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What Publishers Look for in an Author

What Publishers Look for in an Author

You’ve done it. You’ve finished your nonfiction book—or worked with a qualified ghostwriter to create one—and now you’re ready to find the right publisher to bring your ideas to the world.

But what can you do to make yourself as sellable as possible—not your work, but you as an author?

This advice comes straight from the pros—editors, publishers, and successful nonfiction authors who have made a living in the industry.

The suggestions provided here are not a guarantee of publishing success, nor is it an automatic deal-breaker if you don’t check every box.

As Brian Farrey-Latz, editor at Paradigm Educational Solutions and formerly at Free Spirit Publishing explains in an interview with The Writers for Hire, “These are things I’ve seen writers do that make publishing and promoting easier. This is not a list of things you must do if you want to succeed in publishing. I’m just saying that with these things, our partnership went a little smoother.”

There is no magic bullet that will make publishers line up to sign you, but being a dream author can only help you maintain your career and set expectations.

With that in mind, there are three major things that publishers and editors look for in an author: knowledge, personality, and platform. Let’s look at each of these characteristics.

Knowledge

Knowledge is king. Almost every publishing pro we found brought up the importance of expertise for a nonfiction author. When evaluating your own expertise, look for these three key elements:

  • Subject matter knowledge
  • Publisher knowledge
  • Market knowledge

Subject Matter Knowledge

“What makes me attractive to publishers is my background as a science writer. For 20 plus years, I broke down difficult concepts for training or public info purposes. (Plus I have a science degree!) I wrote about environmental science, space, technology, and so forth. And that’s what I tell publishers.”Angie Smibert, nonfiction author of more than 30 science titles, in an interview with The Writers for Hire

Knowledge of your subject matter is the one non-negotiable when it comes to publishing nonfiction.

Publishers are looking for authors with a deep understanding of their subject and the credentials to back it up. They want new insights into difficult topics or a novel way to look at a familiar subject.

Subject matter expertise trumps just about every other item on this list in terms of importance.

Editors told us that expertise combined with a great idea can sometimes even make them overlook negatives like poor writing skills or a lacking social media presence. Those things can be fixed with ghostwriting or marketing help, but knowledge and credentials are irreplaceable.

Your credentials and background are sometimes referred to as part of your platform, which is defined by publishing expert Jane Friedman as your ability to sell books because of who you are or who you can reach.

Some people use the term platform to refer to background and social media presence combined. We’re breaking them out here into two items since our professionals did so. They specifically said that credentials and knowledge were more important than marketing presence.

Evaluate your credentials with a list of everything you’ve done that can be related to the topic of your book. This list can include:

  • Degrees or training in your subject matter
  • Prestigious positions or long-time experience in your field
  • Relationships with key influencers in your subject
  • Publications or speaking engagements about your topic

If your list is long and distinguished, you can use this to attract publishers’ attention and potentially strike a deal with a major publisher.

However, a weak background doesn’t mean that your book is doomed.

The good news is that background is scalable. A smaller list of credentials may mean that you’ll have better luck with smaller publishers. Or perhaps you might be served by building up your background through networking and publications before you submit your proposal.

Publisher Knowledge

“Researching books published by the house that relate to the proposal is a good way to reassure the editor that the author has made an informed choice in sending along the proposal. The more the author can show that he understands the interests and direction of the house, the better the outcome is likely to be.”Tad Crawford, editor, Skyhorse Publishing

No one expects a new author to know the ins and outs of the publishing industry, but taking the time to research publishers to submit to can only help your cause.

Many of our publishing pros mentioned receiving a lot of manuscripts that just didn’t fit their lists. Correctly targeting your submissions will greatly increase your likelihood of getting a yes while showing your prospects that you take the business—and their time—seriously.

Evaluating a potential publisher is easier than you might think. Look at your favorite books in your subject area. Their publishers might be interested in your manuscript, provided that it provides a new spin on the material.

Once you’ve created a list of possibilities, take a look at the books they publish. Do they produce high quality books? Does your book fit with their usual style and tone? Do their authors have backgrounds similar to your own, or are you over or under-qualified in comparison?

Through process of elimination, you should be able to create a ranked list of publishers that would be the best fit for your manuscript—and you!

Market Knowledge

“Understand the market and where your manuscript fits. New writers often focus on: ‘My book is JUST LIKE THIS.’ I feel it’s more important to be able to explain how your manuscript stands out from the rest. (This tip is also called ‘do your research.’)”Brian Farrey-Latz, editor at Paradigm Educational Solutions and formerly at Free Spirit Publishing in an interview with The Writers for Hire

Writing an interesting and informative book won’t do you much good if there’s something on the market that looks just like it.

A keen understanding of the marketplace can help you write a book that will sell and convince publishers to take a chance on it. If you’re not able to articulate what makes your book special, you’re less likely to get their attention.

With this in mind, it’s easy to see that it’s essential to read in your topic area if you want to write nonfiction. You need to know what’s out there and what sells well in order to find a niche you can fill. This information will be an essential part of your book proposal.

Publishers want books that fill a need in the marketplace. By making a clear argument about why people need your expertise, you could convince a publisher to take a chance on you.

In a marketplace that increasingly relies on authors to promote themselves, showing potential publishers that you know how to situate yourself in the marketplace can only help your cause.

Personality

While editors are willing to work with difficult personalities to get that perfect book, they do say that their dream author is a pleasure to work with. So while you won’t automatically close publishing doors by being difficult, you may find that some doors will open to you by ensuring that you meet the following set of characteristics:

  • Professionalism
  • Flexibility
  • Good communicator
  • Patience

Professionalism

“Publishing is indeed a tough business. One thing that’s often overlooked is that it requires a business acumen, not just a literary acumen. It takes a lot more than just loving the book to make it successful.”Dominique Raccah, Publisher, Sourcebooks

Many of our publishing professionals brought up the fact that publishing is a business. They prefer to work with authors who approach the book-making process as they would any other business venture. These authors take the time to learn about the industry and what to expect. Rather than expecting their busy editors to spoon-feed them basic information, they come to conversations with background research and specific questions.

For example, an author who didn’t do their homework might ask a general question like, “How do authors market their books?” whereas a prepared one might say, “I know that speaking engagements are one good way to market books, and I have this list of conventions I’ll be appearing at this year. Can I offer the book for sale at these appearances, or can we create marketing collateral to hand out to the attendees?”

As a new nonfiction author, you might not know much about the industry at the moment, but there are many resources available to help you understand the basics such as the Dummies book series and cheat sheet and the free resources available from the Nonfiction Authors Association.

Flexibility

“Honestly, though, the most important thing authors and designers have done is to engage the development and editing process with an open mind. The most effective sales tool for any creative work of any kind — book, game, movie, whatever — is an excellent work. An author who’s legitimately open to collaboration, and the surfacing and enactment of the best ideas, is the most crucial thing.”Jeff Tidball, COO of Atlas Games and nonfiction author in an interview with The Writers for Hire

As with professionalism, publishers want authors who are willing to work with them. Multiple publishing pros brought up the fact that they are on the same side as their authors; you both want the book to succeed. They’re looking for partners, and at its core, a good partnership is about working together toward the same goal.

Authors who fight their editors every step of the way can make this process difficult.

Sometimes, new authors dig their heels in when confronted with edits or other requests outside of their comfort zone. But there is a reason behind every editorial request, and understanding that and being willing to compromise when appropriate can help you establish a positive working relationship with your editor—and potentially lead to working on more books together long term.

Good Communicator

Ask questions. Publishers have the best intentions in the world, but like anyone who’s been doing their job for a while, we assume a lot of prior knowledge, which we shouldn’t do, but we just do. If you can’t understand why something is happening, or why there’s a delay, or why you haven’t heard from someone in a while, just email or get on the phone. I think we underestimate the importance of just picking up the phone and talking to each other.-Bernadette Foley, editor and instructor of the What Publishers Want course

Publishers want authors who communicate with them. Most editors are juggling multiple books, each with their own deadlines and needs. Overtime is common, especially when a book approaches its deadlines.

With that in mind, your publisher might not have the time to reach out and see if you have questions or are dissatisfied with some part of the process. By being proactive with your communication, you’re making your editor’s job easier.

Come to conversations or draft emails with specific questions. If you have a question about setting up marketing campaigns, you’ll get more information if you take the time to research and then formulate questions that make it easy for your publisher to help you.

With overbooked schedules, your editor’s time is at a premium, and you are more likely to get results you’ll both be happy with if you do the legwork in advance to ensure productive conversation.

Patience

“Writing equals waiting…Even if you’re offered a contract, there’s still going to be times when you’re just waiting and waiting. It can feel like nothing is happening, whereas madly a whole lot of things are happening in the publishing company that you don’t know about.”Bernadette Foley, editor and instructor of the What Publishers Want course

The publishing industry is incredibly slow-moving. The process of signing a contract alone can take months, and then your book will likely be added to the publishing schedule about a year away. The one exception is for books that are time-specific, such as exposes of current political figures or books tied to specific events that would benefit from an accelerated timeline.

Generally, the author’s publishing experience is a lot of hurry-up-and-wait. It may take months before your first edit letter arrives. You’ll rush to complete the edits on time, and then wait for months while the book makes its way back through the system.

The lag frustrates some authors, who worry that their editor has lost interest or their book has fallen to the bottom of the priority list. This isn’t the case. Remember: Each editor juggles multiple books. Perhaps your book got bumped down the priority list because a late manuscript just came in, and it needs to go to the printer next week. Patience, combined with communication and flexibility, will help you deal with these delays.

Platform

Your ability to reach an audience, whether it’s via social media or extensive personal appearances, can make or break your publishing dreams. However, it’s not the size of the audience as much as the quality of the engagement that counts. Our publishing pros brought up two key things they look for in terms of platform:

  • An engaged audience
  • An up-to-date presence

An Engaged Audience

“In terms of their platform and their market reach and their audience and the community that they have, that can be a combination of things. It could be a great presence on social media and a huge number of followers, but I want to be able to get onto social media and see that their followers are engaged. I don’t want to see 35,000 Twitter followers, but nobody is doing anything on that feed.” Kristen Hammond, Senior Commissioning Editor, Wiley Australia

In interviews, publishers repeatedly pointed out that audience engagement means more to them than huge numbers of silent followers on social media. They recommend picking and choosing a few promotional platforms—either online or off—that you would enjoy rather than doing everything and phoning it in.

There’s a certain amount of pressure for authors to do everything they can to promote their books.

It’s easy to look at one bestselling author who has 500,000 Twitter followers and think you need to do that, and then find another author who blogs every day and think that’s necessary too. But as Brian Farrey-Latz says, you need to keep your eyes on your own paper.

Publishers don’t expect you to do everything—after all, when would you write? But whatever you do promotion-wise, do it well. Interact with your audience instead of talking at them. They’re looking for ways to connect with you rather than a constant stream of sales pitches. When done well, social media marketing can increase your platform, but when it’s done poorly, you might as well not put in the effort at all.

Leverage your knowledge of your topic to make your presence online or in person as engaging as possible. Talk about the things you can offer that aren’t found elsewhere. Offer resources that are of interest to people in the field. Research social media engagement and employ tactics that will inspire your audience to interact with you.

An Up-to-date Presence

“It sounds simple but I am surprised by how often I click on a writer’s profile only to find that a link to their page doesn’t work or their bio information is woefully old. I update my profiles as new projects are published or because I’ve moved or started a new job. I’d like to think that curating my online presence is a signal to editors that I take my work and reputation seriously.”Susan Dalzell, nonfiction author, in an interview with The Writers for Hire

To put it quite simply, the work you put in to develop your platform won’t accomplish anything if no one knows about it.

When you publish a new article or appear at a convention, take the time to add this experience to your CV and/or promote it via social media.

This simple act helps you to solidify your identity as an expert in the field. Although it might feel like you’re tooting your own horn, you’re simply notifying people who are interested in your topic that you have information to share.

Without this step, only the people who have stumbled upon your article or saw your talk will know that it exists. Potential fans won’t know about it, and neither will your publishing partners.

As a part of a balanced platform, timely self-promotion can be highly effective. Just make sure to balance it out with informational and entertaining content that engages your audience in addition to promoting yourself as an expert.

Evaluating Your Publishing Prospects

You can make yourself attractive to publishers by checking off as many of the above elements as possible and combining them with a stellar manuscript. This article assumes that your book is ready for the marketplace. If you’re looking for advice on the writing itself, you might be interested in our blog posts on Finding the Right Angle for Your Nonfiction Book or Essential Questions to Ask Before Starting Your Nonfiction Book.

But assuming that you have a handle on the writing itself, now that you have a firm idea of what publishers are looking for, you can evaluate whether traditional publishing is the right fit for you.

But what if the above description doesn’t appeal to you at all?

Consider whether you can farm out the work for the elements that don’t appeal to you. For example, if you’ve got the knowledge, personality, and platform but not the writing skills, a skilled ghostwriter can help you distill your ideas into a terrific manuscript. If you’re lacking in platform, you can take the time to develop one. Write articles for blogs or journals. Take on speaking engagements. Create compelling online content. Or, if that doesn’t appeal, hire a marketing consultant to assist you in building an audience.

If the entire process isn’t to your liking, you have multiple publishing options, each with its own set of characteristics.

Self-publishing allows you to retain full control over your book without the need to prove your credentials to anyone. Smaller publishers may have more time to work with you directly since they have a smaller list of authors to juggle. Larger traditional houses offer wider distribution and prestige.

By taking the time to research the pros and cons of each, you’ll easily be able to select the option that best suits your skillset and preferences.

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What Publishers Look for in an Author

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Flori has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Oakland University.

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Jessica joined The Writers for Hire after several years of technical writing for two Department of Defense contractors, where she created software documentation and online help, as well as material for the company websites and newsletters. Since joining The Writers for Hire, Jessica has become the company’s resident “Wiki guru,” and manages most of the Wikipedia projects. She also manages social media campaigns for several local businesses, provides copy and layout options for website projects, writes blog posts on topics that include the oil and gas industry, web hosting, and fashion, and writes articles, brochures, books, and press releases. Jessica has a Master’s in Technical Communication from Texas State, where she also edited and proofread articles for Center of the Study of the Southwest’s academic journals while working as a ghostwriter for Infobooks.com. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Southwestern University.

Jennifer Rizzo - Copywriter / Genealogist

Jennifer, also known as "Rizzo," is a Denver-based writer and genealogist with a passion for history, travel, and languages. She studied Spanish at the University of Guadalajara in Guadalajara, Mexico and also lived and studied in Ancona, Italy. She also holds a certification for International Tour Management through the International Guide Academy, as well as a Genealogy certification from IAP Career College. Since joining The Writers For Hire, Jennifer has tackled a vast array of projects—from RPFs and SOPs to memoirs and company history books— and has done many in-depth genealogical research and family tree projects. She has also worked as Project Manager for various client projects, including family history books, websites, RFPs, blogs, autobiographies, and SOPs. Jennifer is our resident historian and genealogist, and can often be found examining 200-year-old books in various archive sites around the globe. She enjoys working closely with clients, and loves any opportunity that allows her to indulge her creative side.

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After putting in enough time as a busboy, a cheesesteak artist, a medical courier, and a nightclub bouncer, Peter took the logical next step—securing a position at a bicycle shop. While serving as a mechanic and a salesman, his incriminating degree in creative writing from the University of Arizona got him assigned to every additional duty that had anything to do with words. Between all the wrenching and selling, Peter wrote website copy, emails, blogs, digital and print ads, press releases, articles, advertorials, and scripts for radio and television commercials. What started as a summer job evolved into an 18-year career in the cycling industry, gaining him experience in corporate communications, public relations, social media management, event planning, marketing, and retail advertising. Since joining The Writers for Hire, Peter has branched into ghostwriting, op-eds, RFPs, SOPs, and producing work for aerospace and engineering firms, public utilities, oil and gas companies, real estate developers, and the entertainment industry. At his home base in New Jersey, Peter spends his free time souping up cheap vintage guitars, admiring his dog, and talking about moving to the Adirondacks.

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Arielle Emmett joined The Writers for Hire after a 30-year career in science, technology, and international journalism education. Early in her career, during the Watergate era, Arielle was selected as a journalism intern for The New York Times columnist William Safire, and she was a correspondent for Newsweek. She has worked as an editor for Science Digest, as a reporter and features staff writer for the Detroit Free Press, and as a columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer and The American Journalism Review. She also has held senior editor and editor-in-chief positions at leading technical magazines and was a 10-year contributing editor at The Scientist. Arielle’s work has been published in Parents, Ms., OMNI, and Toronto Globe & Mail, among other publications. In 2011 she completed her doctoral dissertation in visual media and iconic photography at the University of Maryland. Since then, Arielle has taught science communications and online journalism at Temple and Drexel Universities, International College Beijing, and University of Hong Kong.

Erin Larson - Copywriter

With a Bachelor of Science in Language Arts from Georgetown University and 20 years of editorial experience, Erin brings a passion for words and well-crafted writing to every project. As a writer, she revels in the opportunity to create vibrant original copy and rejuvenate tired text. She has written on a range of topics, in a variety of styles, and for an array of platforms. As an editor, proofreader, translator, and trusted second set of eyes, she has helped clients from around the world enhance their writing. A self-proclaimed editorial perfectionist, Erin once canceled a credit card because of a grammatically incorrect form letter, which she edited and promptly sent back to the company. (Incidentally, she wasn’t surprised to receive no response.)

Devin Lawrence - Copywriter

Devin is a writer from Richmond, Virginia. He’s been an avid fan of fiction literature ever since he was young, and spent most of his adolescence pouring over one book series after another. Some of his favorites from back in the day include Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Ender’s Game, Ender’s Shadow, and The Edge Chronicles. He began pursuing creative writing when he was twelve, hoping to someday emulate his favorite authors. He has since spent more than ten years continuing to hone and expand the skills of his craft, graduating from Old Dominion University with a degree in Professional Writing in 2022. He has written on topics ranging from technology trends, to criminal justice, homeland security, self-defense, hiking and camping, workplace operational analysis, the challenges of eldercare, and data privacy. Creative by nature, Devin also dabbles as a graphic designer with particular interest in infographics and flowcharts.

Chris DeLange - Copywriter

Chris is a London-based writer with a strong background in HR/Learning & Development. He has held senior positions at large corporations in London as both Talent Development Business Partner and Head of Learning and Development. Chris graduated top of his class when he completed his MSc in Industrial Psychology at the University of Leicester in England. He also holds a TEFL/TESOL qualification in teaching English as a Second Language from Global Language Training. Chris is a big foody and is always exploring new dishes and creating new recipes. He became a qualified Chef in 2012 when he studied Culinary Arts at the International Centre For Culinary Arts in Dubai. He is very passionate about writing and is working on multiple team projects. Chris joined The Writers For Hire in 2022 and is settling in very well.

Morgan Pinales - Copywriter

Morgan has worked in marketing and communications for more than eight years, with a primary focus on copywriting and content creation. Throughout her years of experience, she has written and edited almost every kind of copy imaginable – magazine articles, blog posts, website copy, brochures, press releases, nonfiction books, newsletter articles, brand guidelines, and more – for both B2B and B2C audiences in a wide array of industries, including energy, technology, finance, healthcare, education, travel, retail, and more. In addition to her creative skills, Morgan has technical expertise in HTML coding and utilizing content management systems (e.g. WordPress) and email platforms, such as MailChimp, ExactTarget, and Constant Contact. With a lifelong interest in language, it is not surprising that Morgan has a bachelor’s degree in German and Linguistics from Rice University, where she studied more than eight languages. In 2011, she received her master’s degree in Advertising from The University of Texas, where she was accepted into the elite Texas Creative Program for her copywriting skills. In her free time, Morgan enjoys writing personalized picture books for friends and family.

Shelley Harrison Carpenter - Copywriter

Shelley’s love of words began in first grade, composing poems for her dear teacher and mentor, Mrs. Blanchard. Her writing career began with several years as a county newspaper reporter, where she developed a love for interviewing all sorts of people. Besides feature writing, her news beats included city government, education, and nonprofits of every stripe. As a determined “adult student,” Shelley graduated summa cum laude from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2010 where she also wrote profiles of outstanding adult students for a “Web Weekly” newsletter and edited a grant proposal for a campus office. After college, she wrote English instructional materials, website copy, product copy, and blogs before joining two construction and development ezines as a staff writer, happy to be conducting interviews for each assignment. Several years of intervening employment in corporate merchandising and HR deepened Shelley’s understanding of the workings of larger companies and the written content they require. She now loves being part of the writing teams at The Writers for Hire. When not at a keyboard, she can be seen jogging in her Southern neighborhood or found holed up with a biography, a vegetarian cookbook, or a vintage TV show.

Melanie Green - Copywriter

Melanie Green is a Tampa-based writer and editor, with a focus on digital marketing content. She has more than 15 years of experience writing professionally, including time spent as a full-time employee of McKinsey & Company, Nielsen, and The Business Observer. She loves to write blog posts, website pages, press releases, RFPs, and whitepapers for companies of all sizes in the United States. 

She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing with a concentration in screenwriting from National University in La Jolla, California, and her Bachelor of Arts in Writing from the University of Tampa in Tampa, Florida. 

Carol Kim - Copywriter

Carol Kim is a versatile freelance copywriter who specializes in content marketing, blog posts, website content, and email marketing for business clients. She especially enjoys diving into research and discovering what makes every company unique. Carol holds a bachelor’s degree from Pomona College and a Master’s in Public Affairs from the LBJ School at the University of Texas at Austin.

Carol is also a children’s book author, having written several fiction and nonfiction books for the educational market. She especially loves helping kids learn about the environment and social sciences. Her first nonfiction picture book from a trade publisher is due to be released in fall 2021. 

Martha Scott - Copywriter

Martha Scott’s technical writing career began on a contract at Houston’s Johnson Space Center. She edited papers for scientific journal publication, documents for departments across the site, and a book about a proposed crew escape vehicle. She produced a yearly booklet describing Shuttle contract cost-saving measures, the mission managers’ Flight Data Pack, and a 45-page booklet called Charting a Course to the Year 2000 and Beyond describing plans to develop additional space vehicles and prepare for manned Mars explorations. At Invesco, Martha edited and contributed to two company newsletters (online and hardcopy). She wrote software user manuals, Help files, Training and Benefits department documents, and, finally, shareholder reports. She returned to aerospace for the Shuttle Program’s last 5 years where she attended and produced detailed descriptions of presentations and subsequent discussions at the Orbiter Configuration Control Board’s weekly meetings. She also documented crew debriefings for 17 flights. Martha’s most recent experience was on Jacobs Engineering’s contract with a Texas City refinery for which she wrote and edited Engineering, Safety, Inspection, and Information Systems documents.

Suzanne Kearns - Copywriter

Suzanne knew she wanted to be a writer at the age of ten when she wrote her first story, and has spent the past 2 decades writing blog posts, magazine articles, nonfiction and fiction books, sales letters, white papers, press releases, website copy, and anything else that can be put in written form. She has written for Intuit, Avalara, NerdWallet, GoPayment, and as a ghostwriter for a few well-known CEO’s. Her work has appeared all around the internet, including on sites like World News and Reports, Entrepreneur.com, and Forbes. She loves nothing more than being presented with a bunch of data and asked to break it down into digestible content for readers. Most days you’ll find her sitting on her porch with her laptop, writing to the sound of the ocean, and marveling that life can be this stinking good.

Jennifer DeLay - Copywriter

Jennifer has a background in journalism and Russian area studies. She holds a BA from the University of Texas at Austin and an MSFS from Georgetown University. While in graduate school in the mid-1990s, she developed an interest in the oil and gas industry of the former Soviet Union and launched a free newsletter covering the subject. She then spent more than 20 years researching, analyzing and writing about related topics, working for multiple weekly publications and a private consulting firm. Her areas of professional interest also include energy and power in China, Iran and the Eastern Mediterranean, and for fun she researches linguistics, neuroscience and disability-related issues. She has experience in copy-editing and has frequently worked with both native and non-native English speakers, helping them to produce clear, easily understandable articles on complex political, economic, legal and technical topics. Additionally, she has managed many time-sensitive typesetting projects for community institutions. Jennifer enjoys writing personal essays and lives in Atlanta with her family.

Dana Robinson - Copywriter

Dana Robinson has been writing and editing professionally for 10 years, publishing her first article in 2007. She serves as Editor-in-Chief of a local online magazine and is a contributor to various Houston print publications. She honed her experience writing newsletters and managing social media for small businesses and non-profits before moving on to e-books, magazines, and non-fiction books for print. She also enjoys teaching creative writing workshops for children. Dana received her formal education at the University of Houston–Downtown, where she majored in professional writing, minored in creative writing, and was the recipient of the Upper Division Writing award for best essay. She completed internships with Writers In The Schools and The Bayou Review.

Brenda Hazzard - Copywriter

Brenda Hazzard has over 30 years’ experience working as a writer and editor in the private and public sectors. She spent over 20 years working for the US Government in Washington and abroad, and spent several years working with the CIA during which she managed a team of writers producing internal briefs on international news, events, and politics. She writes on a variety of topics but loves opportunities to work on projects that cater to her keen interest in international affairs. She considers herself to be an empathetic editor, one who improves a draft but lets the spirit of the writer shine through. She has also worked on dissertations, white papers, newspaper articles, and family histories.

Adelia Ritchie - Copywriter

Adelia is a scientist, educator, technical writer and editor, poet, and blogger about her Pura Vida lifestyle in Costa Rica. She has more than 40 years experience writing professionally, including her years at Science Applications International Corp., Bechtel Corporation, Defense Acquisition University, and the Department of Defense. She earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Physical Organic Chemistry at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Physics from the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida.

Carey Miller - Copywriter

Carey brings more than 20 years of writing and editing experience to The Writers for Hire. A lifelong writer and reader, she holds a B.A. in English from UCLA. Her background includes writing and editorial positions with both book and magazine publishers. She has worked as a copy editor and proofreader for major advertising agencies including Ogilvy & Mather and Rubin Postaer. Her experience includes magazine feature writing and editing as well as manuscript development and editing. A former advertising sales executive, she has crafted a wide range of business, sales, and marketing communication for leading magazine publishers including Conde Nast and Hearst. She has worked with major consumer brands including Nike, Visa, Levi’s, General Motors, Microsoft, Charles Schwab, and Neutrogena.

Coralee Bechteler - Copywriter

In the past, Coralee has been an organic farmer, a chicken herder, a zipline administrative assistant, and an ESL teacher for kids. Today, she's living her childhood dream of being a writer. She currently resides in New York with her cat (and muse) Hermes and a miles-long TBR list that gets longer every day. If she's not reading or crafting, you can usually find her pulled over on a country road writing something down or picking wildflowers. Coralee holds a bachelor's degree in English, an associate's degree in Horticulture, and multiple internationally recognized software testing certifications.

Cecile Brule - Copywriter

Cecile enjoys the challenge of discovering each client’s unique strengths and presenting them to a wider audience. Since joining The Writers For Hire, she has worked on blogs, newsletters, RFPs, end-user documentation, email, social media, sales pages, biographies, op-eds, and fiction.

Previously, she taught in Shenzhen, China and obtained an HSK3 (Intermediate Mandarin) certificate. Cecile enjoys gaming, drawing, producing short films, and growing fifteen different varieties of apples with Serenity Orchards.

Rosalind Stanley - Copywriter

Rosalind Stanley grew up on the Coast of Maine and then accidentally spent fifteen years in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, before moving to the Midwest. She graduated from Lynchburg College in 2008 with a B.A. in Creative Writing (and a minor in Theater Performance); ever since, Rosalind has endeavored to make writing a part of her daily life, whether creative or technical, whether as a volunteer or an employee. She has tutored students, taught workshops, edited fiction and non-fiction books, and worked as a beta reader and a legal writer. She also publishes a newsletter on Substack, where she releases her own fiction serially. When not writing, Rosalind is busy homeschooling her four children and raiding the local library for new fiction.

Sean Patrick Hill - Copywriter

Sean has been a professional writer for more than 25 years, and has an M.A. in Writing from Portland State University and an M.F.A. in Poetry from Warren Wilson College. He's the author of five books, and his writing has won him grants and fellowships from the Kentucky Arts Council, the Vermont Studio Center, the Elizabeth George Foundation, and the Regional Arts and Culture Council. He lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where he also works at his photography.

Wintress Odom - Owner / Editor-in-chief

Wintress founded The Writers For Hire in 2003 after freelancing for several years as a copywriter and editor. She has overseen, edited, proofread, or written copy for over 100 clients and is happy to have maintained long-term relationships with many of her first customers. Wintress is an exceptional proofreader and editor and has a gift for organizing large projects, including large technical manuals and manuscripts. Her educational background includes graduating cum laude from Rice University in 2000, studying at Cologne Gymnasium in Germany, and graduating valedictorian from The Science Academy of South Texas in 1994.
Wintress