Melanie has taught creative writing for twenty years. She has taught at the college level at schools such as George Washington University and UC Berkeley, as well as in the community at places such as Left Margin Lit and Yogaworks. For the last five years, she has been a developmental editor with both large publishing houses and individual clients. To inquire about services and prices, please contact her here.
Testimonials
“Melanie is a fantastic editor. Her ability to intuit what isn’t working in a piece and how to fix it, all while keeping the author’s vision forefront, is a gift for any writer. She is warm and encouraging, and gently steers writers to produce their best work.”
Rebecca Walker, author of Ade, A Love Story
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“Melanie Abrams is a true writer’s editor with a gift for guiding novelists who are serious about honing their work. Melanie’s editorial feedback is often revelatory and always astute, all while honoring the writer’s own vision.”
Laura Mazer, agent at Wendy Sherman Associates, Inc.
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“Melanie’s work as a developmental editor is holistic and integrated, looking at the story as a whole rather than the pieces and parts that aren’t working. Her 30,000 foot viewpoint finally helped me clear away ineffective chapters and plot points and locate the compelling and original through line. Melanie is a joy to work with—whip-smart, funny and highly effective.”
Sheila Hamilton, author of All The Things We Never Knew
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“Working with Melanie was one of the best investments I could have made in developing and pitching my book to editors. She helped me refine and structure my ideas in a clear, cohesive way in a fraction of the time it would have taken me to do so myself. And the best part? I received multiple offers and now have a dream book deal. Thank you, Melanie!”
Shira Gill, author of Minimalista
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"Melanie is a visionary developmental editor. She read my work with compassion and made precise yet spacious suggestions that caused my essay's structural issues (and--more importantly--the ways out!) to seem straightforward. She will help you make work that is muddled, clear and work that is good, great."
Neela Vaswani, author of Same Sun Here
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“Melanie is an astute editor with an unerring eye for what works in the novel, and she delights in challenges with structure-- she helped me corral my multiple-perspective sprawling first novel that spanned decades and time-shifts into cohesion. And she did so, always, with empathy, encouragement and genuine respect for what I was trying to accomplish. She's a joy to work with.”
Priya Balasubramanian, author of The Alchemy of Secrets
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“Melanie was candid and shared about her own struggles which encouraged me to think more deeply and precisely about my work. She supported my work – yet pushed me to take it to a much deeper place. I can attest to her editorial brilliance.”
- Victoria Patterson, author of The Secret Habit of Sorrow
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“Melanie Abrams is the editor you fantasize about when you’re struggling with revision or slogging through a first draft. On the ‘micro’ level, her feedback is laser sharp and detailed, but she also reaches into the belly of the beast to let you know what’s missing."
-Marnie Masuda, Executive Director at The Creative Core
“Both critically honest and warmly empathetic in the same breath, Melanie is a writer's writer. She helped me discover and shape a story I did not realize was there all along.”
- Jamie Wong, entrepreneur and writer