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RACHEL GILMER
Assistant Editor, Sourcebooks Casablanca & Poisoned Pen Press
WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR...
I’m looking for engaging and compelling uplit women's fiction and single title romance in all subgenres. I love stories that make me feel optimistic and happy, especially those with an authentic voice and fresh perspective.
I’m also looking for horror and speculative fiction, but prefer ghosts to gore. I especially like twisty thrillers, psychological horror, and ghost stories—stories like Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and The Other by Thomas Tryon with a fresh hook would be right up my alley. I love stories that feel emotional and cathartic but that also end on an uplifting note and could sit on either the fiction or horror shelf.
RIGHT NOW, PLEASE DON'T SEND ME...
children’s books, nonfiction, memoirs.
HOW I GOT INTO BOOKS...
I’ve always been a reader—I was one of those kids who spent more time at the library than at home. I took a small detour in college when I thought I might try a chemistry major, but I soon realized my mistake and corrected course, getting into English and publishing studies, which led me directly to Sourcebooks!
JUST A FEW OF THE AUTHORS I'VE ACQUIRED AND EDITED IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS...
Four Ways to Wear a Dress by Gillian Libby, the By the Book mystery series by Tamara Berry, Darcy Coates (with Mary Altman).
I'M LOOKING FOR PROJECTS LIKE:
SOME FAVORITE BOOKS AND AUTHORS I DIDN'T PUBLISH...
Duma Key by Stephen King, My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix, Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. Anything by Ania Ahlborn, Tessa Dare, Sarah MacLean, and Helen Hoang.
ONE OF THE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS AN EDITOR DOES FOR AN AUTHOR IS...
Being an advocate and champion so that everyone I talk to understands and is as excited about your book as I am. Having an editor who understands the space an author is writing in can
make all the difference.
I LOVE MY JOB BECAUSE...
I’ve seen firsthand that books change lives, and working on the next project that could have that effect on someone else is incredibly rewarding. My job is to read, and it doesn’t get much better than that!
I KEEP MY READING PILE...
Mostly in the den I turned into my library, but also on my nightstand, on an end table, on the kitchen counter, on the dining table…
BOOKSTORES YOU SHOULD VISIT BEFORE YOU DIE...
I highly recommend Left Bank Books in St. Louis and Tattered Cover in Denver!
WHEN I'M NOT READING, I'LL BE...
outside—hiking, camping, walking my dog, or just sitting on my patio. If I’m stuck inside, I’ll be watching movies with my husband, cooking, or cross-stitching.
I FOLLOW READING, WRITING, AND PUBLISHING NEWS AT...
Publishers Marketplace, Publishers Weekly, Smart Bitches Trashy Books