Sarah LaPolla – Editor

Hello! I’m Sarah, an editor, writer, and former literary agent with nearly twenty years of publishing industry experience. I began my career at Curtis Brown, Ltd., where I became a literary agent while working toward my own MFA in Creative Writing. From there, I moved to Bradford Literary Agency where I continued to represent amazing authors whose works went on to become New York Times bestsellers, regional and national award-recognized successes, and multi-star reviewed debuts.

In 2020, I became a full-time independent editor. I focus on Big Picture and Developmental Edits in a variety of genres. See my specialties and projects I've worked on below. My editorial projects have gone on to find homes at major publishers, small presses, or continue finding success in self-published markets.

HOW I EDIT: My approach to editing is to work within the writer's vision and publishing goals. There is no "one edit letter fits all." I aim to use my publishing experience and creative writing education to leave authors with revision skills they can use after our work together is finished.

WHAT I EDIT: My areas of expertise are in Young Adult and Adult fiction in the following genres:

- Contemporary/Realistic (Literary Fiction, Upmarket/Book Club Fiction, Coming-of-Age)

- Horror (all kinds, but I lean on the literary side)

- Literary Suspense/Mystery

- Science Fiction (grounded, story-driven sci-fi preferably; I wouldn't be the best fit for tech-heavy hard sci-fi)

- Speculative Fiction (Magical Realism, Paranormal, Urban/”Low” Fantasy, anything you can’t neatly label!)

I'm drawn to stories that surprise me, characters who surprise themselves, and getting immersed in a setting. I'm also a strong advocate for books by and about marginalized, underrepresented voices and characters who challenge the status quo. I would not be the right fit for books that villainize or exploit those voices.

Genres that would not be right for me: category romance or erotica; high/epic fantasy; non-fiction; inspirational or spiritual fiction; graphic novels; or children’s books.

FULL MANUSCRIPT SERVICES

EDITORIAL ASSESSMENT - Detailed editorial letter; recommended for writers with a completed 1st or 2nd draft looking for Big Picture feedback on readability and direction.

DEVELOPMENTAL EDIT - Detailed editorial letter + one-round of in-line manuscript edits; recommended for writers at a more advanced revision stage but still need guidance to get to a finish line.

DEVELOPMENTAL + LINE EDITING - Two-round editing service that includes a full developmental edit, followed by a line edit of the revised manuscript. This is a longer term service for writers ready for the final revision stages.

AI POLICY: I do not use Generative AI/LLMs (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.) when I edit or communicate with you. In turn, I expect the same honesty and integrity from my clients. As such, I do not read or edit manuscripts developed with AI in any capacity. Further, I do not consent to having my editorial feedback entered into GenAI tools for future use.

*Please disclose any AI usage in your Reedsy request and in what capacity it may have been used.*