I was formerly an editor at Quirk Books (2021–2025), specializing in gift and lifestyle nonfiction as well as genre fiction, and the editor-in-chief of Electric Literature (2017–2021), specializing in personal essay. Here's a selection of my books—please click through for more information.
I accept a limited number of clients for private editing and consulting, specializing in lifestyle nonfiction, essay and memoir, and speculative fiction. I'm an enthusiastic, friendly editor who sees editing as a collaborative and constructive process; I often say that editing is something I do with and for you, not something I do to you. (Or, even worse, at you!) I excel at guiding you towards creating the best, clearest version of the book in your head—whether that means structuring your thoughts, unearthing your thesis, polishing your sentences, scaffolding your argument, sharpening your characterization, or figuring out what you're writing in the first place. I'm comfortable at every stage of the book development process, from pile of notes to finished draft. As a recent publishing insider, I can also help you figure out the market, your place in it, and how to make the best use of your platform. If you're pretty sure you want to write a book, or have a book you think you're ready to publish, but you find yourself stalled at any point, I can help.
A few categories of service that I offer:
Interested? Contact me with a brief description of your vision for your project, what stage you're at right now, and what help you need.
A few categories of service that I offer:
- Proposal consultation: I'll guide you on how to build your nonfiction idea into a book proposal, or offer editorial assistance on a finished proposal to make sure you're selling yourself and your idea.
- Developmental editing: I'll give in-depth feedback on a completed manuscript, including pacing; scope; voice; rhetorical effectiveness (how convincing you are) for nonfiction; and plot and character challenges for fiction.
- Editorial assessment: I'll read your completed manuscript for big-picture issues and help guide you on next steps in the publishing process.
Interested? Contact me with a brief description of your vision for your project, what stage you're at right now, and what help you need.
If you're not sure what hiring an editor can do for you, good news: I have gone through the embarrassing process of asking for testimonials!
"Jess the kind of editor that everyone hopes to have because she's the kind of friend everyone hopes to have: patient, thoughtful, empathetic, ready to laugh at your jokes, ready to tell you to stop when someone needs to tell you to stop. She'll be that kind of friend to your writing, too. The writing world can feel lonely, but it's better with Jess." –McKayla Coyle, author of Goblin Mode
"Jess builds the bridge from idea to book with supernatural precision, brilliance, and speed. Jess’s micro- and macro-edits have made my work simultaneously smarter and more accessible, simultaneously nerdier and way, way cooler—how is that even possible? If writing a book is like crossing the Grand Canyon on a tightrope, then Jess is the sunshine, the tightrope, and the net." –Rachel Feder, author of The Darcy Myth and coauthor of Taylor Swift by the Book
"Jess is that rare editor who keeps you sounding like you, only better. Her precision and empathy are a combination that any writer would be lucky to benefit from." –Meredith Talusan, author of Fairest
"Jess is by far one of the most beautiful editors I've worked with. She has the ability to transform your work and the insight to pull for the message from your words that you did not even know you were going for. If I could make her my editor for everything I write, I would." –Carol H. Hood, freelance writer
"Her intelligence, instincts, and thoughtfulness have finally made me understand and appreciate the value of good editors in general and her value in particular. There is no other editor I work with that makes me feel safer or less physically ill." –Sarah Kurchak, author of Work It Out and I Overcame My Autism and All I Got Was This Lousy Anxiety Disorder
"Jess is an impossibly insightful, gentle, and precise reader and editor, and her capacity to know what you actually mean before you do is genuinely uncanny." –Helena Fitzgerald, freelance writer
"Jess has incredibly keen editorial instincts. Not only is she a terrific writer (who therefore has terrific line edits), she fundamentally understands how to build different types of projects, from essays to books. She has a sharp sense of pacing and structure and knows how to take a mess of pages and ideas and shape it into an argument or story." –Angela Chen, author of Ace
"Jess is a truly brilliant editor, and getting her feedback (in our writing group) on my book proposal was invaluable. She helped me understand my project, explain it, write it well, and sell it. She is really, really good at this." –Jaime Green, author of The Possibility of Life
"Jess builds the bridge from idea to book with supernatural precision, brilliance, and speed. Jess’s micro- and macro-edits have made my work simultaneously smarter and more accessible, simultaneously nerdier and way, way cooler—how is that even possible? If writing a book is like crossing the Grand Canyon on a tightrope, then Jess is the sunshine, the tightrope, and the net." –Rachel Feder, author of The Darcy Myth and coauthor of Taylor Swift by the Book
"Jess is that rare editor who keeps you sounding like you, only better. Her precision and empathy are a combination that any writer would be lucky to benefit from." –Meredith Talusan, author of Fairest
"Jess is by far one of the most beautiful editors I've worked with. She has the ability to transform your work and the insight to pull for the message from your words that you did not even know you were going for. If I could make her my editor for everything I write, I would." –Carol H. Hood, freelance writer
"Her intelligence, instincts, and thoughtfulness have finally made me understand and appreciate the value of good editors in general and her value in particular. There is no other editor I work with that makes me feel safer or less physically ill." –Sarah Kurchak, author of Work It Out and I Overcame My Autism and All I Got Was This Lousy Anxiety Disorder
"Jess is an impossibly insightful, gentle, and precise reader and editor, and her capacity to know what you actually mean before you do is genuinely uncanny." –Helena Fitzgerald, freelance writer
"Jess has incredibly keen editorial instincts. Not only is she a terrific writer (who therefore has terrific line edits), she fundamentally understands how to build different types of projects, from essays to books. She has a sharp sense of pacing and structure and knows how to take a mess of pages and ideas and shape it into an argument or story." –Angela Chen, author of Ace
"Jess is a truly brilliant editor, and getting her feedback (in our writing group) on my book proposal was invaluable. She helped me understand my project, explain it, write it well, and sell it. She is really, really good at this." –Jaime Green, author of The Possibility of Life