Book Doctor ~ Editor
Anita D. McClellan
From concept into print since 1988



About Us

Recent Events


"Book Editors and Agents Panel," New Hampshire Writers' Project annual conference: ask book editors and literary agents about what it takes to get their ears. They’ll share their publishing experiences and give tips on how to approach them and their colleagues.

"You were a much needed and great addition to the [editors and agents] panel on stage. Unfortunately, there was only one of you. We needed more of you." --Shirley Hewitt, author of forthcoming nonfiction

Workshop: "Self-editing Strategies for Writing with Power and Clarity," Boston University School of Public Health

Workshop: “How To Write a 1-Page Synopsis of Your Chapter Book, Middle Grade, YA Novel,” SCBWI New England writers' conference, workshop for emerging writers and workshop for published writers

"I only wish I had had this session years ago.” -- SCWBI workshop participant

• "How to Write a 1-Page Synopsis of Your Fiction Manuscript": Leave with a pitch line, a synopsis to expand on demand, and material for a query letter to boot.

• "Hooking Your Readers on Page One in Fiction"

• "Self-editing Strategies for Writing in Any Academic Discipline with Power and Clarity"

Member, Bay Area Editors Forum: www.editorsforum.org

"On one trip to Rwanda to film Dr. Dian Fossey and gorillas, I met Anita McClellan, who had edited Dian's book, GORILLAS IN THE MIST. It was Anita who convinced me that other people share my interest in animal words. That's when the concept of ZOOLEXICON took form.... My gratitude to Anita McClellan for her great help in getting ZOOLEXICON published." -- Dr. Warren Garst, Chief Wildlife Photographer for the TV series "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom": http://lib.colostate.edu/wildlife/

"I'm indebted to ...Anita McClellan ... for... incisive editorial contributions."
-- Gay Courter, best-selling novelist

“Thank you again for your help nursing me through 'Wolf That I Am'.”
--Fred McTaggart, cultural anthropologist

ANITA D. McCLELLAN is a commercial writer, book reviewer, and publishing consultant. Formerly Executive Editor and Senior Acquisitions and Development Editor at Macmillan, Inc., and Houghton Mifflin Company, she has attracted such authors as Dian Fossey (Gorillas in the Mist), Gay Courter (River of Dreams), Dr. Andrew Weil (Health and Healing, From Chocolate to Morphine), Elizabeth Noble (Essential Exercises for the Childbearing Year), Susan Wittig Albert (China Bayles mystery series), Oriana Fallaci (Interview with History), Malcolm Margolin (The Earth Manual). She has worked as a scriptwriter in Shanghai. Her excellent networking has led her across the U.S., Europe, Africa, and the Far East. Her speaking and teaching typically include writers’ conferences, online courses, workshops. She has been resident editor and visiting literary agent at Bennington Writers’ Workshops, Cumberland Valley Writers Conference, International Women’s Writing Guild, and served as the U.S. PR director for the International Feminist Book Fairs.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
The Authors Guild
Bay Area Editors Forum (BAEF)
Editorial Freelancers Association, Bd. Member
International Women's Writing Guild (IWWG)
National Book Critics Circle (NBCC)
Sisters in Crime (SinC)
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)
Women's National Book Association (WNBA)

Copyright © 2005-2008 Anita D. McClellan Associates, 464 Common St., Suite 142, Belmont, MA 02478 USA; www.anitamcclellan.com; adm at anitamcclellan dot com; (888) 270-6950 by appointment (email, don't phone). All rights reserved. Literary consultancy only.




Find Authors


www.the-efa.org

"I gave Anita a 75,000-word novel to critique. Others ... haven't really gotten down to the bones of the matter and what really needs to be done. Boy, Anita did. She went right for it: character, plot, mechanics. She was sharp and focused and so right about so many parts and it was a true relief to have her read it and analyze it the way she did. The woman is intensely smart and she is completely on the side of writers."
-- Marty Kingsbury, forthcoming mystery "Shadow of a Flag"

“Your appraisal helped me very much. I really needed someone who had no vested interest in my work or in protecting my fragile inner self and who has a sense of what good writing and thinking is. You fit all of that for me.” --Jane Gilgun, forthcoming nonfiction, onbeingashit.blogspot.com

"I realize three very strong points you have... your in depth 'critique' and very intelligent questions, which drew my attention to many points I need to communicate in the body of my arguments/texts. I also appreciate the fact that you take the time to answer in depth all questions, and provide a high quality work. And, last but not least, the strong experience that you evidently possess."
-- Mohamed El-Helw, forthcoming nonfiction "Awakening Together"

"Anita was insightful, thorough, and prompt. Though she was not previously familiar with some of the technical language of the subject I was writing about (music theory), she understood my arguments easily and accurately and made helpful suggestions about content as well as language. Her use of the 'track changes' feature in MSWord made the task of incorporating her corrections easy and fast. I highly recommend her work."
--Robinson McClellan, Ph.D., Yale School of Music

Created by The Authors Guild

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