About Maya
I am a writer and editor based in New York, NY. My background is in book publishing—I spent five years at Writers House, a renowned Manhattan literary agency. There, I assisted chairman Al Zuckerman (agent to Ken Follett and Michael Lewis among others) and represented my own clients such as the Harvey Award-nominated Laura Lee Gulledge, Bethany Griffin, and Heather Wagner. As an agent, I worked with many first-time writers and relished nurturing new talent. During this time I moonlighted as a writer, taking classes with amazing writer Pat Willard and published pieces at YourTango.com and in Marie Claire.
I left Writers House in 2010 and started a new career as a full-time freelance writer and editor. Becoming a freelance editor has allowed me to continue working closely with aspiring writers. I use the knowledge I garnered as an agent about how to position books for the market and combine it with the passion I’ve had for literature from an early age to help writers improve and perfect their works. A description of my specific book editorial services is located here.
In addition to my book editorial services, I’ve done a hodgepodge of writing/editing jobs such as marketing copy for beauty companies; proofreading and copyediting for colleges and secondary schools; content for apps; and resume overhauls. More about those services here. I’ve also done a fair amount of journalism. My steady clients have included Brooklyn College, Columbia University, and Princeton University where I continue to conduct interviews and write about alumni, undergrads, grad students, and professors.
And I’ve been hard at work on a YA novel for Penguin Putnam, officially untitled but for now referred to as Scripted, which I hope will come out in 2014. A little more about that here. When I find out the pub date, I will sing it from the rooftops.
I graduated from Princeton University with a degree in English.
Contact me at mayarock@gmail.com.
Below are books I worked or consulted on in my agenting days:
