Hi, I’m Lauren. I’m a book editor.

I have five years of experience developing books in the traditional publishing sector at a boutique literary agency.*
I have also been a reader and editor at the literary journals Five South and The Cambridge Review of Books.*For all inquiries with HNLA, please use our official channels; I will not respond to any agency communications on my freelance email, LinkedIn or elsewhere. Engaging me for freelance services does not imply representation from HNLA in the past, present, or future.


I do select editorial development on books or long essays as a freelance editor, mostly narrative-driven nonfiction and memoir. As an editor, I can help shape and refine your manuscript so it is ready for the next step.

Please email me for more information on freelance editorial services and include:
  • your manuscript’s genre,
  • your goals for working with an editor,
  • the word count of your book,
  • and a full synopsis (spoilers please!)

I also coach professionals and solopreneurs who have some writing experience and want to produce a book-length project.  As a coach, I can help you conceptualize your book and guide you through the process of writing.

Please email me for more information on freelance coaching services and include:
  • your manuscript’s genre
  • your goals for working with an editor
  • the goals you have for your book
  • the timeline you hope to complete your manuscript draft in




    Some of the books whose proposals I have worked on as an Editorial Associate:

    Language City
    by Ross Perlin
    Grove Atlantic – 2024 (US); Atlantic Books – March 2024 (UK)





    Why We Read
    by Shannon Reed
    Hanover Square Press – 2024

    • The New Yorker “Best Books We Read This Week”
    • Good Housekeeping Reads pick
    • “‘Why We Read’ would be a delightful addition to any bookworm’s shelves.” The Washington Post
    • “Splendid…[Reed’s] celebration of books, reading, and readers is a delight.” Booklist




    Niçoise: Market-Inspired Cooking from France’s Sunniest City
    by Rosa Jackson
    W. W. Norton & Company – 2024 (US) (UK)

    • Esquire best cookbooks of 2024
    • LA Times 2024 best spring cookbooks
    • “This is a gorgeous book, almost too beautiful to use in the kitchen. […] The recipes, collected by the author over 20 years, are outstanding. You will want to try them right away. I plunged in the day I got the book.” The Wall Street Journal
    • “A lovely new cookbook.”  The New York Times
    • “Gorgeous and formidable, while not in the least bit intimidating or stuffy, Rosa Jackson’s exploration of food and cooking in Nice is not only one of the best cookbooks of 2024, but it’s bound to have a lasting place in your library for years to come.”  Esquire

    Forthcoming:

    North to the Future: An Offline Adventure through the Changing Wilds of Alaska by Ben Weissenbach
    Grand Central Publishing – July 2025

    Breaking The Surface: The Extraordinary Life of Honor Frost and The Dawn of Underwater Archaeology by Jana Brancolini, St Martin’s Press
    The Myth of Pure Reason: How Ignoring Emotion Derails Criminal Justice by Susan Bandes, Yale University Press

    Playing In The Streets: How To Get Children Off The Phones and Into The World by Angie Schmitt, North Point Press