Book Editors

12 Short Story Editors Who Can Help You Get Published

For those not familiar with literary work, short stories sound deceptively simple, even easy. But writers know that the  length of a story is not indicative of its complexity. Novelists are often unprepared for the level of scrutiny involved in crafting a piece of short fiction, where there is nowhere to hide. In microfiction, flash fiction, and longer short stories, writers are more exposed than in any other form of writing. Short story editors know that better than anyone — and they’re there to help writers nail every aspect of their short fiction, from structure and pacing to characterization and dialogue. If you’re hoping to hire a short story editor to help you polish your writing, we’ve gathered 12 impressive professional editors you should consider below.

1. Jack Livings 

Jack’s bio is as star-studded as it gets in the field of short fiction: he’s a former Paris Review editor who studied writing at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop under Marilynne Robinson (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, 2005) and Elizabeth McCracken (PEN New England Award). The impressive names don’t stop there: he was later a Stegner Fellow at Stanford, working with Tobias Wolff. His own writing won the PEN / Bingham Award for debut fiction and received two Pushcart prizes and the Rome Prize for Literature, whereas his editorial clients have won National Book Awards and Pulitzers. When editing, he states that he works with writers “on their own terms,” adapting his approach to each person’s specific needs.

Fun fact: During his time at the Paris Review, Jack interviewed Salman Rushdie.

2. Daisuke Shen 

Daisuke is a short story editor and creative writing teacher living in New York City. Previously, they worked as an Editorial Assistant at The Asian American Literary Review and Lookout Books. In their work as a freelance editor they enjoy working on both short stories and novels, offering developmental and copy editing services. Daisuke’s former clients have been published in esteemed journals such as The Ekphrastic Review, Lumiere Review, and Cleaver Magazine, and Daisuke’s own work has appeared in several journals. Though they work with a broad range of genres, Daisuke is particularly keen to work with authors writing speculative or experimental short stories.

Fun fact: Daisuke’s work was longlisted for Wigleaf’s “Top Very Short Fictions of 2022.”

3. John Knight

John’s editorial career began at McSweeney’s, where he assisted founder Dave Eggers before founding his own magazine. He then worked at Farrar, Straus and Giroux acquiring and editing bestselling titles for nearly five years. Now working as a freelance novel and short story editor, John is most excited to edit literary fiction or nonfiction that deals with any of his broad interests (including current affairs, science, nature, culture, literature, history, and more). And in case you weren’t already impressed, he also holds a PhD in Comparative Literature.

Fun fact: John edited Garth Greenwell’s What Belongs to You, longlisted for the National Book Award.

4. Jacquelin Cangro

Jacquelin has over 20 years of editorial experience at Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster, and offers developmental edits for both fiction and nonfiction. Her favorite genres include YA, any subgenre of romance, and historical fiction, and she’s previously worked with New York Times bestselling authors Ruta Sepetys (Carnegie Medal winner), John Green (who has sold over 50 million books) and Jacqueline Woodson (National Book Award winner), among others. In addition to her experience editing short stories and novels, Jacquelin also has experience as a book coach and  writing instructor. Short story collections she has edited include Ken Wheaton’s The Subway Chronicles: Scenes from Life in New York and Alex Clermont’s You, Me and the Rest of Us: #NewYorkStories.

Fun fact: Jacquelin has an MFA in Creative Writing from Georgia State University.

5. Kit Haggard

Kit has nearly ten years of experience working for publishers and a literary agency, where she read countless query letters from authors. She began to work with authors at this agency, before pursuing an MFA at Emerson College. Following her MFA, she became an editorial assistant and then senior editorial assistant at prestigious literary journal Ploughshares. Kit’s own work has been published in the Kenyon Review, Prairie Schooner, and Electric Literature, among other places. When editing other writers’ short stories, she uses her technical understanding of the craft to approach stories as a writer and suggest ways to bring complicated fiction to resolution.

Fun fact: Kit has been awarded the St. Botolph Emerging Artists Award, the Rex Warner Prize, and the Nancy Lynn Schwartz Prize for Fiction for her own writing. 

6. Emma Borges-Scott

Emma is a freelance short story editor who has received an MFA in Fiction from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop (2010). She then worked for New York City publishers and literary agencies (Overlook Press, Simon & Schuster’s literary children’s imprint Atheneum, McCormick Literary) for eight years, before going freelance. Titles she’s worked on have made the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Washington Post bestseller lists. Her publishing knowhow means that she’s able to advise clients on the commercial possibilities open to their project, and discuss how they can best approach publishers.

Fun fact: During her time at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Emma received an Iowa Arts Fellowship — an incredible achievement given how competitive this writing program is.

7. Jennifer Alton

Jenny is a book editor and author who’s worked for one of largest independent publishers in the US for over five years. During this time, she acquired or edited Nuclear Family by Joseph Han (a Most Anticipated Book of the Year for The Millions), The Atlas of Red and Blues by Devi S. Laskar (a Best Book of the Year for the Washington Post), The Natural Mother of the Child by Krys Malcolm Blec, Old in Art School by Nell Painter and Bodies on the Line by Lauren Rankin, among others. Jennifer holds an MFA from San Francisco State University and is most excited to work with literary fiction projects that combine “innovative language with an energetic, character driven plot.” 

Fun fact: Jennifer’s own books have received praise by The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and NPR. 

8. Chris Urie

Chris is an experienced writer, editor, and slush reader. During his time at Clarkesworld Magazine, he read through thousands of science fiction and fantasy short story submissions, analyzing their strengths, weaknesses, and overall potential, before recommending stories (and proposed edits) to the editor in chief, helping publish Last Resort by Nicole Kornher-Stace. In his work as an editor, Chris’s strengths include setting and characterization, while he’s also strong in structuring complex plots. 

Fun fact: For Clarkesworld Magazine, Chris once interviewed bestselling author Jeff VanderMeer.

9. Kirby Gann

Kirby has worked in publishing for nearly twenty years, becoming Managing Editor at Sarabande books. In total, he oversaw 150 books be acquired and published. His editorial portfolio includes literary fiction, thrillers, memoirs, short stories, and self-help books, among other, though he is genre-flexible and always keen to discuss projects outside of these genres. As a novelist, short story writer, and writing teacher, Kirby’s editorial approach is informed by his intimate understanding of the craft. Short story collections he has edited include Fox Tooth Heart by John McManus and Father Brother Keeper by Nathan Poole, which won the Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction.

Fun fact: As a freelance editor, Kirby has offered services for publishers like Archipelago, Bloomsbury, Coffee House, Dalkey Archive, and Central Recovery Press, among others.

10. Kerry Cullen

Kerry is an editor with experience in publishing houses, literary agencies, and literary magazines. Her past editorial projects ranged from YA and middle grade short stories to upmarket fiction and literary sci-fi, including Why Visit America: Stories by Matthew Baker, Princess Dracula by John Patrick Kennedy and Want: A Novel by Lynn Steger Strong. Kerry holds an MFA from Columbia University and is a published writer herself. 

Fun fact: Kerry’s testimonials from past clients are glowing. One writer said: “I had been sitting on a few short stories for a while, unsure of where to take them after receiving some promising but inconclusive responses from literary magazines. Kerry got right to the heart of my writing and provided invaluable feedback regarding what needed work and, more importantly, how to go about it.”

11. Ruth Tang

Ruth is an editor at Math Paper Press, an independent small press releasing literary and genre fiction, short story collections, poetry collections, and anthologies. Ruth has worked on Victor Ocampo’s The Infinite Library (sci-fi short stories, International Rubery Book Award shortlist) and Madeleine Thien’s Simple Recipes (short stories, author shortlisted for the 2016 Man Booker for a different title). She holds an MFA in Playwriting from The New School of Drama, and believes that everyone can benefit from a fresh eye on their work. 

Fun fact: Ruth specialized in experimental and genre-transgressive writing: as she puts it, “Nothing’s too weird for me—I grew up on the 90s internet and experimental poetry of questionable merit.” 

12. Steve Woodward

Steve worked for prestigious independent publisher Graywolf Press for twelve years, editing emerging and well-known authors writing literary novels and short stories, as well as memoirs and essays. His clients’ books have won the Booker Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Dublin International Literary Award, and been shortlisted for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Want some examples? Steve edited Anna Burns’ Milkman and short story collections Suicide Woods by Benjamin Percy and Walking on Cowrie Shells by Nana Nkweti.

Fun fact: Steve teaches creative writing at Sierra Nevada University’s low-residency MFA, and literary publishing classes at Macalester College and the College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University. Lucky students!


All of these incredibly accomplished short story editors have the professional experience to help your work reach its full potential. We wish you a successful collaboration!