Susan Morris – Editor

I'm best known for my work editing Forgotten Realms novels and for moderating panels at the Gen Con Writer's Symposium. In addition, I've edited novels for Monte Cook Games, wrote a popular column on the craft of writing for Amazon's blog (which TIME Magazine online once called clever), and ran a successful workshop on tension for Clarion West in June 2022. I specialize in the developmental editing of fantasy novels.

Over the course of my career, I've had the pleasure of working with award-winning and NYT bestselling authors such as Erin M. Evans, Jaleigh Johnson, Richard Baker, Richard Lee Byers, Troy Denning, Ed Greenwood, Bruce Cordell, and Richard Dansky.

I specialize in helping authors see the beating heart of their book--how the internal and external arcs are working, what trajectories the book sets in motion, what the reader expectations are and how to adjust them, and how to tighten the themes and make them more resonant. I think of it as like x-ray vision for a book. I break down your book so you can see how the book functions, and I point out where you could shift things so it could function even better.

TESTIMONIALS

Over thirty-some years and more than 140 books, Susan M. is THE best editor I have ever worked with, bar none. She combines an intuitive feel for story with the desire to improve the telling of any tale, and interpersonal skills that master building a team relationship with any writer she’s working with, rather than ever treating them like an adversary or an underling. She’s that rarest of things in publishing: a true friend who wants to make every story better, and every author feel better about their story. If she could somehow clone herself, I’d want every writer to have Susan as their editor!

—Ed Greenwood, author of ELMINSTER MUST DIE

I’ve been blessed with a number of good editors during my writing career, but none better than Susan M. We never did a book where I felt pushed in a direction I didn’t want to go, yet her influence vastly improved every single project. That’s because she has the rare gift of recognizing what’s worthwhile and special in a particular writer’s approach, then using her skills to help him express it to best advantage. And her skills are exceptional. Whether she’s addressing broad issues of story structure and characterization or the wording of a single sentence, her judgment is as acute as her professionalism is complete. The novels we worked on together are the best I’ve published to date, and her insights have unquestionably made me a better writer.

—Richard Lee Byers, author of THE CAPTIVE FLAME

It’s not hyperbole when I say I owe much of my novel writing success to Susan M. Susan edited my last seven novels. Without her editorial feedback, I wouldn’t have made the continual improvements in my craft that have consistently landed me new novel contracts. Without her eye toward compelling character story arcs, I may have never realized that characters are king, regardless of plot. But her knack for pulling out evocative story threads and providing constructive feedback on how to polish a plot until it shines is no less developed than her previous two strengths I mentioned. Yes, she’s a triple threat.

When I learned Susan would soon be exploring a larger world of editing, I told her I would dearly miss her editorial brilliance. She left her mark on me for the better, and I have no doubt future editors will find me a far better author than I would have otherwise been thanks to her influence.

—Bruce R. Cordell, author of PLAGUE OF SPELLS

Susan M. was my primary editor for the last three years and edited my Blades of the Moonsea trilogy. I regard her as the best editor I’ve ever worked with. She has an exceptional eye for character motivation and development, and my novels were greatly improved by her suggestions for improving my characterization. Her work with my manuscript was very clean, and I found that I could rarely tell where she’d cleaned up my mistakes. Susan was always ready to discuss any tricky plot points or challenges I ran into with an open mind and a positive, can-do attitude. She was a real pleasure to work with, and I hope I have the chance to work with her again.

—Richard Baker, The New York Times best-selling author of SWORDMAGE

Working with Susan was an absolute pleasure. She’s perceptive, direct, and dead on with her direction for how to make a book better. I’d work with her again in a heartbeat.

—Richard Dansky, author of FIREFLY RAIN