It’s hard to find the right freelance editor for your book manuscript. There are so many wonderful editors out there! Often, it comes down to the intangible element of “fit,” which can be hard to decipher from an editor’s editorial services page, where they describe the types of editing they offer. Enter: the manuscript wish list.
My manuscript wish list helps you see if I’m a good fit for your project. On this page, I’ll talk about some of my interests and the types of book elements, themes, and topics I enjoy reading about and editing. The purpose of this manuscript wish list is to help you, the author, find an editor who really vibes with your work and the ideas you’re exploring.
Let’s dive in!
What’s a Manuscript Wish List?
A manuscript wish list, or MSWL, is a list that literary agents and acquiring editors create of the types of book manuscripts they’d like to see in their inbox. Some freelance editors have adopted the MSWL to communicate to authors the types of books, genres, themes, and elements they’d like to work on. (I got the idea to have a MSWL on my website from the brilliant developmental editor and book coach Raquel Brown!)
So, this manuscript wish list is a list of book elements and themes that I’d love to work on! Aka my dream books to edit as a freelance book editor.
I edit a wide variety of books and creative writing projects, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and hybrid mashups of form and content. If your book doesn’t have any of these themes or elements, please send it my way anyway. Maybe your book’s unique elements and themes will be added to my MSWL after we work together.
My Manuscript Wish List: Themes and Book Elements I’d Love to Edit
Poetry, fiction, and nonfiction about motherhood, parenthood, and pregnancy: I find it fascinating! I’ve worked on fiction, poetry, and nonfiction projects about these subjects and am always down to edit books about pregnancy, breastfeeding, postpartum life, motherhood, and parenthood.
Poetry like Kate Baer: I love how accessible and easy to read Baer’s poetry is and love working on this type of poetry!
Poetry like Mary Oliver: I love how simple yet deep Oliver’s poetry is—her exploration of nature and the small moments in life is so beautiful.
Concrete poetry: I recently worked on a poetry book with a lot of concrete poems and had the most fun designing them! Concrete poetry is very much a collaboration between the poet and designer, and I enjoy helping poets make their visual poetry ideas come to life on the page.
Hybrid mashups of form and content, especially poetry and fiction/nonfiction.
Survivor and The Traitors: I love love love Survivor and The Traitors. Got a project about reality TV competition shows and social strategy games? I’d love to see it.
Heist stories: I’m obsessed with stories about teams pulling off the perfect heist, like
Bling Ring (“I wanna rob”), the Oceans movies trilogy, The Art Thief by Michael Finkel, and hell, let’s throw National Treasure in there.
Pirates of the Caribbean. A childhood obsession! Very into the vibes of the movies.
Travel: I looooove travel competition shows like Jet Lag: The Game and Amazing Race. I also love travel more broadly and am always down for editing books about travel experiences. I love living vicariously through reading and editing books about travels.
Food history and culture: Got creative writing that explores the history and culture of food in a particular place? I’d love to work on it. I especially loved Grape, Olive, Pig by Matt Goulding and would love to edit creative writing that digs into the history and culture of food.
Hiking: I edited a memoir about someone walking the John Muir Trail and found it absolutely fascinating! I’d love to edit more hiker memoirs (or novels or poetry), especially Appalachian Trail memoirs or books about your Camino de Santiago experience.
LGBTQ+ stories: I’ve edited fiction and poetry about LGBTQ+ characters and themes and love it! Although I am not LGBTQ+ myself, I love working with queer writers. One of my favorite recent edits was Cat Washington’s lesbian ghost romance novel, The Ghost of You Lingers.
Cats: I love cats! I have two tuxedo cats named Les and Lou. Cat poetry, a novel about a cat, nonfiction about cats—I’d be delighted to edit it.
Art and architecture: My favorite college course was Church Art and Architecture. I’m fascinated by art and architecture and loved exploring buildings and viewing art while I studied abroad in Rome and Germany. If your project involves art and architecture, I’m super interested!
St. Louis: I’ve lived in St. Louis for 10 years now and would love to edit novels set in St. Louis, poetry by St. Louis authors, or nonfiction that explores the city of St. Louis!
Christian Nationalism: This is a subject that fascinates me deeply, and I’d love to edit some projects that explore it.
Writing with a strong sense of place: I can see, smell, taste the setting of the story.
Public domain poetry collections. I worked on one in 2026 and LOVED it.
Humor in the tradition of Arrested Development, Schitt’s Creek, Community, Miranda, Mr. Show, Taskmaster, Gianmarco Soresi, Steve Martin’s standup comedy, Roald Dahl (minus the antisemitism…obviously!!!).
Lemony Snicket-level meta narration that breaks the fourth wall and is smart and witty.
Poetry that tells stories and experiments with language like Kendrick Lamar, Run the Jewels, Childish Gambino, and Doechii’s “Anxiety” and “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake.”
Anything about or set in the Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina: I’m actually named after North Carolina! I’d love to work on books about the Smoky Mountains and learn more about the history, culture, and place.
Prose and beautiful, deep stories like Kazuo Ishiguro, Phillip Pullman, Carmen Maria Machado: Enough said. You got gorgeous prose and achingly beautiful storytelling? Please send.
Books that explore underground and lost cities: Two nonfiction books I adore are Underground by Will Hunt and Four Lost Cities by Annalee Newitz. I’d be delighted to edit nonfiction, fiction, or poetry that explores underground and lost cities.
Quirky, introspective, sometimes speculative Japanese literature like Hiroko Oyamada, Mieko Kawakami, Emi Yagi, and Satoshi Yagisawa: These are some of my favorite authors and books to read! I’d love to edit anything that feels like these authors and books.
Unhinged stories like Sayaka Murata: If your story is unhinged like Earthlings or Vanishing World, I’d love to help you develop it and make it the weirdest, most unexpected story possible.
Wedding drama: I am intrigued by stories of wedding drama and the wild stuff that happens during wedding planning and the big day.
Anything about Rome, especially traveling or living there: I studied abroad in Rome and fell in love with the city. I’d love to edit novels or poetry set in Rome or nonfiction books exploring the city and its history.
Moving abroad or studying abroad: I’m fascinated by stories of people moving abroad or studying abroad!
Weird little novellas about women’s interiority and/or a speculative element.
Writing that feels like Hannah Witton’s YouTube videos—creative, curious, intelligent, grounded.
Books that explore best friendship or very close duos: I love stories that explore the relationship between best friends. Think: Rhett & Link.
Languages: In high school, I took Spanish, French, and Latin; in college I picked up some Italian and German while studying abroad. I don’t know any of these languages well enough to edit in them, but I’d love to edit books about learning languages or digging into their linguistic histories.
Narcissistic family systems: I found Vigdis Hjorth’s novels Will and Testament and Is Mother Dead deeply fascinating and would love to work on projects that explore these dynamics.
Cults, especially religious ones: Whenever a new documentary about cults pops up, I’m watching it. I’m fascinated with documentaries and stories like Wild Wild Country (holy shit), Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath (also holy shit), Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God, Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey, Shiny, Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, Under the Banner of Heaven, and the first season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
Drag Race: I’ve watched all seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race and love the creativity the queens bring to the show!
Let’s Work Together
If you think I’d be a good fit for your book based on my manuscript wish list, please reach out! If your book doesn’t have any of these themes or elements, please send it my way anyway and let’s chat.
Above all: I want to work with authors who care deeply about their work! I love working with writers who use their own creativity and imagination to write and edit their work. If that’s you, please reach out.