Mary Kole – Editor

I'm a former literary agent and provide consulting and developmental editing services to writers of all categories and genres, working on children’s book projects from picture book to young adult, and all kinds of trade market literature, including fantasy, sci-fi, romance and memoir. I hold an MFA in Creative Writing and have worked at Chronicle Books, the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, and Movable Type Management. I've been blogging at since 2009. My book, Writing Irresistible Kidlit, a writing reference guide for middle grade and young adult writers, is available from Writer's Digest Books.

I bring over a decade of publishing industry experience to every edit. While I'm best known for editing children's books (picture books, middle grade, young adult), I work in all fiction categories and genres, as well as memoir. My approach is extremely comprehensive, with a deep focus on character, voice, plot, and other elements of the writing craft. My specialty is interiority, or rendering a character's perspective on the page. I believe this is a very powerful way to hook readers into your story. I also bring my background as a literary agent to the table. Query feedback and market analysis of your project are included with every edit. Many publishers look for "literary quality with commercial appeal," and that's exactly my "both barrels" approach to your project. Together, we will hone your manuscript's craft elements to their fullest creative expression, and then engineer your premise to give you the strongest chance at success, whatever your goal might be. I can't wait to learn about your work!