NB As of July 2021, I am Senior Editor, Cultural Accuracy Reading Services, at Kevin Anderson & Associates, the premier ghostwriting and editorial services firm. In that role, I perform the same sensitivity/authenticity reads I have been doing for years, but I also manage a pool of highly skilled authenticity readers with wide ranging areas of expertise–I personally decide whom to hire to be added to this pool, act as quality control, serve as go-between for clients and readers, and define what deliverables and services look like for us (and for the industry overall, as this is the first position of its kind). Rates vary based on packages purchased (full editorial services, bulk orders, single orders, etc–we can customize what works for you!). Please contact me at hannah@kawriting.com for inquiries regarding my services personally or services of other readers. I will no longer provide services as a freelancer, only through KAA.
I provide manuscript review, script coverage, sensitivity/authenticity reads, and editing services. My qualifications can be seen in detail on my CV and include a combination of critical theory education, service on literary award committees, work as a paid book critic, and experience as a librarian, which comes with knowledge about market trends and youth culture.
I am also available for consulting and presentation work in person or via phone/internet. I have extensive experience and knowledge in multicultural and diverse (in the more expanded definition, including gender, class, sexuality, disability, and more) literature for children and young adults, including identification, analysis, selection, and use in schools and libraries. I have presented papers, made speeches, and done workshops in the areas of privilege and diversity with educators and librarians.
PAST INDIVIDUAL CLIENTS (not limited to)
- Jeff Gottesfeld
- Mark Oshiro
- Cordelia Jensen
- Gabrielle (G.S.) Prendergast
- Julie Block
- The Wing Girls
- Catherine Dehdashti
PAST PUBLISHER CLIENTS (not limited to)
- American Girl/Mattel
- HarperCollins Children’s Books
- TOR Teen
- Simon & Schuster
- Dial Books
- Scholastic Audio
- Charlesbridge
A selection of past experience presenting, judging, and leading in the literature/publishing/academic/library arenas:
- I have been on the YALSA Morris Award (2014), YALSA Edwards Award (2016), and YALSA Amazing Audiobooks (2018) committees. For 2019, I am serving on the LA Times Book Prize committee for young people’s literature.
- I led teams at We Need Diverse Books to develop their first booktalking kit and their app, OurStory.
- I have been on the planning committee for the Tucson Festival of Books (top three largest nonprofit book festivals in the US) since 2015 and also moderate several panels each year.
- I have presented at national and regional conferences (including but not limited to American Library Association Annual Conference, Kidlit Con, Bay Area Independent School Librarians Association, Tucson Festival of Books) since 2012, usually 2-4 times a year.
- I was on the YALSA Awards Nominating Committee, identifying strong candidates to run for positions on prestigious literary award committees.
- I presented a paper on biracial identity in YA realistic fiction at the Young Adult Library Services Association’s (YALSA) YA Literature Symposium in November 2012. That paper was published in The Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults and later won YALSA’s Writing Award for best peer-reviewed paper.