Amanda Ramirez – Editor

Hello there!My name is Amanda. It's a pleasure to meet you! I am a children's book editor with over five years of experience and am currently an associate editor at Simon & Schuster in the children's trade division flagship imprint, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.Over the years, I've been lucky enough to work with critically-acclaimed, New York Times bestselling, and award-winning authors like Neal Shusterman (Thunderhead, The Toll, Dry), Andrew Smith (Rabbit & Robot, the Sam Abernathy series, Exile from Eden), Margaret Peterson Haddix (The Summer of Broken Things, the Children of Exile series), Tim Federle (the Nate series), Katherine Rundell (The Explorer, The Good Thieves), Shaun David Hutchinson (Howl), Whitney Gardner (Long Distance), and Kelly Loy Gilbert (When We Were Infinite), as well as exciting debuts like Robbie Couch (The Sky Blues, Blaine for the Win), Anika Fajardo (What If a Fish, Meet Me Halfway), and Briana McDonald (Pepper's Rules for Secret Sleuthing, The Secrets of Stone Creek), just to name a few.I specialize primarily in middle grade fiction, young adult fiction, and graphic novel scripts, though I have experience in editing picture books and chapter books. I have edited a wide variety of genres and categories, including romantic comedy, high-fantasy, drama, science-fiction, contemporary fantasy, speculative, thriller and suspense, and coming-of-age contemporary. My goal, first and foremost, is to create relatable characters. I believe that young readers deserve to see themselves accurately represented and strive to depict them respectfully and responsibly. I am not a great match for nonfiction works, historical fiction, or adult genre fiction. I cannot work on projects that center content related to TW: addiction, sexual assault, or suicide.My favorite part of being an editor is getting to work collaboratively with writers in an effort to shape their work and hone their craft into the best possible version of their vision! I'm detail-oriented, ask a ton of questions, and love to delve deep into world-building and character development. I am flexible and adaptable and am willing to meet you where you're at, whether that's over a phone or Zoom call to talk through your questions or concerns, or exclusively through written editorial feedback. I'm generally a very upbeat personality and will post gifs in the margins of your manuscript to make you smile, if that's your thing. I can provide samples of edit letters I've written in the past upon request and am happy to adjust according to your needs.I'm excited to help you on your journey to the next level!PLEASE NOTE that Sundays are my days off. Thank you for your patience!TESTIMONIALS"Amanda's insight is invaluable and her skill communicating edits via memes in the margins is superb. I don't know how she so expertly sifted through my messy manuscript to find the shiniest storytelling gems (witchcraft?), but I'm eternally appreciative that she pulled it off." - Robbie Couch, author of The Sky Blues"Amanda's sharp editorial eye and unrelenting support not only made this book possible, but also made it stronger than I ever imagined." - Briana McDonald, author of Pepper's Rules for Secret SleuthingPRAISE FOR BOOKS I'VE EDITED* "Hutchinson is known for offbeat, edgy books, and this is no exception. Convincing, well-rounded characters come to life in Hutchinson's lyrical, punchy writing, and his skills for maintaining suspense and intrigue meanthe story never drags. Hutchinson never misses a beat in this gripping, dynamic novel." - Booklist starred review on Howl by Shaun David Hutchinson

"Earnest, heartfelt, and sincerely moving. Robbie Couch writes with real honesty and compassion about love, family, and friendship in all their beautiful complexity." - Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda on The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch

“This Nancy-Drew-style sleuthing tale with a modern sensibility will delight middle grade readers craving suspense, mystery and puzzles. A page-turner packed with wisdom and heart.” - Barbara Dee, author of Star-Crossed on Pepper's Rules for Secret Sleuthing

"Fajardo’s honest, heartfelt text evokes sorrow and grief but also understanding, navigating the many complexities of identity, friendship, family, loss, and death." - Booklist on What If a Fish by Anika Fajardo

"Radical and deeply relatable, Drawn That Way is a fierce and feminist romance must-read." - Sam Maggs, author of The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy on Drawn That Way by Elissa Sussman