Overview
Prior to Callisto, I worked as an editor for UrbanDaddy—a men's lifestyle website covering food and drink, travel, entertainment, and style with 350,000+ subscribers nationwide. Consequently, I have lots of experience fielding pitches and fine-tuning ideas and angles from other writers, ushering their stories from conception to publication.
As a writer myself, my reportage, commentary, and short fiction has been published in Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, The Daily Beast, Electric Literature, HuffPo, The Outline, Blunderbuss Mag, and Joyland, among others. I also co-wrote a memoir with Fred Karger, the "world's greatest party crasher" (publication date TBD).
I welcome the opportunity to help you bring your project to life, whether that's by assessing your material, outlining your book, or editing your manuscript. While my professional background lies more with prescriptive non-fiction, I've also worked with numerous writers on honing a voice and shaping a narrative. I look forward to working with you!
Services
Non-Fiction
Languages
Work experience
Callisto Media
• Outlined and edited 15+ titles on a variety of topics – managing each project from conception to publication – with all titles currently receiving a 4.2/5 rating or above on Amazon. Highlights include:
o 100 Things I Love About You (80,000+ sold to date)
o Play Therapy Activities (#1 best-seller in Occupational Therapy (Books) on Amazon)
o The Ultimate Relationship Workbook for Couples (15,000+ sold to date)
• Reviewed titles, covers, art, layouts, marketing copy, and proofs. Worked closely with authors, designers, and freelance developmental editors to ensure products met consumer needs.
• Accelerated output leading to faster recoupment of costs. Edited up to four books at a time on compressed production timelines to get books to market as quickly as possible.
UrbanDaddy
• Collaborated with editorial director to develop big picture content strategy. Expanded entertainment coverage that led to brand partnership opportunities with Sony, Showtime, and Infiniti.
• Wrote 4-8 stories a week and managed a roster of freelancers, fielding pitches to fine-tune angles and editing web stories to inform, broaden reach, and enhance the UrbanDaddy brand.
• Content development and strategy work in 2017 resulted in 50% increase in site visits and 38% increase in time spent on site. Wrote several of the most-viewed stories in UrbanDaddy history.
UrbanDaddy
• Produced three UrbanDaddy Chicago stories per week on food, nightlife, and local events, working with industry contacts to secure exclusives on restaurant and bar openings.
• Built editorial calendar, conducted interviews, and orchestrated photo shoots.
• Wrote national stories on entertainment, travel, style, and food and drink for the web. Contributed to the UrbanDaddy Las Vegas and Jetset weekly newsletters.
Portfolio
Sam has 1 review
Professionalism
Quality
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Heidi R.
Dec, 2022
