Bio

Regina McBride is an award-winning poet and novelist who has taught creative writing at Hunter College in New York City since 1992.  As an editor and writing coach, her specialty is character-driven YA fiction, literary fiction, and memoir.  Her own publication experience with houses like Scribner, Random House, and Simon & Schuster has given her a keen sense of what publishers are looking for and what it takes for a book to get the attention of agents and editors in today’s incredibly competitive marketplace.

In her own words:

As an editor, I love to take on projects that are strongly character driven, or to help writers more fully develop their point-of-view characters. I believe that plot and character are inseparable, and that the character's actions (discovery and decision) drive the story. When we see the connection between the character's interior life and the actions he or she takes, the world of the story grows in dimension and power, whatever the genre.

A novel is a world, and every precise and well chosen image contributes to the resonance of that world. I encourage my clients and students to understand the importance of sensory detail in their work.

When editing a novel, I look at the balance of scene and summary, flashback and back-story, and how well point-of-view is serving the story. And I look closely at the shape of a novel, and how the dramatic arc, the momentum, the trajectory of the story, might be enhanced so that the fullest impact is felt.

Preferred Genres

Absolute favorite fiction genre: literary fiction

Preferred fiction genres: literary fiction, YA, middle grade, multi-cultural, historical fiction, gay and lesbian fiction

Other fiction genres Regina enjoys working on: women's fiction, fantasy,  anything with literary leaning

Fiction genres Regina prefers not to work on: action-adventure, horror, thrillers, romance

Absolute favorite nonfiction category: memoir

Other areas of interest in nonfiction: autobiography, memoir, narrative nonfiction, creative nonfiction, true accounts

Submissions

Interested in working with Regina? Please visit our editor availability inquiry center.