Miriam Kriss

Miriam Kriss – Editor

Literary agent with 20 years of experience in NY helping authors hone their work, resulting in numerous NYT bestsellers for debut writers.

Overview

I am a literary agent with 20 years in New York publishing, experienced in developing and selling all genres of both adult and children's commercial fiction. My passion is helping writers hone their voices and discover their strengths.


Since starting as an agent in 2004, I've helped take numerous debut authors from the slush pile to the New York Times Bestseller List. I always like to say that authors should write their first draft for themselves and their second draft for their audience. Part of that process is fully understanding who their audience is, and what that audience will respond to. With that foundation, authors are able to craft both their manuscript and their pitch to encompass the story they want to tell in a way that will make people excited to read it. Developmental editing has always been a big part of what I've done for my clients and I'm excited to do the same for Reedsy authors in my spare time.


Editorial suggestions, even from a practiced eye, are just that--suggestions. They are meant to ensure your book reaches its full potential. "Remember," as Neil Gaiman said, and I am fond of quoting, "when people tell you something's wrong or doesn't work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong." I relish the opportunity to help make sure the story you have on the page lives up to the story you're eager to tell.


[Please note that in order to avoid any conflict of interest, I cannot act as an agent for projects I have edited via Reedsy.]

Services
Fiction
Children's Fantasy Mystery & Crime Romance Science Fiction Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction Young Adult
Languages
English (US)
Awards
  • Golden Apple Agent of the Year Award Winner 2009

Work experience

Codex Literary

Jul, 2023 — Present

Our mission is to cultivate, champion, and celebrate authors' authentic voices. Combining the intimacy and personalized attention of a boutique agency with a global perspective and a commitment to nurturing creativity, we take pride in being more than representatives – we are partners in the journey.

Irene Goodman Literary Agency

Apr, 2004 — Jul, 2023 (about 19 years)

Miriam has 65 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Jenny W.

Jenny W.

Oct, 2024

Pinned
I'm absolutely delighted with Miriam's work on my book. Her feedback was far more detailed and in-depth than I expected, and really demonstrates her deep knowledge and expertise. I'd reached a point with my manuscript where I wasn't sure what I needed to do to make it better. I knew it needed work, but I just couldn't see the wood for the trees. Miriam has shown me the way forward. Her feedback...
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Tammy M.

Tammy M.

Aug, 2024

Pinned
This is my third collaboration with Miriam, and my experiences have been fantastic. Very detail oriented and professional. Best editor I’ve ever worked with.
Madonna D.

Madonna D.

Aug, 2023

Pinned
Miriam is the kind of editor that gets into a book's acknowledgments. She's one of those old-fashioned, almost extinct editors that cares more about encouraging new writers than making money.
Justine B.

Justine B.

Dec, 2024

We hired Miriam to help with our query package as well as a developmental edit on the first 50 pages of our manuscript. She had great ideas and helped us work through a few plot issues. Her suggestions were thoughtful and extremely helpful, making it clear to us that she spent time and effort reading and considering how to improve areas of our project that we needed help with. After our hour-l...
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larry C.

larry C.

Dec, 2024

Miriam gave me a great edit that showed me how to improve my novel. I highy recommend her to other aspiring writers.

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