Bio

Allison Alexander is a freelance book editor, writer, and artist. She has a BA in English, a certificate in Publishing, and ten years of experience working with authors. She also co-hosts The Worldbuilder’s Tavern podcast and composes a monthly newsletter for genre fiction writers, Editor’s Alchemy. Allison lives in Canada with her partner and their giant collection of video games.

Pronouns: She/Her

MSWL

I’m accepting middle grade, YA, and adult novels in the following genres this year (and I’ve listed some of my favourite subgenres in each category, though you’re not limited to those):

• Fantasy: adventure, dark, fairy tales, mythological, science fantasy
• Sci-Fi: apocalyptic, hard, litRPG, soft, space opera
• Horror: cosmic, eco-horror, psychological, supernatural, survival
• Mystery: cozy, detective stories, paranormal, puzzle, soft-boiled

I especially love...

• Amateur sleuths
• Animal companions
• Genre mashups
• Monsters (bring on the creature feature!)
• Puzzles
• Quests
• Rivals to friends or lovers
• Sentient spaceships
• Twists I didn’t see coming
• Underrepresented characters (I am chronically ill and particularly love to see disability rep)
• Unusual magic systems
• Villains with understandable motives

I’m not a good fit for...

• Erotica
• Historical fiction
• Literary fiction
• Novels-in-verse
• Romantasy
• Slasher, gory, body, or extreme horror
• Sexual assault scenes

Books I’ve enjoyed recently

• Accidental Demons by Clare Edge
• Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
• All Systems Red by Martha Wells
• Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
• Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
• How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin
• The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland
• Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
• Not Quite a Ghost by Anne Ursu
• Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Shows I’ve enjoyed recently

• Arcane
• The Expanse
• Fallout
• Fantasy High (Dimension 20)
• Frieren
• Only Murders in the Building
• Owl House
• She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
• Stranger Things
• The Witcher

Q&A

How can a manuscript’s first five pages make you sit up and take notice?

I love that nebulous thing called voice. If the text is full of personality, I’m sucked in. I also appreciate it when authors drip, rather than pour, worldbuilding information and get me invested in the protagonist’s goal.

What can writers expect from working with you during #RevPit, including communication?

I’m your partner in making your manuscript the best it can be! I’m here to point out areas that could be strengthened and to suggest, not dictate, solutions. My focus is on bringing your vision to life.

I prefer email communication, and we can chat before I dig into edits so you can tell me your goals for your story and any areas that need special attention. I tend to be pretty quiet while I’m editing unless I have any questions.

I will send you the manuscript back with my comments in the margins and a comprehensive feedback letter. I will point out what’s working well (what I loved and whether I’m upset with you about any character deaths) and areas that could be improved. Since this is a developmental edit, I’ll focus on big-picture stuff. Some of my strengths are piecing plot together to solve pacing issues; evaluating how other worlds or made-up cultures might function; strengthening character arcs; and making sure clues and red herrings have been placed before a reveal. After you’ve looked over everything and taken some time to digest the feedback, we can chat about how you feel about my suggestions and how you’d like to approach revisions. While you’re revising, I aim to respond to questions within a day (weekends excluded). Depending on the timing and the state of the manuscript, we may do a second round of feedback and revisions.

What do you expect from writers during the #RevPit revision process, including communication?

Getting edits can be overwhelming, but being open to feedback, even to large structural changes, and coming to the table excited to work on the book can make a big difference. I would love to work with a writer who is self-motivated (I will cheer you on and am happy to check in now and then, but I won’t be tracking your work or keeping you on task). And feel free to ask questions; if you disagree with a suggestion—no problem! Let’s discuss why I made it and other ways we could tackle the issue. If you’re not sure how you want to proceed with a particular revision, I’m here to brainstorm with.

What hobbies do you have outside of writing and editing?

I enjoy reading, watching TV, painting, crocheting, board games, and D&D. I play a lot of video games (some of my favourites are Baldur’s Gate 3, the Dragon Age series, Hollow Knight, The Legend of Zelda series, the Mass Effect series, Ori and the Blind Forest, Stardew Valley, and Valheim).