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Jason G.

Jason G.

May, 2020

Extremely professional and punctual. More character analysis would have been preferred. Which characters are likeable? Superfluous? Relateable? etc. Clear explication of plot and story structure

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