Sarah de Souza – Editor

Hi! I'm Sarah, a book editor with 8+ years' experience working in-house and freelance at some of the world’s most commercially successful publishers, including Hachette and Penguin. Novels I have worked on have reached bestseller rankings, been winningly reviewed in the New York Times, The Sunday Times, USA Today, and selected for Vogue, Elle and Harper's Bazaar's 'Best Books of The Year' lists. I edit a gloriously wide range of genres, including literary fiction, romance, and historical mysteries.

I see the author-editor relationship as a lifelong one. For me, the collaboration does not end once I've emailed over my feedback. I will always be happy to hear from my clients - whether it's for a rant over the phone or a brainstorming session. I am ambitious for the authors I work with, too: I want to see you succeed, whatever that means for you.

I offer a fierce - but friendly! - editing service. I will be truthful about what isn't working, while enthusiastically praising what is good. I'll give tactical, thorough advice on how you can fix structural issues like slow pacing, plot holes, unsatisfying story arcs and undeveloped characters. I can help you find the shape your novel is meant to take, editing with precision, honesty, publishing savvy and a lot of heart. My reports are much longer (approximately 10k-15k words) than the industry standard, designed not only to elevate your manuscript to be the best it possibly can be, but also to teach you writing craft principles and help you discover or hone your literary voice.

I would love to discuss how we can work together to make your novel shine. I want to help you achieve your goals - whether you would like to get published, self-publish, or make your novel the best it can be - so do reach out for a chat. I'm friendly, promise!

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“[Sarah]’s input [was] invaluable, vastly improving the narrative with her insightful comments and suggestions.”

-Robert Fabbri, bestselling author of the Vespasian series *300, 000 copies sold*

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“Sarah worked with one of my authors and is incredible, her attention to detail and imagination for the potential of a book are some of the best I've seen.”

-Hattie Grunewald, literary agent

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"I have had a 100% full request rate [from agents] after your edits! *screams* Thank you SO much for your help. [It's] what I was hoping for in this experience, a chance to really learn what I was doing wrong. I see that the restructuring was the right choice, and I am proud I was able to work with your notes. I think we made a great team. Right now I am a bit overwhelmed. I have now had 9 full requests [from agents]...3 were in the last 24 hours alone."

-Alexandra Ranelli, author of Murder at the Hotel Orient (John Murray Press)