Canada
Award-winning editor and publishing strategist with 17 years in the industry, including 8 years at Penguin Random House Canada and leadership experience as Editorial Director at Page Two. Subscribe to my newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/y3s899hx I’ve edited 200+ books, which have become #1 national and international bestsellers, and won or been nominated for the RBC Taylor Prize, Giller Prize, Governor General’s Literary Award, and many more. I’m experienced at motivating and mentoring editorial teams: I led the editorial internship program as Editor at Knopf Canada and Random House Canada, mastered cross-functional collaboration as Associate Managing Editor at Penguin Random House Canada, and hired and supervised freelance editors as Editorial Director at Page Two. I’ve built a niche as an editor of books and reports about the environment, climate change, Indigenous rights, and natural resources. And that experience extends to my writing: my debut memoir, Tracking Giants: Big Trees, Tiny Triumphs, and Misadventures in the Forest (Greystone Books, 2023), documents a journey to find all the Champion trees—the largest trees of their species—in British Columbia. I’m a proud member of the Writers’ Union of Canada, and an elected Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. As an editor and coach, I help writers sustain their creative lives and editors sustain themselves. I love helping writers navigate the inevitable challenges that come with writing books and seeking publication. I coach writers to figure out their book ideas, strengthen their outlines, and finish their book proposals and manuscripts. As an editorial leader in both traditional and hybrid publishing, I solve narrative problems, determine marketing potential, and devise communication plans for independent writers and top publishing houses. Clients hire me to: 📚Read their manuscripts and offer revision plans 📚Edit their manuscripts and book proposals 📚Advise on their publishing strategies If you’re interested in co-creating a memoir or business book, need advice on your publishing strategy, or want to improve your impact as an editor, please reach out. 🚨 It has come to my attention that someone is impersonating me. If you have been approached by someone claiming to be me, or claiming to be working with me, please check to be sure that communications are coming directly from me.
Sustain your writing life. I offer developmental editing, publishing strategy, and creative coaching for publishing houses, universities, independent writers, and open-hearted entrepreneurs. My clients include Penguin Random House Canada, Simon & Schuster Canada, New Society Publishers, Douglas & McIntyre, UBC Centre for Climate Justice, Climate and Community Institute, The Walrus, Art Canada Institute, House of Anansi Press, Park People, Simon Fraser University, New College and the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto, and Community Food Centres Canada, as well as nonprofit executives, entrepreneurs, filmmakers, yoga teachers, and those looking to make career transitions. How we can work together: BEGIN: Guided coaching to figure out your book idea and start your draft. DEVELOP: Coaching while you write your first draft. REVIEW: A full consultation for your manuscript. ASSIST: Support when you’re addressing feedback from beta readers, agents, and publishers. EDIT: Two full rounds of substantive and line editing. PUBLISH: A consultation to help you position your book.
My debut book, Tracking Giants: Big Trees, Tiny Triumphs, and Misadventures in the Forest, was released in May 2023 (Greystone Books). It was an immediate bestseller, and remained on the BC bestseller list for 10 consecutive weeks. My writing has also appeared in the Globe and Mail, Quill & Quire, Konfekt, and Hazlitt.
I speak on writing, editing, publishing, and forest ecology, in both public and classroom settings. Appearances: Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity Mountain Writers Intensive residency, OCAD University, Langara College, Massey College at the University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, Sunshine Coast Literary Festival, Toronto Public Library, Creative Mornings Vancouver, Salt Spring Island Library, Gabriola Island Library, Massy Arts Gallery, Gabriola Land and Trails Trust, Vancouver Island University, Bolen Books (Victoria), The Vault (Nanaimo), Sooke Region Museum, Metchosin Council Chambers, and Royal Roads University. I've also spoken on podcasts and radio including CBC Radio (local and nationally syndicated), Reseed, A Little More Good, Telus Talks with Tamara Taggart, Kobo Writing Life, and more.
I sat on the literary jury for the Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence.
I directed the editorial strategy for one of the leading hybrid publishing agencies in the world. I provided substantive and developmental edits for non-fiction books by individuals and organizations. I created a developmental editing process that takes authors from concept to detailed outline in eight weeks. In 2020, I was the winner of the Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence for editing Indigenous Relations by Bob Joseph with Cynthia F. Joseph. This book is the companion to 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act. I was part of the core acquisition team, seeking authors to write non-fiction books, primarily in business, self-help, wellness, technology, and social change/activism categories. I worked with our marketing and publicity team, and our distribution teams at Macmillan and Raincoast, to help position books for the marketplace. I hired and oversaw our extensive freelance editorial team, ensuring quality control and adherence to the author’s intention and Page Two’s house style.
I managed the production cycle for a range of books—creating schedules, securing printers’ quotes, hiring freelance editors, and ensuring timely delivery of print books and e-books—while also editing and acquiring new books.
I joined Random House of Canada’s Green Committee in November 2008. I was promoted to Assistant Director in January 2013 and to Director in September 2014. As Director, I researched and facilitated corporate social responsibility at executive and grassroots levels. Supervising a team of twelve people, I encouraged employee engagement and corporate social responsibility for hundreds of employees at our Canadian offices, and coordinated efforts with Bertelsmann AG’s worldwide “be green” teams. I designed and led a Green Speakers Series, featuring top authors on environmental issues, from across imprints, once per month. This innovative, content-driven programming that served promotional and educational needs became a flagship program and a publicity “get.” Authors in the series included Jeff Rubin, Adria Vasil, Astra Taylor, Edmund Metatawabin, and Diana Beresford-Kroeger. Under my direction, our committee ran an annual Bike-to-Work Week program, with participation increasing each year, and held events for employees—litter-less lunches, film screenings, workshops. I represented Random House of Canada and Bertelsmann AG at the Great Bear Rainforest Customer and Investor Roundtable in Vancouver in June 2013.
As Editor, I acquired and edited fiction and non-fiction books for Knopf Canada and Random House Canada. Books I worked on include: This Crazy Time by Tzeporah Berman; The Stop by Nick Saul and Andrea Curtis; The Sweetness of a Simple Life by Diana Beresford-Kroeger; The Once and Future World by J.B. MacKinnon; The Dead Are More Visible by Steven Heighton; 101 Letters to a Prime Minister by Yann Martel; A World Elsewhere and The Son of a Certain Woman by Wayne Johnston; Ecoholic Home and Ecoholic Body by Adria Vasil; Toxin Toxout by Bruce Lourie and Rick Smith; The People's Platform by Astra Taylor; Mordecai: The Life & Times by Charles Foran; Up Ghost River by Edmund Metatawabin; Us Conductors by Sean Michaels; Opening Heaven's Door by Patricia Pearson; All True Not a Lie in It by Alix Hawley; The Jaguar's Children by John Vaillant; This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein; Mountain City Girls by Anna and Jane McGarrigle; Yiddish for Pirates by Gary Barwin; Startle and Illuminate: Carol Shields on Writing, and many more. Books I edited became #1 bestsellers in Canada and internationally, and won awards including the Scotiabank Giller Prize and Governor General’s Literary Award. I collaborated with executives, design, production, publicity, marketing, and sales to make each book a success and build the reputation of the company. I managed our sought-after editorial internship program—hiring, training, and supervising dozens of interns. I regularly copyedited and proofread materials for the house, from catalogues and promotional materials to full-length books.
I liaised between editorial and production to manage workflow of trade paperbacks under the Vintage Canada imprint—reprints, Vintage Canada originals, and special editions. I created profit & loss statements and catalogues, and wrote creative briefs and cover copy. I regularly filled in for managing editors across imprints when they were away.