Jesse Coleman Editing offers editorial, book doctoring, ghost writing, and writing services to agents, academic and trade book publishers, and authors of all levels. For over five years, Jesse worked in the editorial department of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, where he edited a wide range of fiction and nonfiction, including works by Nobel Prize-winners Derek Walcott and Mario Vargas Llosa, Justin Spring (the Nation Book Award Finalist Secret Historian), New Yorker critic James Wood, Andrés Neuman, Laurent Binet (the National Book Critics Circle Finalist for fiction for HHhH), and Juan Pablo Villalobos (the Guardian First Book Prize finalist Down the Rabbit Hole), among many other titles.

TESTIMONIALS

“I had a great experience working with Jesse Coleman on Secret Historian. Jesse read through the manuscript several times, each time making gentle editorial suggestions for improvement. He has a fine eye for prose clarity, precision, and logic, and he also has an intuitive understanding of narrative. Moreover his easygoing manner made working with him a pleasure. During the course of the past twenty years I’ve written more than ten books (and I've also worked as an editor on many other people’s books) so I feel safe in saying that he's about as good as they come. I’d be very happy to work with him again.” —Justin Spring, author of Secret Historian, finalist for the National Book Award

“It has been a pleasure working with Jesse Coleman. He reads lucidly and has an incredible eye for detail, and was absolutely engaged with every step of the process. He’s a great person and a wonderful editor.” —Alejandro Zambra, author of Ways of Going Home

“Jesse was the line editor for my last book, Atlantic Fever, and I could not have been in better hands. This was the kind of nonfiction narrative that was packed with largely forgotten historical detail; there were multiple characters, several interweaving story lines, and it would have been easy to get mired in detail. But such detail, though fascinating in itself, was not the main point: I was after bigger game—the genesis of America’s obsessive celebrity culture—and what a writer wants and needs in such an attempt is an editor who can step back and grasp the bigger picture. Jesse could do so adroitly, with a clear and linear focus; it was a gift, and I was lucky to have him as my editor.” —Joe Jackson, author of Atlantic Fever

“Jesse took the time to know my main character, not just in what he was doing and saying, but also his true nature. He found the core of my manuscript and helped cut out anything that diminished the consistency, the flow and ultimately the impact of the story. He made very clear suggestions, from simple things like word choice to more complex issues like an under-developed character, and was supportive and encouraging throughout the process. I couldn’t be happier to have found him.” —Chad Sanders

“Working with Jesse was a wonderful experience for both me and my novel, which became a much stronger manuscript as a result. Jesse provided talented editing, great structural suggestions, and a kind of sounding board and gut-check that you won’t get from beta readers, and rarely find even in experienced editors.” —Marie Green McKeon

“After years of effort writing my first novel (Jellyfish Have Eyes), I turned to Jesse Coleman for editorial help. What a tremendous boost it was! His conceptual understanding of the book’s strength pinpointed what I might develop further, and his perceptive and constructive advice guided me to what I should add or delete. His professional line and copy editing caught grammatical errors and tightened the text to make the story more concise and flow smoothly without distractions or unnecessary authorial intrusions. Jesse never imposed his voice over my style; he significantly improved the novel without changing its tone. He was highly professional, reliable and punctual at all stages of his work with me. The result: my book was accepted for publication (IPBooks) and due to come out next week as I write. Thank you, Jesse!” —Joram Piatigorsky

“Choosing to work with Jesse Coleman on my manuscript was one of the best decisions I made. Though I thought my project was polished and final, I was getting tepid responses from agents and editors. Jesse’s notes and insights helped me to see what was working in my novel, and more importantly, what was not working. His line edits were clear, straightforward, and immediately actionable.  His editorial letter laid out for me exactly what needed reconsideration and revision, in terms of character development, scene structure, and tone. Most importantly, he presented his notes in such a thoughtful and encouraging manner that I wasn’t daunted by the revision work I had in front of me—I was excited to roll up my sleeves and dig in! I would highly recommend his services to anyone who wants to take their work to the next level.” —Thomas Kulesa