Grub Street Manuscript Editor

Have red pen, will edit.

I now offer manuscript consulting services through Grub Street and am eager to start working with new clients. If you need someone both tough and fair to look over your pages with an editorial eye, I’m here to help! As Grub Street notes on its website: “Whether you want to polish your work before an agent sees it, get one-on-one feedback on your first draft, or seek advice on furthering your writing career, our consultants are here to help.”

I specialize in short fiction, novels, memoirs, and personal essays, but really the sky’s the limit when it comes to the types of manuscripts I will work on. If you wrote it, I’ll edit it.

Here’s more from my profile on the Consultants page at Grub Street:

As a reader, I am drawn to vivid imagery, tight sentences, snappy dialogue, and quirky characters who stand out from the scenery. As your writing coach and editor, I give you the tools to help you pare down your sentences to just the right length and rhythm. I show you how to take a step back from the pages, look at the overall narrative and how each of its pieces fit into the bigger picture.

What I bring to the table: I'm the author of two published novels (Fobbit and Brave Deeds) and dozens of stories and essays in leading magazines, including Glimmer Train Stories, Esquire, Electric Literature, and many others. I have more than 30 years of professional editing at newspapers and magazines and nearly 10 years of blogging about the writing life at The Quivering Pen.

What you'll get from me: detailed editing (using Track Changes in Word) with comments in the margins, and availability for a video chat after you’ve had a chance to read through my notes and edits.

If you’re ready to get to work on your book, I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and uncap the red pen. Go to the Consultants page at Grub Street and click on my name (David Abrams) for more information about what I offer and my hourly rate. If it all sounds good to you, drop me an email at david.abrams@gmail.com with the subject line Grub Street Consultation, include a brief synopsis of your work (2-3 sentences for short stories, 1 paragraph for a full-length book), the number of pages, and if you are on any sort of deadline. I look forward to reading your work!