Jon Papernick

Jon Papernick – Editor

I am a writing coach, editor and novelist who works closely with writers as they develop their manuscripts. Your manuscript matters.

Overview

I’ve been obsessed with language and storytelling ever since I took my first stab at writing (Lord of the Rings fanfiction —eek!) back in third grade. I have grown up a lot since then, but still I feel a rush of excitement when I walk into a bookstore or see a bookshelf in a friend’s living room. I just have to know what secrets, what miracles lie between the pages.

I published my first book, a collection of short stories entitled The Ascent of Eli israel, back in 2002. I wrote those seven stories while in graduate school and it was the first time I really understood that writing is a craft and every sentence, every word, even every syllable matters.

I have published five more books since then and each time I continue to be amazed how the manuscripts evolve through the revision process, bringing out the true story, living, breathing characters and killer dialogue.

I founded of Paper&Ink Editorial, a highly-personalized manuscript consultation service, in order to provide a platform to share my editing and storytelling skills with a wider array of writers, beyond the walls of the colleges where I teach and have taught fiction since 2000.

I’m a writer who understands the struggles of writing, and the benefits of working with a manuscript consultant.
I work hard to be a generous, but challenging guide to bring out the best in a manuscript. I love forming personal bonds with my clients. It is important for me to make myself readily available for my clients as I understand how lonely the process of writing can be. I want my clients to know that I’m standing right behind them and that they are not alone on their creative journey. Sometimes, a brief phone call or text is enough to shake the cobwebs loose. I love brainstorming and I’m always happy to participate in an ongoing give-and-take of ideas to get the manuscript where it needs to go.

I look forward to the opportunity to work with you. I can’t wait to see what secrets we uncover together.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I am constitutionally inclined to respond quickly.
Services
Fiction
Coming of Age Contemporary Fiction Fantasy Historical Fiction Horror New Adult Science Fiction Short Story
Languages
English (US)
Certifications
  • MFA Creative Writing, Sarah Lawrence College, 2000

Work experience

Self-employed

Jan, 2019 — Present

Testimonials:

Jon's respect and encouragement early on in the writing process gave me the confidence I needed as a new writer. As my manuscript progressed, his keen editing eye and attention to detail was an essential part of making my first novel a reality. Sara Novic, award-winning author of Girl at War and True Biz.

It was a pleasure to have such a great storyteller review my work. If you're looking for feedback on a manuscript, I recommend Jon Papernick. R.L. Maizes, author of We Love Anderson Cooper.

Jon Papernick brings a critical eye and great insight to any manuscript he critiques. His abilities as an editor are top-notch, and he brings years of experience and good instinct to the table. If Jon offers advice on your manuscript, you would do well to listen. Scott A. Johnson, author of Shy Grove: A Ghost Story and The Stanley Cooper Chronicles.

Emerson College

Jan, 2007 — Present

I have taught fiction writing workshops for more than a decade and a half at Emerson College, one of the top regional universities in the north, according to US News and World Report. I have taught introductory, intermediate and advanced writing workshops to undergraduates, as well as workshops for graduate students.

Since 2017 I have also taught in Emerson College‘s Graduate Writing Program in Popular Fiction where I have worked with fantasy, science-fiction, young adult, horror and romance writers. I have also worked one on one advising students with their graduate theses.

Portfolio

Girl at War: A Novel

Sara Novic

For readers of The Tiger’s Wife and All the Light We Cannot See comes a powerful debut novel about a girl’s coming of age—and how her sense of family, friendship, love, and belonging is profoundly shaped by war.NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY BOOKPA... read more
Honeymoon Alone: A Romantic Comedy

Macaulay, Nicole

Shy Grove: A Ghost Story

Johnson, Scott

Thirst & Frost

Cannarella, Jane-Rebecca

Gallery of the Disappeared Men: Stories

Papernick, Jonathan

I Am My Beloveds: A Novel

Papernick, Jonathan

The Accursed Huntsman

Hoover, Douglass

Ungeheuer

Johnson, Scott

The Glass Witch

Raztresen, Sara

There Is No Other

Jonathan Papernick

From the streets of modern Israel to the barrooms of Brooklyn to a suburban New England synagogue, the characters in these 10 stories search for love and acceptance in a world scarred by loss and loneliness. In “The Madonna of Temple Beth Elohim,” an Iraq war ... read more
The Ascent of Eli Israel: And Other Stories

Jonathan Papernick

Short fiction set in modern-day Israel, from an author whose “penetrating clear-sighted stories ring true” (The New York Times Book Review). In a land where sudden death is an everyday fact of life, a boy dodges bullets and searches through rubble for news of ... read more
The Book of Stone: A Novel

Jonathan Papernick

The Book of Stone examines the evolution of the terrorist mentality and the complexities of religious extremism, as well as how easily a vulnerable mind can be exploited for dark purposes.Matthew Stone has inherited a troubling legacy: a gangster grandfather a... read more
We Love Anderson Cooper: Short Stories

R.L. Maizes

In this quirky, humorous, and deeply human short story collection, Pushcart Prize-nominated author R.L. Maizes reminds us that even in our most isolated moments, we are never truly alone.In We Love Anderson Cooper, characters are treated as outsiders because o... read more

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