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 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.

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 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 spirituality.

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 17 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Chris W.

Chris W.

Jun, 2025

Pinned
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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Melody C.

Melody C.

Mar, 2024

Pinned
I am extremely pleased with my experience working with Wendy on a developmental edit. Throughout she was responsive and communicative. Her edits were exactly what I was hoping for, and then some. She clearly read my novel thoroughly and carefully, but with a keen eye toward bigger picture issues....
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Joy U.

Joy U.

Jul, 2022

Pinned
I'm so grateful for the tremendous level of care Wendy put into the developmental edit of my novel. First, she took the time to understand my vision for the book and my expectations for the edit, which I deeply appreciated. It was clear from the start that Wendy understood my project and my voice...
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Ying L.

Ying L.

Oct, 2026

Really enjoyed working with Wendy. She took on the project with great professionalism. She also put in a lot of care in considering my view points. Even in the short time we worked together on this project, I learned a lot from her. Above all, just talking through the project with her inspired me...
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Dr Rick S.

Dr Rick S.

Aug, 2026

This was my second collaboration with Wendy.

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