I am passionate about books and my superpower is reading (I read about 500 books a year). As an agent I mostly represent Adult novels, but I also love YA and I am very happy to edit this age range. I am not a good fit for Middle Grade.

For Fantasy and Sci Fi I am happy to work on pretty much any book as long as it does not involve cheating/ abuse/ sexual assault. (My husband likes me to add here that this is nothing to do with him the subjects just make me cry). I am good with gore and violence. With romance a synopsis is helpful for me to decide if I’m a good fit for the project. This is because I don’t work as widely in this genre because so many plots revolve around subjects I don’t enjoy.

As an agent I am very hands on editorially. As an editor, I prefer to work on developmental edits rather than line edits (as anyone who reads my posts on Bluesky will work out, this is not my strength). But my developmental strengths are identifying plot holes and pacing issues. I also offer submission package assessments (cover letter, opening 10k, and synopsis).

A developmental report from me will often focus on plot points, listing areas that are working well or highlighting issues that need to be addressed. I am happy to also put comments directly on the manuscript as well as provide a report, but this is an extra charge as it takes more time to do.

I also tend to focus on characters, dialogue, and worldbuilding. There is always an overview and conclusion section to the report. I will only mention commercial potential if asked specifically. Otherwise, other sections are added in based on what I’ve identified in your manuscript. If you have specific questions or concerns I am happy to address those as well.

I am also happy to discuss looking at updated versions of manuscripts or problem sections that you would like ongoing help with. Many of my previous clients have needed on going help as they restructure their novels and it can be a helpful service.

I’m afraid that if I offer a developmental edit report that I cannot consider this manuscript for agent representation, although you are welcome to query me about other projects. I do not work with projects that use AI. If you have any other questions please don’t hesitate to reach out. And I look forward to hopefully getting to work with some of you soon.

Please contact me via the Reedsy website at: https://reedsy.com/helen-lane-2