Matt Belford

Matt Belford – Editor

Literary agent with over a decade of experience in science fiction, fantasy, nonfiction, and graphic novels.

Overview

Hey there! I'm Matt and I'm a literary agent, having previously an editor at Penguin Random House. I've been fortunate enough to work on books in just about every genre: from illustrated titles and graphic novels to sci-fi/fantasy and even nonfiction! I'm available for editing projects, no matter where you may be in your process: from helping to edit your query letter to working on developmental edits or even just another set of eyes to help copyedit.


While a lot of the work that I do daily is in nonfiction or illustrated works, I have quite a bit of experience working in sci-fi & fantasy as well, so if you need help putting a proposal together or you're having a tough time getting those last couple of comp titles, I'm more than happy to help there as well!


Here what other satisfied writers have to say about my work:


"I must say Matt is one of the best editors I have worked with. He is very transparent with what he thinks regarding authors work. His editing comments are detailed which makes my writing process a lot easier. He is quick to respond to my questions too. I look forward to work with him in future projects."

-Arba


"I've had Matt critique two query letters now, and it's been so worth it! I used his feedback from my first to completely revise and resubmit for another critique. (He seemed happy to answer all of my follow-up questions without me resubmitting, but really, I just wanted him to see the whole redo and let me know if I applied his feedback successfully.) His response time is quick, and his feedback is succinct and relevant. I'd absolutely seek out feedback from him again!"

-Kristin C.


"Matt's feedback was extremely thoughtful and very specific. His guidance urged me to reflect on what the most compelling force of my story was, and pull it straight to the top. And his industry experience helped me identify poor phrasing that might become red flags to veteran agents. I believe my query letter — and even my book — are radically better for having Matt's help!"

-Patrick P.


"Fantastic feedback. Great insight and suggested changes that I couldn't personally see, being so close to the project. I'm excited to get to work and bring more clarity to my blurb. Matt is also very encouraging on the aspects I got right, so I'd highly recommend his services. Thank you very much, Matt."

-Nina

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Business & Management Comics Non-Fiction Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits Self-Help & Self-Improvement
Fiction
Comics & Graphic Novels Fantasy Science Fiction
Languages
English (US)

Work experience

Penguin Random House

Apr, 2022 — Sep, 2023 (over 1 year)

Conceptualize and ideate more than 12 projects with current and potential license holders.
Manage up to 15 titles yearly, develop and hone written concepts and larger client facing proposals.
Responsible for hiring designers and writers.
Edit and project manage the book creation process and the various phases of publication including contract negotiating, financial projections, P&L and assuring appropriate milestones.

New Leaf Literary & Media

Aug, 2023 — Present

New Leaf Literary & Media

Aug, 2023 — Present

Tobias Literary Agency

Jan, 2020 — Mar, 2022 (about 2 years)

Managing a roster of clients, I am responsible for editing, preparing, and sending out client works to sell to publishers, and entice other interested parties in subsidiary rights (i.e. Film/TV rights, merchandising rights, etc.). I specialize in representing science fiction and fantasy, and graphic novels. In January of 2021, I was promoted to Senior Literary Agent, responsible for managing junior agents. I’ve negotiated and sold projects to a wide variety of publishers, including Macmillan, Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, IDW, and Wiley.

David Black Agency

Mar, 2017 — Jan, 2020 (almost 3 years)

Working as David Black’s personal assistant, I managed his schedule, while also facilitating client needs and preparing works for submission. These duties naturally transferred to my own work as a literary agent under the David Black Agency, where I represented my clients: acting as a fiduciary, preparing and editing works before submission, selling the proposals or manuscripts to publishers, and negotiating deals and contracts. These clients included legendary comic book writer Chris Claremont, interviewer Shanna Farrell, and several cartoonists in Rob Rogers, Nate Fakes, and Jeff Danziger, in addition to negotiating deals for David Black’s existing clients: Claire Saffitz, Erik Larson, and the Lorraine Hansberry Estate.

Aaron Priest Agency

Sep, 2016 — Mar, 2017 (6 months)

As office manager, I was responsible for all general office administration duties including answering the phone, taking detailed messages, managing contract mailings between both authors and publishers and general filing. As an assistant, I recorded author deals in BAITS and Publisher’s Marketplace, and I also read and reviewed author queries and manuscripts.

Charles River Labs

Feb, 2015 — Aug, 2016 (over 1 year)

My responsibilities included proofreading and editing all articles, posters, PDFs, and web pages posted to the Charles River website. In addition to growing organic web traffic by 30% year to date, I also was in charge of SEO, HTML5 coding, and integrating content from several website acquisitions.

Matt has 10 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Meerie J.

Meerie J.

Mar, 2024

Very prompt response and delivery of service. Would use him again.
Priscilla G.

Priscilla G.

Mar, 2024

Prompt and professional. Delivered exactly what was agreed upon.
Patrick & Sarah G.

Patrick & Sarah G.

Mar, 2024

Matt gave us a lot of great editing advice. He got straight to the point in his edits. He made us look at our work with objective eyes, which I believe all authors need. Matt is definitely an experienced professional with good insights.
Hazim M.

Hazim M.

Feb, 2024

Matt provided an edit to my non-fiction managerial book. His interactions were very good. Being a first-time author and doing this for the very first time, it was a bit tough to decipher the comments in the beginning. Sleeping on them and seeking the help of another editor, helped me to understand and appreciate the feedback Matt had provided. Now my book, I think, is shaping much better due to...
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Matt B.
Hi Hazim, I'm sorry if you felt my edits were tough to decipher--as I said on multiple occasions, if there were any questions you had, I would have been more than happy to answer them and to prov...
Read more
Allen L.

Allen L.

Feb, 2024

Matt provided clear, thoughtful, and actionable feedback for my query letter. He was incredibly responsive and overall, I feel his expertise in sharpening up my query will pay off down the road as I search for agents. Look no further if you're considering someone with agency experience to review your query letter!

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