Margaret Milan Wright

Margaret Milan Wright – Editor

Developmental Editor specializing in Y/A and middle grade, formerly at Penguin and Simon and Schuster

Overview

I am a developmental editor with 20 years of experience specializing in young adult, middle grade, and picture books. As a developmental editor, I provide my clients with a letter extensively detailing my feedback on the structure, clarity, and tone of their work with suggestions for revision as well as line by line edits and notes within the manuscript. As a line editor, I polish final drafts with a focus on syntax, style, and tone. I review and revise query letters to align with industry standards and grab the attention of agents and publishers. At Penguin’s cutting-edge young adult and middle grade imprint, Razorbill, I edited novels in a variety of genres, developed plots, and helped to create original concepts for series. During my time at Aladdin, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, I edited a variety of mass market middle grade books including the bestselling New Nancy Drew series, Hardy Boys Adventures, and Childhood of Famous Americans series.
Services
Non-Fiction
Children’s Non-Fiction
Fiction
Coming of Age Middle Grade Picture Books
Languages
English (US)

Work experience

Self-employed

Jan, 2015 — Present

SYDA Foundation

Jul, 2007 — Jan, 2015 (over 7 years)
● Edited and approved all content and communications distributed to a global audience ● Advised more than forty writers and editors by making comprehensive comments on their work in written form and in one-on-one meetings

Simon and Schuster/Aladdin Paperbacks

Sep, 2006 — Jul, 2007 (10 months)
● Edited middle grade series, such as Nancy Drew: All New Girl Detective and Hardy Boys: Undercover Brothers ● Read and evaluated query letters and manuscripts ● Negotiated with literary agents

Penguin Group (USA)/Razorbill

May, 2003 — Sep, 2006 (over 3 years)
● Edited original young adult titles, such as Simon Bloom: The Gravity Keeper ● Created original concepts for writer-for-hire projects, such as Pretty Little Devils ● Read and evaluated solicited and unsolicited query letters, manuscripts, and proposals

Portfolio

Made with Reedsy
The Daring Rescue of Bodhi the Crow

Pettyjohn, Kellie

Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
My Girly Unicorn

Pedicini, J.

Editorial Assessment
Made with Reedsy
Bullies and Peeps (The Peeps Series)

Suhre, J.D.

Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
The Drag Strip

Pow, J T

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Hawk's Flight

Holtman, Ronald

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing

Margaret has 47 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Wendy S.

Wendy S.

Nov, 2024

Pinned
Margaret's help in handling a difficult topic in my MG manuscript was invaluable. She understood what I was trying to do with both plot and characters, then made very thoughtful suggestions for revisions which will definitely strengthen the manuscript.
Robert G.

Robert G.

Aug, 2024

Pinned
Margaret was extremely helpful to me. Before I agreed to her proposal, I didn't know if it would be worth the cost. I can say that I got more value than I imagined. Margaret provide many insights not only to how I was describing scenes, she also offered suggestions on alternative action I could...
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Melissa C.

Melissa C.

Jan, 2024

Pinned
I'm very pleased with Margaret's developmental edit on my middle grade novel. She took the time to really understand what I was trying to accomplish with my story, and she easily pinpointed where the manuscript needed work. Her insightful feedback not only identified weaknesses in the plot but al...
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Priscilla D.

Priscilla D.

Dec, 2025

I hired Margaret as a developmental editor for my first children's chapter book. I'm happy I did! Although my beta-readers gave me positive feedback, Margaret, as an objective expert, offered writing suggestions that improved my story. As a retired reading/writing teacher, I understand the value ...
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Jaclyn G.

Jaclyn G.

Jul, 2025

As a first-time writer, I truly appreciated Margaret’s expertise and the care she brought to reviewing my manuscript. Her developmental edit was incredibly insightful and thorough—she didn’t just point out areas to improve but helped me see things from a new perspective. She was also very encour...
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