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Rebecca Heyman - Editor
Boston, United States
Creative, compassionate, precision-based developmental editing and supportive, no-nonsense book coaching since 2009.
Overview
"Becca has been my dream editor through two novels, one of which has already landed in the top 100 on Amazon. She was so much more insightful and deft than the editor I was assigned for my traditionally published book that it was difficult to think of them as being part of the same profession." -David Vinjamuri, OPERATOR and BINDER
"Working with Becca was a dream. She’s super efficient and balances the right amount of constructive criticism with praise. She edited two of my manuscripts, which have both since been acquired by Penguin Destiny. I would definitely recommend her editing services for anyone who is looking to have their manuscript whipped into the best possible shape before self-publishing or submitting to agents or editors in traditional publishing." -Georgina Penney, IRREPRESSIBLE YOU and UNFORGETTABLE YOU
***
I see you. You are finding your place in the vast ocean of book development; perhaps you're taking the first few tentative steps away from the shore, or maybe you're floating in the shelter of a sun-soaked cove known only to you, or maybe you are floundering for breath in the wide open water, hoping for rescue.
Do you see me? I'm the one in the boat nearby, reaching out a hand to pull you aboard. I have dry clothes for you, and fresh water, and snacks. And perhaps most importantly, I have a map. Together we will read the stars and frown over the tides, gliding ever closer to your destination. I see it there, on the horizon: the island of My Book Is Real and Wonderful, an Authentic Expression of the Story in My Soul (the nomenclature is more elegant according to the native tongue).
I see you. Do you see me?
Welcome aboard.
**PLEASE READ "Genres of Interest" in Work Experience section below before requesting a proposal**
Services
Languages
Fiction
Certifications
- BA, English and American Literature/min. Creative Writing (NYU, 2007)
- MA, English Literature (NYU, 2008)
- SCBWI (2015)
Work experience
Developmental Editor, Book Coach
Rebecca Faith Editorial
Rebecca Faith Heyman started editing in 2007, while completing her Masters in English & American Literature at NYU. Her no-nonsense editing style is precise, spacious, honest, and compassionate, and has fostered countless collaborations with indie and traditionally published authors alike. Rebecca serves as an advisor to the board of Reedsy, a curated marketplace for book industry professionals and winner of the 2015 Futurebook award for BookTech Company of the Year, and is the founder/director of The Work Conference, an annual writers’ event in NYC. Notable releases (2017): The Alchemists of Loom (Kova, Silver Wing Press); Queer, There and Everywhere (Prager, HarperCollins); Project Semicolon: Your Story Isn’t Over (Bleuel, HarperCollins); Welcome to the Slipstream (Burian, Merit/Simon&Schuster); Hot Mess (Belden, Graydon House/Harlequin).
Genres of interest
Adult FICTION: contemporary/commercial, romance/women's, historical (18-19th c.), book club/upmarket, literary, LGBTQ+
YA: fantasy and contemporary, PNR, LGBTQ+
For YA and adult manuscripts, I am particularly interested in the compassionate representation of mental illness and underrepresented identities/cultures that reflect an author's reality.
At this time, I am unable to collaborate on nonfiction, novellas, short story collections or MG/picture books. I'm open to most genres, but kindly find a more appropriate editor for your space opera, procedural mystery, or horror work.
Portfolio (10 selected works)
Project Semicolon: Your Story Isn't Over
Amy Bleuel
For fans of PostSecret, Humans of New York, and If You Feel Too Much, this collection from suicide-awareness organization Project Semicolon features stories and photos from those struggling with mental illness. Project Semicolon began in 2013 to spread a message of hope: No one struggling with a mental illness is alone; you, too, can survive and live a life filled with joy and love. In support... read more
For fans of PostSecret, Humans of New York, and If You Feel Too Much, this collection from suicide-awareness organization Project Semicolon features stories and photos from those struggling with mental illness. Project Semicolon began in 2013 to spread a message of hope: No one struggling with a mental illness is alone; you, too, can survive and live a life filled with joy and love. In support... read more
Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World
Sarah Prager
This first-ever LGBTQ history book of its kind for young adults will appeal to fans of fun, empowering pop-culture books like Rad American Women A-Z and Notorious RBG. Three starred reviews!World history has been made by countless lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals—and you’ve never heard of many of them. Queer author and activist Sarah Prager delves deep into the lives ... read more
This first-ever LGBTQ history book of its kind for young adults will appeal to fans of fun, empowering pop-culture books like Rad American Women A-Z and Notorious RBG. Three starred reviews!World history has been made by countless lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals—and you’ve never heard of many of them. Queer author and activist Sarah Prager delves deep into the lives ... read more
Not Just Me: Anxiety, depression, and learning to embrace your weird
Lisa Jakub
Lisa Jakub has always been a little weird.Sensitive. Emotional. Introverted.What else would you expect from a former child actor turned writer?But the issue wasn't just an artistic temperament; Lisa was constantly trying to hide her debilitating anxiety and depression. She assumed that retiring from her eighteen-year acting career and leaving Hollywood was going to be the cure for all of her i... read more
Lisa Jakub has always been a little weird.Sensitive. Emotional. Introverted.What else would you expect from a former child actor turned writer?But the issue wasn't just an artistic temperament; Lisa was constantly trying to hide her debilitating anxiety and depression. She assumed that retiring from her eighteen-year acting career and leaving Hollywood was going to be the cure for all of her i... read more
Unforgettable You: Destiny Romance
Georgina Penney
After months working on an oil rig in the Atlantic Ocean, engineer Jo Blaine can't wait to get home. Her job is tough, and she is desperate for some long overdue girl time. The last thing Jo needs when she walks through her front door is to find a strange man staying in her house. When she learns that her uninvited guest is none other than Stephen Hardy, she's tempted to head straight back out... read more
After months working on an oil rig in the Atlantic Ocean, engineer Jo Blaine can't wait to get home. Her job is tough, and she is desperate for some long overdue girl time. The last thing Jo needs when she walks through her front door is to find a strange man staying in her house. When she learns that her uninvited guest is none other than Stephen Hardy, she's tempted to head straight back out... read more
The Barbershop Girl
Georgina Penney Penney
You don't become a notorious British celebrity without rubbing a few people the wrong way, which is why writer and comedian Ben Martindale has decamped to Australia until the latest media frenzy dies down.When he meets Amy Blaine, a perky blonde who dresses like a 1950s pin-up girl, he knows he's hit the satirical jackpot. He begins to fill his weekly London column with snarky observations abo... read more
You don't become a notorious British celebrity without rubbing a few people the wrong way, which is why writer and comedian Ben Martindale has decamped to Australia until the latest media frenzy dies down.When he meets Amy Blaine, a perky blonde who dresses like a 1950s pin-up girl, he knows he's hit the satirical jackpot. He begins to fill his weekly London column with snarky observations abo... read more
Whatever You Call Me (Volume 1)
Leigh Fleming
Annie Cooper is fed up with Washington. More importantly, she’s done with being Senator George Cooper’s daughter and all the expectations that come with it. She changes her name and tries to start fresh after quitting her job, but the only position she can find is in the political world she despises. Kip Porter is a two-term congressman from a blue collar district along the shores of the Chesa... read more
Annie Cooper is fed up with Washington. More importantly, she’s done with being Senator George Cooper’s daughter and all the expectations that come with it. She changes her name and tries to start fresh after quitting her job, but the only position she can find is in the political world she despises. Kip Porter is a two-term congressman from a blue collar district along the shores of the Chesa... read more
Welcome to the Slipstream
Natalka Burian
For fans of Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak and Judy Gregerson’s Bad Girls Club, this is a deeply moving and exquisite novel about a girl traumatized by her mother’s serious mental illness, and the steps she takes to save her from destruction.Bright lights, big trouble. When Van arrives in Las Vegas at the upscale Silver Saddle casino with her mother—a brilliant businesswoman with fragile mental... read more
For fans of Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak and Judy Gregerson’s Bad Girls Club, this is a deeply moving and exquisite novel about a girl traumatized by her mother’s serious mental illness, and the steps she takes to save her from destruction.Bright lights, big trouble. When Van arrives in Las Vegas at the upscale Silver Saddle casino with her mother—a brilliant businesswoman with fragile mental... read more
Serafina and the Black Cloak
Robert Beatty
A brave and unusual girl named Serafina lives secretly in the basement of the grand Biltmore Estate amidst the splendor of the Gilded Age. Serafina's pa, the estate's maintenance man, has warned her to keep herself hidden from the fancy folk who live on the floors above, but when children at the estate start disappearing, Serafina and her friend Braeden Vanderbilt must work together to solve a... read more
A brave and unusual girl named Serafina lives secretly in the basement of the grand Biltmore Estate amidst the splendor of the Gilded Age. Serafina's pa, the estate's maintenance man, has warned her to keep herself hidden from the fancy folk who live on the floors above, but when children at the estate start disappearing, Serafina and her friend Braeden Vanderbilt must work together to solve a... read more
Written in the Ashes
K. Hollan Van Zandt
"Written in the Ashes is one of those rare novels that sets 'history' afire, to bathe readers in the glow of a greater, hotter truth. Fans of The Mists of Avalon will find this romantic/alchemical/feminist/spiritual epic equally captivating."—Tom Robbins, bestselling author of Tibetan Peach Pie: A True Account of an Imaginative Life and Villa IncognitoIn the bloody clash between Christians and... read more
"Written in the Ashes is one of those rare novels that sets 'history' afire, to bathe readers in the glow of a greater, hotter truth. Fans of The Mists of Avalon will find this romantic/alchemical/feminist/spiritual epic equally captivating."—Tom Robbins, bestselling author of Tibetan Peach Pie: A True Account of an Imaginative Life and Villa IncognitoIn the bloody clash between Christians and... read more
Almost Paradise: A Novel
Corabel Shofner
A heartfelt debut about a spunky girl determined to save her family and find her way home.Twelve-year-old Ruby Clyde Henderson’s life changes the day her mother’s boyfriend holds up a convenience store, and her mother is wrongly jailed for assisting with the crime. Ruby and her pet pig, Bunny, find their way to her estranged Aunt Eleanor's home. Aunt Eleanor is an ornery nun who lives in the m... read more
A heartfelt debut about a spunky girl determined to save her family and find her way home.Twelve-year-old Ruby Clyde Henderson’s life changes the day her mother’s boyfriend holds up a convenience store, and her mother is wrongly jailed for assisting with the crime. Ruby and her pet pig, Bunny, find their way to her estranged Aunt Eleanor's home. Aunt Eleanor is an ornery nun who lives in the m... read more
Rebecca has 14 reviews
Professionalism
Quality
Value
Communication
Rebecca gave me exactly what I needed: a clear perspective on all aspects of my writing. She was spot on with the problems in my book, which I knew existed but could not pinpoint myself. She is very honest with her critique and unsparingly picks out all the bad spots in the writing, and at the same time, she sees and articulates all the strengths and potential in it. Rebecca is a treasure trove...
Susan Hu, July 2017
Rebecca has an insanely wonderful talent at picking out what is missing in a novel and presenting it in both a positive, clear, and beneficial manner that only a few people (let alone editors) can manage. I am not often impressed with people's talents since a majority are simply not impressive. Rebecca blew me away with her concise explanations and reasoning. I picked her out of the bidding pro...
John Danenbarger, June 2017
Rebecca was great to work with. She delivered the editorial assessment we'd agreed upon a day early and was very gracious with discussing her feedback. She gave me lots to think on to help improve my manuscript and I know she'll be there along the way if I need to bounce ideas off her.
Sarah Biglow, May 2017
Rebecca provided a clear and thorough analysis of my text while offering meaningful guidance to help me improve my writing
George Traikovich, May 2017
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