Kim Long

Kim Long – Editor

Trad. pub'd author, certified fiction book coach, 7-year Pitch Wars mentor, developmental editor. Helping you meet your publishing goals.

Overview


In addition to being a certified fiction book coach and mentoring in Pitch Wars and other online programs/contests, I am a traditionally published author. My debut middle grade novel, LEXI MAGILL AND THE TELEPORTATION TOURNAMENT, was selected to the 2021-2022 Texas Bluebonnet Master List. Writers I've worked with have been published by Hachette (RP Kids and LBYR), Simon & Schuster, and Sky Pony.


Whether you're working on your first or tenth manuscript, there comes a time when you could use an extra set of eyes on your project. Maybe you have difficulty developing your characters and establishing an inner arc that leads to their transformation by story's end. Or, perhaps you're great on character and have trouble with world-building. Then again, maybe the pace is just off, and no matter where you try cutting or adding, you can’t get it to flow.

Of course, it's quite possible you're not sure what the problem is! You could be getting confusing feedback (or worse, no feedback!) on your maunscript. It gets to the point where you start wondering if you'll ever get your ideas to work. If this is you--if you're not sure why your manuscript isn't working, if you're not sure how to implement feedback, or even if you'd like an objective set of eyes on your project, let me help. No matter the issue, I'd love the chance to work with you and help you get to the next level.


Testimonials:

When I was writing my first book, Kim L. was one of my go-to readers, especially for plot and character development. She kindly edited several versions of my manuscript, and every time deftly and succinctly pinpointed areas where the story either dragged or felt forced and where the characters were making decisions that were, well, out of character. More than that, she always clearly explained why something felt off in a way that helped me see the problem too. Wade Albert White, author of the ADVENTURER’S GUIDE series (Little Brown).


Kim is great to work with and has a wonderful eye for consistency and character motivation. Kim's insightful feedback has helped me strengthen my work and grow as an author. Summer Rachel Short, MG author of The Mutant Mushroom Takeover, Attack of the Killer Komodos, and The Legend of Greyhallow (forthcoming).


Having known Kim over several years in the publishing field, I would unreservedly attest to her astute and insightful editorial skills. Her ability to pinpoint the areas of a novel’s strengths and weaknesses while keeping the author’s vision in line enable an author to bring out the very best in their stories. Fiona McLaren, Reedsy Editor and Literary Consultant

Through her coaching on my query and synopsis, Kim not only helped me create a superior product to market my book to agents, but also helped me draw out important character arcs and details during the process. Jamie Krakover, YA and MG writer, author of Tracker220









Services
Fiction
Action & Adventure Fantasy Middle Grade Mystery & Crime Romantic Suspense Thriller & Suspense Young Adult Fantasy
Non-Fiction
Children’s Non-Fiction
Languages
English (US)
Awards
  • 2021-2022 Texas Bluebonnet Master List
Certifications
  • Certified Fiction Book Coach

Work experience

Self-employed

Nov, 2014 — Present

Middle grade mentor for Pitch Wars for seven years. Reviewed hundreds of queries and manuscript pages, worked with mentees on their manuscripts, queries, and synopsises to acheive agent representation. Edited and coached writers through manuscripts of all genres.

Various

Nov, 1996 — Feb, 2022 (over 25 years)

25-year legal career included writing legal briefs, crafting arguments for juries (big storytelling component here!), publishing articles in various legal publications, editing law review and other articles for professional journals.

Kim has 20 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Adva S.

Adva S.

Nov, 2023

Kim proved thorough and helpful even before our collaboration began. Based on the information and sample I supplied in my editing request, she raised crucial issues regarding audience and marketing, in addition to content itself. Her insights on my story were spot-on, clarified which issues are not working - and which are! - and helped me raise a ton of ideas for improvement. On top of that, sh...
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Padma V.

Padma V.

Nov, 2023

It was a pleasure working together with Kim on my submission package. We iterated over the query letter, and she had excellent feedback which really improved the overall flow and content of my query. I love how much her input has helped here. Her feedback on the first few chapters of my manuscript was very useful and detailed as well which demonstrated her depth of understanding and her inheren...
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Richelle D.

Richelle D.

Nov, 2023

Kim was very informative and answered all my questions. She guided me through formatting and how to properly describe what I needed to help make my query the best it could be.
Lisa R.

Lisa R.

Oct, 2023

Kim was great! She helped me focus in on the aspects of my story likely to attract an agent.
Sydney B.

Sydney B.

Oct, 2023

Kim is lovely! She has a warm and friendly way about her that makes the editing process so exciting. You can see the depth of her care in her work. She has been a dream to work with. I am tempted to write a million books so I can work with her more. I am grateful that I chose her... and I cannot recommend her enough!

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