Heather Lazare

Developmental Editor & Publishing Consultant

Heather Lazare, editor
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About Heather Lazare

Developmental Editor & Publishing Consultant

I am a developmental editor and publishing consultant with nearly twenty years of professional experience, specializing in editing adult fiction, with particular emphasis on historical fiction, women’s fiction, literary fiction, contemporary romance, mysteries, and thrillers. I began my publishing career at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency, then moved to the editorial side at Crown (Random House), and was a senior editor at Touchstone (Simon & Schuster) before creating my own business in 2013.

I work with individual authors, helping them get their manuscripts ready for submission to agents, I strategize with agents whose clients need an extra push before submission, and I’m hired by publishing houses to further perfect manuscripts for publication. I also teach courses for Stanford Continuing Studies and Stanford’s Distinguished Careers Institute on writing and the publishing business.

I’ve worked retail, been a hostess and server, spent two years teaching English in Aix-en-Provence, but found my love in a life of books and collaborating with writers to help them tell their best stories. I’m grateful every day that I get to live my life in stories.

I am the founder + director of Northern California Writers’ Retreat, five days of writing and workshops in Carmel Valley every Spring. We are currently in our 10th year!

Northern California Writers' Retreat

Northern California Writers’ Retreat is a juried fiction retreat in Carmel Valley, bringing together 18 writers, 2 Guest Literary Agents, one Author-in-Residence, and one Editor for four nights and five days of workshopping, writing, connection, and community, with yoga, massage, and live piano music, plus delicious food and wine. Learn more at norcalwritersretreat.com.

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Services

Developmental edit

Developmental editing is my specialty and how I spend most of my editorial time. I create a full evaluation of your manuscript, making notes throughout in track changes. I write an editorial letter to show my overall impressions, just as I had done when I was at PRH and S&S–but I find I have even more time to dig deeper with my clients now. We then schedule a phone call to go over my notes, so that you can ask questions and we can come up with a plan forward for you and your work. After our call, you have one more hour of my time gratis, so you’re not totally alone with the work and have a sounding board, should you need me. My goal is to give you the editorial tools you need to write your best book. I know being alone with the work can feel tiring and frustrating–but also exhilarating and fulfilling; I’m here to help you through the process. Developmental edits are done on a by-word basis of 7 cents per word.

Please note: I work exclusively on fiction. I book several months in advance, but please use the contact form to reach out if you’re interested. If I’m unavailable, I have a very talented group of editors I can recommend.

Publishing consultation

Many writers find themselves lost when trying to navigate the publishing industry. Don’t worry! I’ve been on all sides of it, so am able to listen to your situation and offer insights and suggestions. Maybe you’re not getting any bites on your query, or you’ve been out to dozens of agents and can’t get past the classic, “I didn’t connect with the voice.” We can talk through your current situation and come up with steps for what to do next. Publishing consultations are on an hourly basis of $200/hour.

Query letter and/or Synopsis review

Query letters and synopses are difficult to write on your own–you’re so close to the work! I can edit your letter or help you create one and give you pointers on what will capture an agent’s interest. If you’d like to learn more about query letters, I’ve taught a virtual class on this via my writers’ retreat: Queries That Worked: and what you need to know to make yours work, too.

Finding an agent

For authors whose work I have edited and I feel the manuscript is ready for an agent’s eyes, I can help match make with my many contacts in the agent world. Representation is never guaranteed, though I have helped many of my clients find an agent and go on to have their novels published.

Testimonials

Contact me

hello@heatherlazare.com

Interested in working together? Tell me more!