Nora Bellot

Nora Bellot – Editor

Seven years with Writers House literary agency. Five years of freelance. Whether trad or self-publishing, I know what your book needs.

Overview

In my seven years with Writers House literary agency, I worked with just about everything: picture books, MG, YA, adult fiction and nonfiction, even a couple of New York Times bestsellers. Now I’m working with authors like you, one-on-one, bringing you all the insider knowledge you need to make your book a success, from brainstorming to developmental editing to line editing and beyond.

A Midwestern girl by origin, these days I live in Queens with my wife and our alarmingly full bookshelves. I read widely, I love lots of kinds of books, but there will always be a special place in my heart for the weird and genre-bendy. I love high-concept sci-fi/fantasy, I love queer love stories that fall outside of easy labels, I love stories that read like fanfiction, or even have their roots in fanfiction; I can be a good advocate if you’re looking to make the jump to traditional publishing.

So, if you have a great idea and you’re not sure how to translate it onto the page… let’s chat. If you have a rough draft and you’re not sure what happens next… I know exactly what agents are looking for. If you’re self-publishing, or even if you have a book under contract with a publisher and need help getting it over the finish line… I’ll be right there with you, every step of the way.

TESTIMONIALS:

“Nora read an early version of this manuscript and had the most amazing reader’s eye to know exactly what it needed. She wrote me a six-page, detailed editorial letter encouraging me, challenging me, and guiding me through a major revision that would then be ready for submission.”

— Lynn Plourde, author of MAXI'S SECRETS

“If you were like, “Wow, that author wasn’t as dumb as I thought she was going to be”: thank you, Nora, who sat through many early drafts without complaint or suggesting my demise, and absolutely made this book, and the ideas contained within it, far smarter and more elegant. I learned so much throughout this process, and I am so grateful for your mentorship.”

— Ash Ambirge, author of THE MIDDLE FINGER PROJECT

“Dear Nora, nightly, I thank the stars (aloud) for having brought you into my life and the life of I Am Yours. As I Am Yours was my first stab at writing and submitting a manuscript of any kind and length, you were my first editor, ever. Thank you for teaching me leagues about writing, revision, editing. It is so evident, how perfect this path has been: to write first in utter solitude, without any other voice in the room, then, to connect and revise not with just any person, but you. Your masterful eye and deep wisdom.”

— Reema Zaman, author of I AM YOURS

“Nora, oracle of visions, who saw in early versions of this work the beginnings of a tale beyond my wildest imaginings, then pointed the way.”

— Josh Kaufman, author of HOW TO FIGHT A HYDRA

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Business & Management Self-Help & Self-Improvement
Fiction
Children's Fantasy LGBTQ Fiction Science Fiction Young Adult
Languages
English (US)

Work experience

Writers House

Aug, 2013 — Oct, 2020 (about 7 years)
As an assistant I worked under the founder Al Zuckerman, who specialized in thrillers; under Bri Johnson, who specialized in a wide range of fiction for young people and some select adult; under Susan Cohen, who specialized in children's; under Lisa Dimona, who specialized in adult business books; and under Stephen Barr, who specialized in quirky fiction for children and adults. As an agent I specialized in YA and adult, especially sci fi/fantasy and LGBTQ.

Inkitt

Jul, 2023 — Present

The Writers Ally

Aug, 2021 — Present

Cornerstones US

Oct, 2020 — Present

Self-employed

Oct, 2020 — Present

Portfolio

Book Coaching
Developmental Editing
Switchling

Fessel, SG

Nibjib Publishing

Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
The Flight Risk

Leigh, Macon

Proofreading
Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
Of Feathers and Thorns

Vincent, Kit

Proofreading
Things That Shimmer

Lakritz, Deborah

Kar-Ben Publishing ®

The Great Gambler

NYDU, YRSD

The Inky Red

How to Kill Your Koi

Sanders, Jessie

One Small Hop

Rosenberg, Madelyn

Caroline's Comets: A True Story

McCully, Emily Arnold

Cyclops of Central Park

Rosenberg, Madelyn

Man Fast: A Memoir

Scripture, Natasha

This Is Just a Test

Shang, Wendy Wan-Long

27 Magic Words

Moranville, Sharelle Byars

Resurrecting Sunshine

Koosis, Lisa A.

Roses and Rot

Howard, Kat

Nora has 23 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Carolyn E.

Carolyn E.

Jun, 2025

Nora gave my book a very thorough and balanced reading, helping me to see things I hadn't seen before and overall, improving my chance of finding an agent.
Graham G.

Graham G.

Jun, 2025

Nora was just what I needed! After several edits of my manuscript, I couldn't see the silly mistakes that were jumping off the page. I needed someone else who understood what I was saying to point them out, and Nora was able to accomplish this with insightful, clever commentary. Very friendly and...
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Cat H.

Cat H.

Mar, 2025

Nora was wonderful to work with as a developmental editor on my book proposal. She gave specific and thorough feedback and helped me refine the direction of the book I'm writing. She also left me with some words of encouragement, advice, and very clear next steps. It was totally worth it. Having ...
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Verona E.

Verona E.

Feb, 2025

Nora is very thorough and knowledgeable in her assessment of my work. It's a mess and all of the corrections were a bit overwhelming, but justified. The edit letter points out what she likes and what is useful in the story. She also points out in great detail, what needs work and/or what doesn't...
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Bonnie S.

Bonnie S.

Sep, 2024

Having worked for many years in feature film development and as a professional story analyst, I'm a tough customer - and I could not be more impressed with Nora's work. Her notes were incredibly insightful, specific, and market-savvy, and not only did she point out potential problems but also off...
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Most recent contributions

Are you #TeamPrologue or #TeamNoPrologue and why?

It depends. Prologues, and specifically prologues that flash forward to a climactic scene later in the book, can sometimes be useful in cases where a novel starts slowly. Mind you, it’s usually worth asking why it starts slowly and what can be done to frontload more plot. But there’s a Hitchcock ...
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What common mistakes do authors make when writing their query letter?

A lot of query letters are too long. An agent will spend perhaps one minute scanning through your query letter, so make it easy for them to find the important stuff. And don't spend too much of your word count on the summary! The goal isn't to tell the agent everything that happens in the book; t...
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How does personalizing a query letter increase its chances of success?

The baseline requirement is that you need to address your query to the agent's name; "Dear agent" letters sent out as shotgun emails to five hundred agents will get rejected quickly. Beyond that...my usual suggestion is to offer one or two sentences at the beginning of the query letter showing th...
Read more

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