Freelance Children's Book Editor

Book Editing,

 —Kate Schatz, author, Rad American Women A-Z

​I am an independent children's book author and editor who has worked in the children's book field for over 25 years. I spent seven years in editorial departments in the United States where I helped to produce winners of the Coretta Scott King Award and American Library Association Notable Book selections, among others. I continued to work as a freelance editor and as a Lecturer at the National Centre for Research in Children's Literature (NCRCL) at Roehampton University in London. Now based in Berkeley, California, I work with clients all over the world. I have an MA in Children's Literature from Roehampton University, and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Finally, I've published three children's books, Sled Dog Dachshund and I am the co-author of Fred Korematsu Speaks Up  and Biddy Mason Speaks Up in the Fighting for Justice series.


The main services I offer are:


Clients include Nigerian publisher Cassava Republic Press, and Blood Orange Press, City Lights Publishing, and Parallax Press in the Bay Area. I offer manuscript critiques to a variety of clients - see the Portfolio selection for more. The best way to stay updated about upcoming events and services is to join my mailing list and follow me on my Facebook page. You can also find a full list of books I have edited and more about my background on my LinkedIn page. And if you'd like to see me in person, you can watch this video from a panel on diversity in children's books from April 2015, or this older video interview taken when I directed the Brighton Children's Book Festival.
"Laura absolutely knows her stuff and is committed not just to diverse high-quality children's literature, but to supporting the artists and writers working to create it."