Bio

Joel Brigham (Brigham Editorial) is a freelance editor and an agented kidlit author with a YA and MG books currently on submission. He also has been a high school English teacher for two decades and has a bachelor's degree in Creative Writing and a master's degree in Education. He loves '90s hip-hop, fantasy football, genealogy research, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Pronouns: He/Him

MSWL

In terms of age levels, MG and YA are my sweet spots, but I also work with a lot of adult-level stuff. "New Adult" (college-age protagonists) and literary fiction/book club fiction are great, too!

My preferred genres include contemporary, action & adventure, historical, romance, literary, fairy tale retellings, and magical realism/speculative fiction.

Genres that I love (and am open to working with!) but may not necessarily be the BEST fit: novels in verse, horror, and thrillers. I'm not a good fit for picture books or graphic novels.

As for science fiction and fantasy, it depends entirely on the story. I'm more likely to take low fantasy than high or epic fantasy, and I'm more likely to take character-driven soft sci-fi than hard sci-fi. Steampunk, space operas, and space westerns aren't for me.

Q&A

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

I want to see mystery, tension, and/or suspense on Page One. Voice and stakes early on also get my attention!

If the lead gets me, I'll devour the first paragraph. If the first paragraph gets me, I'll devour the first page. It usually only takes me about that long to know if I'm going to fall in love with a manuscript.

More than anything, I want to see something new and unique. If the character and/or plot is something that feels original in some way, I'm in. Bonus points if you can make me laugh.

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

I've got two goals when working with authors:

1. I'm looking to help authors make manuscripts more appealing to agents and readers, especially early on.
2. My feedback is actionable. I want to give you feedback you can work with. When I put together an edit letter, it's so the writer has a solid list of to-do items that they can tackle one at a time until the manuscript is just the way they like it.

My specialty is plotting and pacing, so if your book feels like it drags or sags at certain points, that's something I can help with. I'm also great with voice, dialogue, and character arcs, and I'm the King of Show-Don't-Tell.

In terms of communication, I'm ridiculously accessible. Probably more than I should be. But I've been a teacher for so long that helping people is in my DNA at this point. I'm the kind of person who likes consistent (and persistent!) communication. We're going to be buddies if we end up working together. You really won't have much of a choice.

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

I'm looking for writers that are interested (and maybe even excited!) to take feedback and apply it to their manuscript. Be ready to put in the work necessary to make the most of this opportunity, and know that while I love to dole out praise, I also work best with people who are ready to get down to business. I value work ethic above all things, including talent!

Your book is going to need work, and I'm going to need you to want to do that work.

What hobbies do you have outside of writing and editing?

I love to watch baseball in the summer (go White Sox! and Savannah Bananas!), and in the fall I've grown to enjoy the challenge and community around fantasy football. I collect vintage Ninja Turtles, watch every Oscar-nominated movie each year, and walk or run for an hour almost every day. I also coach both my daughters' softball teams and am on the board for my area's rec league of over 700 girls. And there's nothing I love more than planning a good family vacation!