Sara Jafari

Sara Jafari – Editor

Former editor at Penguin Random House with a wealth of experience editing a range of books from contemporary romance to children's fiction.

Overview

I work as a freelance editor for some of the major publishing houses in the UK.

Up until very recently, I worked as an editor at the largest children's publisher in the UK, Penguin Random House Children's, across a range of ages from young fiction to crossover non-fiction. During my time there, I launched numerous debut authors, and worked very closely with new authors, as well as more established brand authors.

Previous to this, I worked at Harper Collins, at Mills & Boon, and whilst there I edited contemporary and historical series romance.

My taste is broad, but I am particularly interested in editing upmarket women's fiction, literary fiction and YA.

As an author myself (my novel THE MISMATCH was published in 2021 from Cornerstone, PRH and my second novel PEOPLE CHANGE forthcoming) I am very sensitive to working with new authors and providing them valuable editorial feedback on their projects. I always provide the opportunity for a phone or video call which will accompany my editorial letter because I know how helpful it can be chatting through editorial feedback.

Above all, I am passionate about helping authors develop their voice and stories. So, please do get in touch with your projects!
Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Fiction
Contemporary Romance Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Middle Grade New Adult Paranormal Romance Women's Fiction
Languages
English (AUS) English (UK) English (US)
Certifications
  • BA in English and Comparative Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London
  • Faber Academy - Writing a Novel graduate

Work experience

Penguin Random House Children's Books

Jul, 2019 — Sep, 2022 (about 3 years)

- Actively commissioned new projects
- Assessed agent submissions
- Worked closely on edits with authors (from structural edits to line edits)
- Briefed covers
- Provided support for our big brand authors (such as Rick Riordan and the Wimpy Kid series)
- Published the titles in our Wattpad collaboration

I worked on a range of age ranges from 6+ into young adult and crossover spaces for both fiction and non-fiction.

Mills & Boon / Harlequin

Mar, 2017 — Jul, 2019 (over 2 years)

- Line editing manuscripts
- Providing authors with developmental edits
- Assessing submissions

TOKEN Magazine

Jan, 2017 — Present

TOKEN Magazine is a print literary and arts magazine that features under-represented writers and artists. I undertake all the editorial responsibilities in this role, such as:

- Providing developmental edits
- Performing line edits, as well as copy-edits
- Proofreading

Penguin Random House

Mar, 2016 — Mar, 2017 (about 1 year)

Portfolio

Good For Nothing

Ansar, Mariam

Book 9780241626955

Jenni Fletcher

The First Move

Jenny Ireland

Black Joy

Various

Nigerian hall parties. Black girl gangs. Being at one with nature. Creating a home. Finding love. Belonging to a fandom. Joy can be found in many places. Bringing together the most exciting Black British voices today, Black Joy is an extraordinary anthology th... read more
How to Disappear

Savannah Brown

"The year is 1987 and the sleepy village of Sandown Bay is waking up . . ."To its residents, Sandown is home - a tiny village holiday resort in the western United States.To everyone else, it's a minuscule island, that brings tourists in summer and not a lot el... read more
The third book in The Kissing Booth series - based on the upcoming Netflix film!
Meet Lizzie and Lucky: a sparky young detective and her loyal Dalmatian sidekick! The first title in a brand new illustrated series from beloved animal author Megan Rix.Lizzie is desperate for a dog. In order to convince her parents to get one, she has to come... read more
Join Lizzie and Lucky on another mystery-solving adventure! Perfect for fans of Holly Webb and Anisha, Accidental Detective.When Lizzie and her hearing dog Lucky go on a family trip to the seaside, something doesn't seem right. There's talk of missing treasure... read more
A heart-warming, funny and accessible new series: Bend It Like Beckham for fans of Jacqueline Wilson and Ella On The Outside.Things begin to go wrong for Jaz when her mum moves out, leaving her family behind. Determined to fix everything, she creates her own g... read more
The Greek’s terms?She must wear his diamond!Lysandros Drakakis always gets what he wants, and he’s never stopped wanting beautiful pianist Rio Armstrong! A fake engagement to please his family is the perfect opportunity to uncover why she walked away from thei... read more
A woman untouched…Awakened by her king! Kassie’s scandalous family has left her craving a life in the shadows, not the spotlight. Then King Giorgos Nicolaides kidnaps her, demanding information about his missing sister! She knows nothing—but their potent attra... read more
Their blissful encounter was a secret…Until her pregnancy shock!Powerful Greek Leon Kariakis is not accustomed to being challenged—least of all by an impulsive woman who’s mistaken his identity. Yet warmhearted Ettie Roberts is a breath of fresh air, and Leon ... read more
If the truth comes out……there will be scandal!In this Those Scandalous Stricklands story, Hope Strickland must find the lost items of her family’s estate. Mysterious Gregory Drake, expert at fixing the problems of the aristocracy, is hired to help. As they emb... read more
The plainest Strickland sisterIn the earl’s arms!Part of Those Scandalous Stricklands. To escape marriage to the newly inherited Earl of Comstock, bookish Charity must find her family’s missing diamonds. She meets her match in an intellectual stranger auditing... read more
It was a sizzling encounter…Then a baby binds them forever!A hotel booking mix-up in Venice means wedding-dress designer Sabrina Midhurst must share a room with her nemesis: wealthy, brooding businessman Max Firbank. It’s infuriating—until an unexpected night ... read more
“Marry me this weekend.”He will wed his Cinderella!Sicilian billionaire Gabriel Salvetti offers a simple exchange—for her hand in marriage, he’ll save Francesca Mancini’s ancestral home. Penniless Frankie has the aristocratic name Gabriel needs to redeem his f... read more
From under the mistletoe……to down the aisle!When brooding bachelor Gabe Arantini learns the innocent beauty he shared a steamy festive night with is the daughter of his business rival, he’s furious. The following Christmas, Abby returns with shocking news—she’... read more
Sold to the ruthless tycoon!Innocent socialite Marnie Kenington was devastated when her parents forced her to spurn Nikos Kyriazis. She’s never forgotten him, nor his raw sensuality. So years later, when Nikos insists on a meeting, Marnie’s heart leaps…until N... read more
His vengeance was strictly business…Until he discovers she’s carrying his heir!Antonio Herrera’s plan is simple: persuade innocent Amelia diSalvo to sell the shares in his rival’s business. But what the Spanish billionaire didn’t plan on was their intense conn... read more
“I have a condition…”Can she agree to her husband’s terms? When heiress Skye learns her marriage to Matteo was built on lies, she demands a divorce. A pawn in his revenge, Skye’s heart shattered when she discovered her husband’s game. The clock is ticking; she... read more
A doctor, a single dad prince……and a happy-ever-after?Dr. Krystiana Szenac’s whole world is turned upside down when she’s hired to complete Crown Prince Matteo’s yearly physical. Especially when an unfortunate accident leaves her homeless—and Matteo offers her... read more
A doctor, a single dad prince……and a happy-ever-after?Dr. Krystiana Szenac’s whole world is turned upside down when she’s hired to complete Crown Prince Matteo’s yearly physical. Especially when an unfortunate accident leaves her homeless—and Matteo offers her... read more
A marriage of convenience…With a price!Billionaire playboy Will Trent-Paterson has one year to get married. His father will disinherit him if he doesn’t settle down, leaving his vulnerable sister homeless! So when his old friend Sophie Mitchell jokes that she’... read more
A woman untouched…Awakened by her king! Kassie’s scandalous family has left her craving a life in the shadows, not the spotlight. Then King Giorgos Nicolaides kidnaps her, demanding information about his missing sister! She knows nothing—but their potent attra... read more
A secret night of bliss……a scandalous nine-month consequence!While attending a royal masquerade, billionaire Damon can’t resist seducing a captivating guest. It’s the most shamelessly sensual encounter he’s ever had! Then Damon discovers that his masked beauty... read more
Coming soon! The Venetian One-Night Baby by Melanie Milburne will be available Jan 15, 2019.
To redeem his notorious reputation…She’ll agree to wear his ring!When headlines mistakenly announce florist Holly Frost’s engagement to ruthless celebrity divorce lawyer Zack Knight, she’s stunned. His lethal charisma may have ignited a fire in her blood, but ... read more
If the truth comes out……there will be scandal!In this Those Scandalous Stricklands story, Hope Strickland must find the lost items of her family’s estate. Mysterious Gregory Drake, expert at fixing the problems of the aristocracy, is hired to help. As they emb... read more
The plainest Strickland sisterIn the earl’s arms!Part of Those Scandalous Stricklands. To escape marriage to the newly inherited Earl of Comstock, bookish Charity must find her family’s missing diamonds. She meets her match in an intellectual stranger auditing... read more
“I have a condition…”Can she agree to her husband’s terms? When heiress Skye learns her marriage to Matteo was built on lies, she demands a divorce. A pawn in his revenge, Skye’s heart shattered when she discovered her husband’s game. The clock is ticking; she... read more
From under the mistletoe……to down the aisle!When brooding bachelor Gabe Arantini learns the innocent beauty he shared a steamy festive night with is the daughter of his business rival, he’s furious. The following Christmas, Abby returns with shocking news—she’... read more

Sara has 5 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Cassidy S.

Cassidy S.

Mar, 2024

Sara provided invaluable feedback on my novel extract, offering insightful suggestions that significantly enhanced the quality of my work. Notably, her keen eye for detail and constructive criticism were spot-on, and I found myself in complete agreement with her assessments. Beyond her editing prowess, Sara's encouragement and support boosted my self-confidence, turning what could have been a d...
Read more
Alexandra I.

Alexandra I.

Nov, 2022

Sara was fantastic to work with! Her feedback was helpful and specific!
Adrianna T.

Adrianna T.

Jun, 2021

Sara was extremely professional and just as passionate about my manuscript as I was. Her turnover time was very quick. The feedback letter she gave me for both my manuscript and query letter combined was incredibly detailed, she really broke down where to improve on my work to make it ready for literary agents to read. Definitely worth the money!
Negar M.

Negar M.

Feb, 2019

I would highly recommend working with Sara. She is extremely professional and really cares about the project she reviews. Her inputs have been very valuable and will help me take my book to the next week. Looking forward to working with Sara again soon.
Cheryl R.

Cheryl R.

Oct, 2018

Sara was amazing with her assistance. Her insight helped a first timer understand the plot holes and problems in the story and gave great suggestions to overcome the issues. Grateful for her input and professionalism. I would definitely work with Sara again!

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