SERVICES
Developmental Editing
Let’s dive into your entire manuscript and see where the goals of the writer and the needs of the reader are being met and where they are not. I bring both editorial and marketing perspectives to my readings and critical assessment of your work and to our detailed communication about your next steps.
What I do as your developmental editor:
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I will read your manuscript twice: first as reader, engaging with the story on the page, then as editor, advocating equally for the author, reader, and story. Through in-text comments, I offer editorial guidance with voice, plot, themes, story arcs, character development, dialog, and all the essential aspects of narrative that transform a good concept into an original and impactful work of art and an effective act of communication between author and audience.
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Next, I summarize my assessment of your work's strength, weaknesses, and opportunities for revision and refinement in a detailed editorial letter, which also outlines pragmatic next steps and resources to consider.
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Then, we discuss my notes, your questions, and any next steps via Zoom. I will also remain available for your follow-up questions during revisions, as you discover the questions you did not know you had.
Manuscript Assessment
If you aren't quite ready for a full development editing yet, but you are eager for feedback on your work in progress, then consider a manuscript assessment. I will review your full or partial manuscript (without adding in-text annotations) and offer a detailed editorial letter assessing the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for your writing project. As an option, we can also discuss my notes, your questions, and any next steps via Zoom afterwards.
Book Coaching and Consulting
When you aren't sure where to begin or what to do next, book coaching is for you. We will discuss your goals, your work in progress (if any), and how best to keep you motivated and creative in the work ahead. This can be a one-time conversation or an ongoing check-in with feedback and recommendations as you work toward your goal.
I am also available to consult with you on your questions about editorial or marketing concerns, book publicity and promotion, pathways to publication (agents, editors, small presses, and university presses), and collaborations with the literary arts communities.
Query Letter Review
As a former publisher, I am fluent in best practices for queries, from editorial and marketing perspectives, and I excel at helping writers highlight content with concision in pithy, marketable descriptions. Let me help you hone how you present your work and yourself to editors and agents before you begin the competitive query process. We can also discuss and critique your synopsis and sample pages. As an additional service, I can research and recommend pathways to publication based on your query.
Pricing
Pricing for all services is based on word counts, time requirements, and our mutual understanding of your specific goals, so every project begins in discussion. Contact me to start our conversation and to boldly take your next steps in your journey as an author. I look forward to hearing from you.
Developmental Editing
Book Coaching & Consulting
Manuscript Assessment
“I would no more publish a book without Jonathan's edits than I would unplug the air conditioning in Beaufort in August. His evaluation of my manuscript for A Southern Girl accounted in large measure for the success of that book, which has been in print for 11 years and is still selling.His key suggestion on narration made all the difference. Whether it's plot, characterization, pace, tension, point of view, or just plain good writing, his eagle eye is valuable. Pat Conroy told me more than once that Jonnathan was as fine an editor as he ever worked with, and he worked with great ones. A writer cannot do better.”
—John Warley, novelist and nonfiction writer, author of A Southern Girl, The Home Guard, Jury of One, and others
"I was blessed to have Jonathan as my editor for The Stone Necklace, an award-winning novel released by Story River Books. Jonathan's input about strengthening certain story lines, clarifying complex characters, and enhancing the artistry of the narrative flow helped my novel bloom. He is kind, thorough, and VERY invested in the success of the book to reach a wide audience—which is certainly the goal of every author, isn't it?
—Carla Damron, novelist, author of The Stone Necklace (winner of the 2017 STAR Award of the Women's Fiction Writers Association, selected as a citywide Big Read for Columbia, S.C.)
"Jonathan has an amazing gift for finding the holes in a story, be they in character development, theme or setting. Do you need an editor to nurture your unique voice and refine your narrative vision? Do you need a coach-consultant to help you achieve your goals, both for your story and as an author? From the smallest detail to sweeping aspects of plot and story arc, Jonathan’s input can, quite simply, make you a more successful author. His advice on two of my novels elevated my storytelling and exceeded my highest expectations. He has a keen eye for what makes a powerful story, and, when it comes to honesty and clarity, Jonathan delivers."
—Nancy Ritter, novelist, author of Slack Tide
“Jonathan served as my editor and publisher for my novel, One Good Mama Bone. And that made me awfully fortunate. I consider him my first true champion. What I valued the most is the way he dialed into and honored my vision for the story and what I considered its heart, the relationship between my main character, Sarah, and Mama Red, a mother cow. For example, when he told me my publication date, February 14th, I reminded him that's Valentine's Day to which he said, ‘You've written a love story, Bren. Sarah's and Mama Red's.’ Another example: He asked for a photo of Mama Red for a frontispiece photo on the page opposite the title page. This is not done in modern publishing, but Jonathan wanted to make it special and honor my Mama Red.”
—Bren McClain, novelist, author of One Good Mama Bone (winner of the 2021 French Prix Maya for Best Animal Novel, 2019 Patricia Winn Award for Southern Literature, and 2017 Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction)
"Jonathan is a gifted editor who supported my journey writing the story of Pat Conroy’s teacher and mentor, Ann Head, every step of the way from first inception through publication, marketing and beyond. Invariably kind and encouraging, he read early drafts and responded with detailed and thoughtful notes highlighting strengths and, most valuably, suggesting the areas that could use amendment or improvement. He was so attuned to my project that I always greeted his comments with: 'Ah, of course! Brilliant!' His never failing encouragement as well as his efforts to make the public aware of Ann Head by speaking about her often and successfully proposing her induction into the South Carolina Academy of Authors were just a few of the ways he found to insure the success of my book. Sharing his knowledge of publication and marketing, he supported my project from beginning to end. Jonathan goes the extra mile."
—Nancy Thode, biographer and memoirist, author of Ahead of Her Time: The Trailblazing Life and Literary Legacy of Ann Head
TESTIMONIALS
My Portfolio
ABOUT ME
With more than 25 years of experience in publishing and nonprofit leadership, I am an enthusiastic literary matchmaker, helping writers at all levels craft and promote books that connect authentically with readers.
As publisher of the University of South Carolina Press, I launched the Story River Books original southern fiction imprint (as featured in Publishers Weekly), for which I was developmental editor and chief marketer for 22 novels and short story collections, including two winners of the prestigious Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction.
As executive director of the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, I interviewed a who's who of authors, from bestsellers to burgeoning new voices, at literary festivals, writers conferences, bookseller trade shows, libraries, and indie bookstores. Informing my ongoing work as freelance developmental editor, my background grants me a strong sense of the importance of a well-developed writer's voice and how best to present authors and their stories to diverse audiences in fascinating and engaging ways.
I am also a guest book reviewer for a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper, I have appeared on CSPAN Book TV and PBS's Authors By the River, and I am co-editor of the anthology Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy, winner of 17 book awards.
From 2016 onward, I have guided writers as an independent developmental editor and query letter consultant--primarily for literary fiction, southern fiction, historical fiction, mystery, memoir, and biography. I envision my role as advocating equally for the interests of the author and the reader as I offer editorial guidance and pragmatic approaches with voice, plot, themes, story arcs, character development, dialog, and all the essential but sometimes overlooked aspects of narrative that transform a good concept into an original and impactful work of art and a meaningful act of communication between author and audience. I delight in the discovery of new voices crafting their debuts, but I also welcome the challenge of helping established writers achieve new levels of mastery in their craft, too.
See more about my background on Reedsy.
See my appearance on PBS's Authors by the River.
See my appearance on CSPAN's Book TV at the Southern Festival of Books.
About Andromeda
Andromeda Author Services' namesake is a National Park Service Bark Ranger who has appeared in Garden & Gun online. She thinks you should be writing or reading right now.
CONTACT ME
Interested in working together on your writing project?
Contact me through the web form below for availabiity and pricing.
You can also find me on Reedsy at https://reedsy.com/haupt-jonathan