As a writer, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with quite a few talented editors who improved my reporting, my prose, and my attitude. As an editor, I’ve had the honor of collaborating with investigative journalists, culture reporters, award-winning book critics, and aspiring authors of short stories, nonfiction, memoirs, and novels. Below are some of the things they’ve had to say about working with me. I’d love to add you and your creative work to my portfolio.
“Jay is a gifted writer and an unbeatable editor, but in my heart, his greatest role will always be as a coach. With kindness, candor, and good humor, Jay improved not just my novel, but my entire approach to writing. He gave me the license to run freely through my imagination, and the structure to pin that imagination to the page. He made large rewrites seem manageable by breaking them into smaller, concrete tasks. In short, Jay is one of those rare people in the world with the ability to help others achieve more than they ever imagined for themselves. If you have the chance to work with him, don’t pass it up!”
— Blair Pasalic, author of the in-progress historical novel The Wild Flowers of Sarajevo
“The reason we hire editors is to get our books over the finish line. Thanks to Jay’s thorough notes and comprehensive guidance, my memoir RU$E: Lying the American Dream from Hollywood to Wall Street was published! I can honestly say it would not have happened without his expert help.”
— Robert Kerbeck, author of Malibu Burning: The Real Story Behind L.A.’s Most Devastating Wildfire (2019) and RU$E: Lying the American Dream from Hollywood to Wall Street (2022)
“Amazing editor! Jay’s judgment, keen eye, and attention to detail are matched by his genuine respect for the writer’s vision and process — I’d love him to edit everything I ever write.”
— Tara Ison, Los Angeles Review of Books critic and author of Ball: Stories, Rockaway, and A Child Out of Alcatraz
“As an editor, Jay has the sensitivity of a fine-tuned instrument and the swift precision of a special-ops unit. In my writing, every sentence he touched got better, and there was never any mystery as to why or how. Jay is that rare editor who is consistently able to improve not only a piece but also the writer behind it.”
— Jennifer Croft, critic, novelist (Homesick), and Man Booker International Prize-winning translator of Olga Tokarczuk’s Flights
“Jay is a brilliant editor: utterly thorough and constructive, he brings out the absolute best in any piece. So happy to be working with him here at LARB.”
— Lisa Teasley, author of Glow in the Dark, Dive, and Fluid: Stories, and former senior fiction editor at Los Angeles Review of Books
“Jay Fernandez is a terrific line editor, and he’s an even better deep editor. By ‘deep,’ I mean the acutely insightful queries he made in the book review of mine that he edited — queries that compelled me to confront intellectual lacunae in my writing. In a constructive back-and-forth process, Jay helped me go even deeper into the review than I’d thought possible, and to produce a more fleshed-out, reader-friendly piece of writing than I’d started with. I can’t wait for him to edit another essay or review of mine.”
– Eric Gudas, LARB contributor and UCLA Lecturer, Writing Programs
“Jay is one of the most sensitive, flexible, enthusiastic editors I’ve ever worked with. Somehow, he altered my sentences for the better without sacrificing the flavor of my voice. Patiently, kindly, Jay reined in my most abstract tendencies, and worked with me through multiple drafts until we were both pleased with the result. He reminded me that the reading audience exists without forcing me to pander to it, which I consider an actual editorial miracle. I wish I could work with him on everything I write.”
— Katharine Coldiron, writer and blogger whose work has appeared in Ms., the Rumpus, Entropy, Anomaly, LARB, and elsewhere
“Jay Fernandez is consistently wonderful to work with. Throughout the entire editorial process, Jay is thoughtful, quick, thorough, and creative. His pitches are always perfectly suited to the niche audience for whom I’ve hired him to write, and he never misses a deadline. His writing is excellent and smart, and he makes my job as his editor easy.”
— Kristin Fritz, former VP, Executive Editor, Content Marketing, Penguin Random House
