Wendy Lee

Wendy Lee – Editor

I have experience of over a decade as an editor of contemporary fiction, women's fiction, historical fiction, mystery/suspense, and memoir.

Overview

I'm a book editor and ghostwriter who started my publishing career of more than a decade at HarperCollins Publishers, working on memoir, narrative nonfiction, literary fiction, women’s fiction, historical fiction, and mystery/suspense. As a ghostwriter I've worked on a number of projects, including a nationally bestselling memoir.

In addition, I'm the author of the novels The Art of Confidence (Kensington Books), Across a Green Ocean (Kensington Books), and Happy Family (Grove Atlantic). Happy Family was named one of the top 10 debut novels of the year by Booklist. I've received fellowships from the MacDowell Colony and the Corporation of Yaddo for my writing.

As the daughter of immigrants from China, I'm especially interested in Asian American issues and love to work with writers from diverse backgrounds. I live in Queens, NYC, where I enjoy exploring the variety of food and cultural experiences the borough has to offer.

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Fiction
Chick Lit Contemporary Fiction Cultural & Ethnic Historical Mysteries Literary Fiction Psychological Thriller
Languages
English (US)

Work experience

Kevin Anderson & Associates

Jan, 2017 — Present
Developmental edit and line edit fiction (literary, historical, women's, contemporary, mystery/suspense, psychological thriller) and nonfiction (memoir). Write and edit memoir proposals and query letters.

Lantern Books

Feb, 2012 — Dec, 2013 (almost 2 years)
Acquired, edited, and oversaw the publication of 10-12 titles per year in the areas of health and healing, environmentalism, animal advocacy, vegetarianism, and religion. Developed digital program by producing ebook originals and online promotional material. Oversaw the development of the company’s Twitter account. Coordinated with other staff on daily operations such as production, marketing, publicity, and social media.

HarperCollins Publishers

Feb, 2006 — Jan, 2012 (almost 6 years)
Acquired and edited titles in creative nonfiction, romance, women’s fiction, historical fiction, and mystery/suspense. Served as editorial point person for 80+ backlist titles by Agatha Christie. Authors edited include New York Times bestselling authors Lawrence Block and Kimberla Lawson Roby, national bestselling authors Angela Benson and Lynne Hinton, Agatha Award-winning author Katherine Hall Page, Indie Next Picks M. L. Malcolm and Duncan Jepson, and debut author Ann Mah.

Wendy has 12 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

David D.

David D.

Feb, 2026

Wendy's assessment of my novel was insightful and professional, providing critical and constructive feedback that allowed me to better examine not only the work itself but opportunities to build further storied from the material. Her notes were incredibly thorough, covering all aspects of the man...
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Dr Rick S.

Dr Rick S.

Oct, 2025

Wendy exceeded my already high expectations for assessing my memoir. Her comments were both general and specific (amounting to nine typed pages) and she also responded to a list of ten guiding questions for her reading. I would not hesitate to use her professional services again. Her fee is also ...
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Stephanie A.

Stephanie A.

Aug, 2025

Wendy saw the vision in my work and based her feedback around that. She was incredibly insightful and helpful. Highly recommend her.
Ori K.

Ori K.

Jul, 2025

Wendy left thoughtful feedback from the eye of an experienced editor. She was able to point out both strengths of the work and logical / emotional inconsistencies in the work. I'm confident that the final story will be much improved thanks to her feedback.
Chris W.

Chris W.

Jun, 2025

Wendy is an exceptional developmental editor. She is thoughtful, precise, and deeply respectful of the emotional heart of a story. Her feedback on my memoir was transformative. She immediately understood the core of the narrative and offered concrete, high-level structural guidance that helped m...
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