Renni Browne has been editing fiction and nonfiction for forty-five years. Before she became an editor for Scribner's in 1966, she was a copy editor for Time-Life books, co-author of a novel, and assistant fiction editor for Woman's Day. When she left Scribner's she worked part-time for a paperback publisher and a literary agent while reviewing books for Kirkus, Library Journal, and Publisher's Weekly.

In 1968 she became senior editor at Stein & Day, where she stayed seven years until she became a senior editor at William Morrow. Because she was not allowed to take the time needed to edit the titles she acquired, she dropped out of mainstream publishing in 1979.

In 1980 she founded The Editorial Department and is still a working partner, editing and developing the manuscripts of fiction and nonfiction writers. In 1991 she and Dave King wrote Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, the bestselling title on editing, now in its fifth printing and second edition from HarperCollins. She has written book reviews and magazine articles on various topics and appeared on NPR, including a humor spot for writers. Over the years she has given lectures, workshops, and seminars around the country on self-editing, dialogue, getting published, and other topics of interest to writers. She is the co-founder of the Lost State Writer’s Conference in Greeneville, Tennessee.

Renni is from Charlotte, N.C. She lives with her brother and two cats, halfway up a Blue Ridge mountain at the Tennessee-North Carolina state line. Hobbies include old-time music festivals, walks in the mountains, and reading fiction. She especially enjoys Elizabeth George's mysteries.