EDITORIAL WORK
— By Jennifer Baker
Two decades of helping other authors bring their books into the world.
Jennifer BakerWhy Work with Me
Alongside my own writing, I've spent more than twenty years as a publishing professional — acquiring and developing books, and copyediting, proofreading, and fact-checking across nearly every genre. From memoir and poetry to fiction, cultural history, and children's books, I've had the privilege of shaping work by voices like Tiffany Haddish, Jenifer Lewis, Jericho Brown, and Kimberlé Crenshaw. Here's a look at some of the books I've helped bring to the shelf.
Acquisitions & Developmental Editing
Books I've acquired and/or developmentally edited — working closely with authors from proposal or early draft all the way to a finished book.FICTION
-
Midnight Rooms: A Novel
— DONYAE COLES
Gothic horror • July 2024A debut in which a young Black woman in Victorian England marries into a wealthy family and confronts haunting secrets.
-
The Fallen Fruit: A Novel
— Shawntelle Madison
Historical /Speculative fiction • September 2024A multigenerational epic in which a family curse pulls one child per generation back into slavery-era America.
-
The Midnight Bus: A Novel
— Shawntelle Madison
Speculative historical fiction • Coming soon (2027)A new novel from the author of The Fallen Fruit; full plot details are not yet public.
-
The House of Seven Gates
— LUCIUS JACKSON
Fantasy • Coming Soon (Summer 2027)A debut fantasy (first in a planned duology) following Amina, leader of a warrior band called the Rangers.
MEMOIRS & ESSAYS
-
![Cleared for Takeoff: A Pilot's Memoir]()
Cleared for Takeoff: A Pilot's Memoir
— CAPTAIN NIA GILLIAM
Memoir • Coming soon (August 2026)A Black woman airline pilot recounts witnessing 9/11 from the runway and a career overcoming bias and adversity.
-
![A Black Girl in the Middle: Essays on (Allegedly) Figuring It All Out]()
A Black Girl in the Middle: Essays on (Allegedly) Figuring It All Out
— SHENEQUA GOLDING
Memoir / Essays • February 2025A debut essay collection on navigating the "middle" of life as a first-generation Jamaican American Black woman in Queens.
-
![Mainline Mama: A Memoir]()
Mainline Mama: A Memoir
— KEEONNA HARRIS
Memoir • February 2025On becoming a mother as a teenager while her partner was incarcerated, and resisting the carceral system through community and self-love.
-
![I Curse You With Joy: Essays]()
I Curse You With Joy: Essays
— TIFFANY HADDISH
Memoir / Essays (humor) • May 2024The comedian reflects candidly and humorously on the highs and lows of her life and career.
-
![Nervous: Essays on Heritage and Healing]()
Nervous: Essays on Heritage and Healing
— JEN SORIANO
Memoir / Essays • August 2023Traces the roots of her chronic pain and mental health through Filipino colonial history, intergenerational trauma, and neuroscience.
-
![Walking in My Joy: In These Streets]()
Walking in My Joy: In These Streets
— JENNIFER LEWIS
Memoir • August 2022Actress Jenifer Lewis's second memoir: candid, humorous essays on fame, mental health, travel, and self-love.
Nonfiction: History, Culture & Ideas
-
![Girl, Get Your Guy!]()
Girl, Get Your Guy!
— ANWAR WHITE
Nonfiction (dating) • Coming soon (February 2027)Dating coach Anwar White ("the Fairy God Brother") offers a strategic dating guide for Black women.
-
![Friends of the Good]()
Friends of the Good
— DEMOND MARTIN WITH COREY HAJIM
Nonfiction (relationships) • March 2026How deep, chosen friendships can reshape success and redefine what achievement means.
-
![Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler]()
Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler
— DR. SUSANA M. MORRIS
Biography • August 2025A biography of the pioneering science-fiction author Octavia E. Butler.
-
![Broken: Transforming Child Protective Services]()
Broken: Transforming Child Protective Services
— DR. JESSICA PRYCE
Nonfiction • March 2024Examines systemic racism in the child-welfare system, drawing on the author's experience as a former caseworker.
-
![Liberating Abortion]()
Liberating Abortion
— RENEE BRACEY SHERMAN & REGINA MAHONE
Nonfiction — October 2024Centers people of color in the abortion-rights movement through history, interviews, and personal stories.
-
![Our Secret Society: Mollie Moon and the Glamour, Money, and Power Behind the Civil Rights Movement]()
Our Secret Society: Mollie Moon and the Glamour, Money, and Power Behind the Civil Rights Movement
— TANISHA C. FORD
Biography / History • October 2023The story of Mollie Moon, the socialite and fundraiser whose glamorous galas helped bankroll the civil rights movement.
-
![How We Do It: Black Writers on Craft, Practice, and Skill]()
How We Do It: Black Writers on Craft, Practice, and Skill
— ED. JERICHO BROWN & DARLENE TAYLOR
Anthology / Writing craft • 2023Thirty-plus Black writers reflect on craft, creative process, and the writing life.
POETRY
-
Side Notes from the Archivist: Poems
— ANASTACIA-RENEÉ
Poetry • March 2023Uses the metaphor of an archivist to explore Black identity, memory, queerness, and history through experimental forms.
-
No Sweet Without Brine: Poems
— CYNTHIA MANICK
Poetry • April 2023A collection celebrating Black womanhood, self-love, family, and everyday life through lyrical, culturally rich poems.
-
The Span of a Small Forever: Poems
— April Gibson
Poetry • April 2024A lyrical testimony on chronic illness, disability, motherhood, and Black womanhood.
Copyediting, Proofreading & Fact-Checking
A selection of recently published titles I've worked on as a copyeditor, proofreader, and/or fact-checker — sweating the small details so each author's story shines.Young Adult
-
![Wild Dreamers — Margarita Engle]()
Wild Dreamers
— MARGARITA ENGLE
YA novel in verse — April 2024Two teens meet in a California wilderness park and heal through a school rewilding club and romance; a National Book Award longlist title.
-
![Suddenly a Murder — Lauren Muñoz]()
Suddenly a Murder
— LAUREN MUÑOZ
A mystery • August 2024A debut locked-room mystery: a 1920s-themed graduation getaway turns deadly and every guest is a suspect.
-
![Her Good Side — Rebekah Weatherspoon]()
Her Good Side — Rebekah Weatherspoon
— REBEKAH WEATHERSPOON
YA romance • 2023 (this edition Sept 2024)A fake-dating romance: two awkward teens agree to fake-date to get better at the real thing.
-
![To Steal from Thieves]()
To Steal from Thieves
— M.K. LOBB
YA fantasy • March 2025Book 1 of Thieves & Kings: an alchemologist and a con man team up to steal a rare necklace in an alternate Victorian London.
-
![To Deal With Kings]()
To Deal With Kings
— M.K. LOBB
YA fantasy • March 2026Book 2 of Thieves & Kings: Zaria and Kane return as rival kingpins clash in the slums of an alternate London.
-
![Court of Lies and Deceit]()
Court of Lies and Deceit
— MARION BLACKWOOD
YA fantasy — August 2026Book 3 of the Flame and Thorns series: a dangerous mission to the Unseelie Court and a lethal royal bargain.
Middle Grade & Children's
-
![School of Magical Monsters: The Eye of Cyclops]()
School of Magical Monsters: The Eye of Cyclops
— JOAN HOLUB & SUZANNE WILLIAMS
Early chapter book • October 2024A young Cyclops crafts a bow and arrow for the goddess Artemis to prove herself to her metalworking brothers.
-
![Tangled Up in Mayhem]()
Tangled Up in Mayhem
— MERRILL WYATT
Middle-grade mystery • November 2024Book 3 of The Tangled Mysteries: young detectives hunt an 1865 time capsule buried at Cedar Point Amusement Park.
-
![Just Shy of Ordinary — A.J. Sass]()
Just Shy of Ordinary
— A.J. SASS
Middle-grade contemporary • 2024 (this edition July 2025)Nonbinary planner Shai is bumped up to 9th grade and starts public school while managing anxiety and skin-picking.
-
![Kin: Rooted in Hope]()
Kin: Rooted in Hope
— CAROLE BOSTON WEATHERFORD (illus. Jeffery Boston Weatherford)
Nonfiction in verse • September 2024A novel-in-verse tracing a Black family tree through slavery and freedom in Maryland; a Coretta Scott King Honor Book.
-
![Kwanzaa (Board Book)]()
Kwanzaa (Board Book)
— Hannah Eliot
Holidays — September 2024Introduces young readers to the traditions and principles of Kwanzaa (Celebrate the World series).
-
![Juneteenth (Board Book)]()
Juneteenth (Board Book)
— HANNAH ELIOT
Holidays • April 2026Explains the June 19th holiday marking emancipation and how it's celebrated (Celebrate the World series).
-
![International Women's Day (Board Book)]()
International Women's Day (Board Book)
— HANNAH ELIOT
Holidays • Coming soon (January 2027)Introduces International Women's Day and notable women such as Harriet Tubman and Malala Yousafzai (Celebrate the World series).
-
![Black Barbie: The Story of Kitty Black Perkins]()
Black Barbie: The Story of Kitty Black Perkins
— DINAH JOHNSON (illus. Laura Freeman)
Picture-book biography • Coming soon (January 2027)The story of the Mattel toy designer who created the world's first Black Barbie doll.
Adult Nonfiction
-
Rivermouth: A Chronicle of Language, Faith, and Migration
— ALEJANDRA OLIVA
Nonfiction (memoir/essays) — 2023A translator and immigrant-justice activist reflects on interpreting for asylum seekers at the US–Mexico border and the role of language in migration.
-
#SayHerName: Black Women's Stories of Police Violence and Public Silence
— ED. KIMBERLÉ CRENSHAW & THE AFRICAN AMERICAN POLICY FORUM
Nonfiction (social justice) •July 2023A framework for understanding Black women's vulnerability to police and state violence, told through story and analysis.
-
The Parenthood Dilemma: Procreation in the Age of Uncertainty
— GINA RUSHTON
Memoir / Reportage • September 2023Blends memoir and journalism to examine whether to become a parent amid climate, political, and personal uncertainty.
LET’S WORK TOGETHERHave a book you're working on?
I take on select editorial projects and manuscript consultations each year. If you're looking for a developmental editor, copyeditor, or a thought partner for your book, I'd love to hear about it.