Maya Elson – Editor

I am an editor and writer with more than 15 years of publishing experience and education. I developed skills on the job at book publishers and magazines, but also studied the industry and the craft of editing when I earned my master’s degree in writing, literature, and publishing at Emerson College.

I thoroughly enjoy helping authors— especially those focused on knitting, crochet, and sewing—deliver often technical content with an infusion of their unique voice and personality. I am adept at tweaking, tightening, and cleaning up instructional manuscripts to create books that are not only easy to understand, but also a pleasure to read. My background as an editor as well as a skilled knitter and crocheter make me particularly well suited to this type of work.

When I’m not acting as a development editor, I also enjoy copyediting and proofreading. My experience in these roles includes a variety of book genres in addition to craft, such as children’s novels, travel guides, and general non-fiction (illustrated and not). I’ve also done this type of work for magazines, namely in craft and lifestyle categories.

Before I joined the world of publishing, I spend about eight years doing marketing and advertising copywriting. The skills I honed then have turned out to be quite useful in my editorial work. I can write compelling back cover and catalogue copy, as well as content such as pattern descriptions that are, in their own way, a kind of pattern promotion within a book.