Overview
Before becoming an agent, Andy rose through the ranks of trade publishing in New York, moving quickly from Simon & Schuster to Warner Books to Donald I. Fine and finally to Editor at the Berkley Publishing Group. As a freelance editor, he has edited titles for Berkley, DIF, Dell, and Avon, and became a Consulting Editor for Tom Doherty’s Forge Books. The titles below represent a sample of those he has either edited, represented, or published.
Andy's strengths are in editorial assessments, developmental editing, and line editing. He also reviews query letters and has read or written thousands over his career.
Andy has been an editor, publisher, author coach, and literary agent and has represented authors of fiction and nonfiction at two different firms. He is also the publisher of a small press, working both directly with authors and with agents to acquire and publish works of commercial fiction and nonfiction.
An "editorial assessment" is a "big picture" look at the book. What works or doesn't and why. It focuses on finding the "rejection triggers" that are going to result in agents and editors passing on your book. The cost tends to be between $500 and $1,200, based on length.
"Developmental editing" is much more detailed and involves reading the book through once as a reader and then again, taking close notes either within the Word file or for a separate editorial letter or both. It is very time-consuming and therefore the cost is generally between $3,500 and $5,000.
"Line editing" comes after developmental editing. It requires the editor to read the entire book through, going line by line, and looking at word choices, style issues, and spelling and grammar. However, it is not copyediting. The cost of line editing a novel is highly dependent on how clean the book is. If the editor looks at a sample and thinks you are a very good writer who needs not a lot of work, the cost will be less than when it looks like a writer needs every sentence fine-tuned.
It is worth noting that some editors may combine developmental editing and line editing into one service or fee and any author should clarify exactly what is being offered when discussing paying to have their book "edited."
In the traditional publishing process, the editor who acquires your book will likely do the developmental editing and the line editing. Once the editor formally "accepts" the book the author has no more rewrites to do, and the editor will send the book off to a copy editor to review it for house style, spelling, grammar, and other issues. Unless you are self-publishing, you should never need to hire a copy editor or proofreader. Your publisher will have the book copyedited and later proofread after typesetting.
Services
Fiction
Non-Fiction
Languages
Work experience
Self-employed
• Coach and edit authors of fiction and nonfiction works as they seek their goal of becoming published authors.
• Publisher of Endpapers Press, a division of Author Coach, LLC.
o Publish original and reprint fiction and nonfiction titles in print and eBook formats.
o Edit original fiction and nonfiction titles.
o Direct development of covers for all titles.
o Design interior layouts for print editions.
o Create indexes for titles.
o Proofread and slug page proofs.
o Manage conversion vendor for creation of eBook editions.
o Manage metadata and retail relationships with booksellers such as Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble and wholesalers such as Ingram and Baker & Taylor.
o Write galley letters and press releases and submit titles for review.
• Created and maintain website for firm.
• Write articles, blogs, FAQ lists, and other advertising and marketing pieces for site.
Company Name Redacted. Please contact through Reedsy for editorial service.
• Provide literary representation for authors of commercial fiction and nonfiction.
• Mentor, coach, and provide representation to develop authors’ careers in broad range of markets worldwide.
• Develop and edit clients’ manuscripts and proposals for submission.
• Negotiate multi-book deals to take clients’ careers to the next level to facilitate career mobility and progression.
• Cultivate and foster relationships worldwide with editors, co-agents, scouts, audio companies, and film and television companies.
• Oversee all elements of the business from general accounting to website design.
• Published articles in The Writer magazine, covering query letters, publicity plans and contract points.
• As a member of the AAR, chaired the Royalty Committee, which meets with publishers’ royalty managers to voices agents’ and authors’ concerns about royalty reporting and statement formats.
Scovil Chichak Galen Literary Agency, Inc.
• Represented approximately forty authors of fiction and nonfiction.
Berkley Publishing Group, Donald I Fine, Inc, Dell, Avon and Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
• Provided “book doctor” services for various literary agencies.
• For Forge Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates (a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers), was formally named a Consulting Editor, and received submissions, acquired titles, including all deal negotiation, performed line edits, wrote flap copy and tip sheets, developed cover concepts, and attended and presented at sales conferences.
• Reviewed and reported on manuscripts for possible acquisition by the Book-of-the-Month Club.
• Read book galleys and wrote published reviews for Kirkus Reviews.
The Berkley Publishing Group
• Acquired and edited numerous works of fiction and nonfiction in areas as diverse as military fiction to business, nature to science fiction.
• Built relationships with agents and authors.
• Negotiated the acquisition of rights to hardcover, trade-paperback, mass-market titles.
• Generated tip sheets for sales force presentations to accounts and participated in semi-annual sales conferences.
• Developed cover concepts.
Portfolio
Andrew has 15 reviews
Professionalism
Quality
Value
Responsiveness
DragonsRSoStupid S.
Dec, 2024
Peter S.
Aug, 2023
Allen H.
Mar, 2023
Stephen S.
Feb, 2023
Eric W.
Jan, 2023
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