Bio

Shannon Roberts has always had an interest in the world of media and publishing. In 2007, she graduated as a Mass Communication major from the University of North Carolina at Asheville, where she had worked during her senior year as a writing tutor and consultant. Using that experience, she began offering her editing services freelance to a number of small clients locally. After a year of this, as well as an internship at Front Street Books (an extension of Boyds Mill Press), she began working closely with Editorial Department founder Renni Browne as an editorial assistant and manuscript consultant.

Shannon has a great love for fantasy and science fiction, including but not limited to authors such as Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Robert Heinlen, and Ray Bradbury. She also has a particular interest in Academic writing, notably philosophy and sociology. Media Law, while not a specialty, is certainly a hobby.

In her own words:

My favorite services by far are manuscript evaluations and annotations, and my hope is that most of the critiques I do will choose to come back for one of these. It really gives me a chance to engage with a story, to dig in and really help an author address every aspect (from plot to character to dialogue to writing style). Consultations offer a less in-depth, but often extremely helpful way to address 'trouble spots' in an author's work, and I'm always happy to tailor focus to where an author needs it most.

As for genre, I adore science fiction and fantasy, and I definitely have a bent for young adult stories. These can be the most enjoyable stories to work on, and among the most challenging to write well. At the end of the day I'm happy to read pretty much any form of creative fiction, though I also have experience with (and enjoy) memoir.

Articles

Articles by Shannon Roberts

A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin (from First 50: A Study in Craft)

Rediscovering Fantasy

Yul Brynner’s Black Hat: Considering Good vs. Evil In Fantasy Fiction

How Do We Write About The Future Now That It's Here?

Preferred Genres

Absolute favorite fiction genre: fantasy

Preferred fiction genres: mystery, science-fiction, psychological thrillers, young adult, humor, satire

Other genres Shannon enjoys working on: action-adventure, crime, mystery, detective, horror, techno-thrillers, eco-thrillers, forensic, medical, or scientific thrillers, erotica, historical, middle grade, multi-cultural, travel, gay/lesbian fiction, literary fiction, mainstream fiction

Genres Shannon prefers not to work on: military thrillers, conspiracy thrillers, legal thrillers, romance, western/frontier, Christian/inspirational, biographical fiction, children’s, women’s fiction

Absolute favorite nonfiction category: creative

Other areas of interest in nonfiction: narrative, creative, business/investing, cooking, food/wine, education, entertainment, gay/lesbian, health/mind/body, history, home/garden, outdoors/nature, philosophy, religion/spirituality, science, social sciences, travel, true accounts, urban planning/development

Testimonials

"I had several “ah ha!” moments when Renni or Shannon pinpointed weak areas in the plot – and offered solutions. Both editors had ideas about how to add depth to main characters and spice up the conflict."

S.E. Floyd

Temple Terrace, FL

"Shannon's comments gave me an objective overview of the problems areas within my manuscript. The suggestions offered were insightful and evidence that she had read the manuscript and carefully considered the areas that needed work. Without her suggestions I would have sent this work out too early in it's evolution... and with literary agents and publishers, we really only get one chance to make that all important first impression. So, it was much needed reality check. I know the manuscript will be stronger as a result. I fully intend to continue working with the Editorial Department to take the book to the next stage."

Shuna Meade

Devon, UK

"I saw it listed in "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers" and noticed it was based in Tucson. Since I live in Phoenix, I called and made an appointment to check TED out. Ross and Jane were absolutely delightful. Ross had Shannon Roberts, TED's fantasy expert, evaluate my manuscript. It was, at the same time, the most enlightening and most excruciating experience I've ever had. Ms. Roberts was kind enough to let me vent and even helped me work through the many changes she suggested. Though difficult at first, I've managed to implement most of the changes and the manuscript is indescribably better as a result. The value of TED's services has been inestimable. I will be forever indebted to them."

John Robbins

Mesa, AZ

"My introduction to Shannon Roberts was through a manuscript evaluation. Her comments, ideas and humor had me taking a machete to the pages and coming back for a re-read. The re-read led to more comments, more ideas, a lot of palm slaps to the forehead (I can only speak to mine) and a lot more work. Oh, yeah, and more humor. With her guidance and infinite patience, another draft is in the works. I am truly fortunate to be working with Shannon. She is meticulous, honest and insanely talented."

Chris Little

Caldwell, NJ

"Shannon Roberts is the most significant piece in my writing. Before working with TED, I expected tons of red ink with "this is no good," "this doesn't make sense," "this needs more work...".  Instead, I received constructive criticism - 'This doesn't work, this is why it doesn't work, and here are two ways you could fix it.' Shannon helped educate me in novel writing and because she took the time to really understand and evaluate my work, she was able to lift much of the writers block off my shoulders. This gave me the motivation to press forward, take my lumps and learn from my mistakes. Shannon Roberts is invaluable and I couldn't have made it this far without her. I look forward to working with her and TED in the very near future."

Jay Price

Imperial Beach, CA

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Submissions

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