Shannon Barefield

Editor specializing in developmental editing for children’s and young adult literature, as well as line and copy editing for all age groups.

Shannon Barefield sees herself as an author’s champion, an editor with a particular gift for understanding and inhabiting the vision a writer brings to a story. She sees her mission as one of nurturing that vision and empowering authors to tell their stories in the most effective and authentic way—which is, by definition, their way, not one of her own conception. A writer herself, Shannon has a keen appreciation for the emotions writers bring to the editorial process. She strives to foster interaction that feels collaborative, not intimidating, and constructive, not didactic. Within that framework, she offers honest, detailed feedback tailored to the unique qualities and challenges of every book.

In pursuit of her editorial ideals, Shannon has worked with dozens of authors over her career. In her role as editorial director of Carolrhoda Books, a division of Lerner Publishing Group, she had the opportunity to develop and edit children’s and YA fiction in the contemporary, mystery, fantasy, science fiction, horror, and historical genres. She also took delight in serving as editorial director of Graphic Universe, Lerner’s graphic novel division, where she developed an innovative series of interactive comics for young readers. 

Although Shannon’s formal editorial experience has focused on books for younger readers, she embraces fiction for all ages, has taught fiction writing for adults, and has participated in numerous workshops for such writing. She holds an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Florida, where she won a College of Liberal Arts Fellowship. She graduated summa cum laude from Rice University with a B.A. in English; a creative writing scholarship funded part of her studies there.