Taylor Plimpton

Taylor Plimpton – Editor

With over 25 years in literary publishing, I'm currently focused on the self-help genre. I'm also a practicing Zen Buddhist!

Overview

My name is Taylor, and I’m an author, editor, and writing teacher who’s worked for more than 25 years in the magazine and book worlds. As an editor at Men’s Journal, Manhattan, Beach, and Love, Dog, I’ve had the honor of editing the work of highly esteemed and bestselling authors, including James Salter, Jenna Blum, Rick Bass, and Bethany Ball. In the book world, I’ve been lead editor on an array of manuscripts, including an anthology entitled, The Dreaded Feast: Writers on Enduring the Holidays, which USA Today called “A wonderfully irreverent look at the holidays.” More recently, I’ve focused my book editing on the self-help genre, including a guide to Tarot reading. A sincere practitioner of Zen Buddhism and Tai Chi, I’ve devoted much of my own writing to the spiritual/self-improvement side of things, as well, and two of my contributions to Tricycle: The Buddhist Review were later named “Notable Essays” in the Best American Essays series. But the truth is, in my long career in publishing, I have edited multiple genres—from memoir to literary fiction, from anthologies to cookbooks—and I feel at ease helping to make writers’ work better, no matter the category.


My own editorial strengths range from great attention to detail on a sentence level, to the more macro perspective needed to put together a book. I have the sharp eyes of a copy editor, quick to catch errors small and large, and I have a real ear for language—for anything that doesn’t sound right, or that doesn’t quite have the right rhythm and flow. It is at this level that my skills are at their finest—in my own work, and in others’, I am deeply committed to the perfection of every sentence, and every word. Any project that I edit will end up clean, smooth, and beautiful.


At the same time, one of my greatest editorial assets is a certain light touch: I refuse to put my personal stamp on someone else’s writing, seeking instead to guide writers to their own best work—nurturing their own voice, asking the right questions of them, providing the right encouragement. This sensitivity to writers' needs is due, in part, to my long tenure as a writer myself: my work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Town & Country, The New Yorker, and A Public Space, and I am the author of a memoir, Notes from the Night: A Life After Dark, which the Los Angeles Times called "...a rhapsodic book: light and free, the model for the memoir of the future..." My empathy for writers also comes from my years of experience teaching them—most recently as an instructor at Catapult, where I offer a workshop exploring the borders of fiction and nonfiction, and formerly as a professor at the Writer’s Foundry MFA Program at St. Joseph’s College in Brooklyn, where I lectured, led workshops, and offered seminars on Zen in the Art of Writing.


I look forward to working with you!

Services
Fiction
Anthologies Literary Fiction
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Buddhism Inspirational Self-Help & Self-Improvement Sports & Outdoors
Languages
English (US)
Awards
  • In 2013, 2018, 2020, and 2021, his essays were named "Notable Essays" in Best American Essays.

Work experience

Love, Dog Media Company (lovedog.com)

May, 2021 — Present

Assigned, edited, and designed all content. Also contributed own writing to the site.

Catapult

Jun, 2019 — Present

Taught recurring writing workshop, Exploring the Borders of Nonfiction

Callisto Media

Mar, 2019 — Jul, 2019 (4 months)

Served as primary developmental and line editor on several books

The Writer's Foundry MFA Program, St. Joesph's College

Sep, 2013 — Dec, 2017 (about 4 years)

Taught writing workshops and advanced literature seminars; delivered lectures; served as thesis advisor, working closely with students to help them develop, edit, and polish their creative and critical theses

"Manhattan" and "Beach" magazines

Jul, 2013 — Dec, 2016 (over 3 years)

Sought out and edited poems, short stories, essays, and book excerpts for publication

Abrams (published by)

Oct, 2009 — Present

Co-edited humor anthology about the holidays. USA Today wrote, “A wonderfully irreverent look at the holidays. A must for the Christmas cynic on your list.”

Self-employed

Jun, 2003 — Present

Provided freelance editing services on both shorter and book-length projects

Men's Journal magazine

Jan, 2001 — May, 2003 (over 2 years)

Edited features and book excerpts; wrote features, book reviews, and travel essays

Taylor has 4 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Chong A.

Chong A.

May, 2023

Taylor provided an exceptional editing work.
Sheila B.

Sheila B.

Mar, 2023

I am not a professional writer I feel working with Tylor made the manuscript better and the overall process great!
Sheila E.

Sheila E.

Mar, 2023

Taylor was fantastic! He was extremely thorough and was a pleasure to work with. I will absolutely call on him again in the future if I have any other editing needs.
NT H.

NT H.

Feb, 2023

Taylor is an excellent editor and a professional with integrity. I enjoyed working with him on my manuscript; he exceeded my expectations. I recommend Taylor to any author looking for value for every dollar they spend!