Susan Leon
My work as an independent editor allows me to do what I’ve always loved most–work closely with writers who bring me into an eclectic universe of ideas, stories and narrative voices. I edit both fiction and non-fiction, performing manuscript evaluations, coaching, in-depth editing, collaborations and heavy re-writes, often under deadline. My industry experience includes the literary/business side (William Morris Agency) and senior editorial positions at Viking-Penguin, Scribner/Atheneum and William Morrow.
I came to publishing from academia (Columbia University President’s Fellow and American history doctoral candidate) which has helped me bring structure, coherence and persuasion to my authors’ projects. My strong interest areas are: American and European history (social, cultural, political and military), memoir, biography, narrative non-fiction, film and television history, politics, education, travel, parenting, fashion, entertaining. I love projects that are ambitiously designed as well as smaller, untold stories.
In fiction I enjoy many writing styles – well-crafted historicals; smart, resonant stories about how we live now, both popular and literary; and affirmative reading experiences of all types. I have edited or ghostwritten New York Times and national bestsellers in the areas of memoir, women’s advice/inspiration, and suspense and award- winning titles in such diverse subject areas as narrative non-fiction/science and medicine, international law, the Holocaust, World War II, and true crime.
I especially enjoy working with new and emerging writers.
Some authors I’ve worked are Diane Ackerman, Lady Antonia Fraser, Joy Fielding, Ursula Hegi, Harvey Fierstein, Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison, historian Sir Martin Gilbert, Sarah Ban Breathnach, Larry Collins, First Amendment lawyer Martin Garbus, Martha Frick Sanger, Kristine Carlson, Andrew Gross, Lucette Lagnado, philanthropist Daisy M. Soros, former Columbia School of Journalism Dean and New Yorker contributing writer Steve Coll, Princeton historian and CNN contributor Julian Zelizer, NYS Chief Judge Judith Kaye, Reba McIntyre and many others.
I have been a featured panelist at Book Expo America speaking about the editor’s role for authors planning to self-publish. More recently I served as a grant evaluator for the National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar Program in the area of American history.
Since the Pandemic over a dozen non-fiction proposals or manuscripts and works of fiction I developed, edited or reworked have found either literary representation or publishers. They span the topics of wilderness adventure, historical fiction, women’s popular fiction, Holocaust memoir, American history, the emergence of the modern Republican party, a forgotten Israeli social movement, the electoral campaign that first brought abortion politics to the national stage, death and dying, and a comparative, international look at women’s experiences with childbirth and the first year of parenting.
I welcome your inquiry.
“Thanks for all you have given to this book. You have done an incredible job, and
whatever success this book has I will credit to a large degree to you. I hope we find another one soon–you are so very good at this!”
““Susan was wonderful to work with. She was precise in her critique and on target with her suggestions for revisions, both large and small. She was gentle with her commentary, although unafraid to give you her opinion straight on and never insisted that her idea was better than mine, which allowed me to make changes of my own, guided her thoughts.
She was also punctual; she finished the manuscript on the date we had set to work together. Susan was simply terrific. I can’t recommend her highly enough.””