“After several years of research and writing, I had a project that continued to grow each year with no clear end in sight. I realized that working with a developmental editor was helpful for other writers, but I had no idea how the process itself would work. Contacting Kathleen was the best decision I made this past year.
From our first meeting–and after listening carefully as I enthusiastically told her about my project, she brought calm, clarity, and focus to the project. Very quickly, she came to share my enthusiasm, and she asked the right questions to determine where I was stuck, what avenues I had not yet considered, and how she could most effectively help. Together we created a schedule based on my calendar and worked accordingly. A great communicator, she always inspired me and coached and cheered as I pursued my goals. Throughout, I knew she cared and that I could trust her.
Within a year, my book manuscript is now complete, edited, and about to be submitted with confidence. I cannot say enough about how good this experience has made me feel. I loved that Kathleen even read additional books related to my research topic and Middle East history along the way so that she could better assist me and see my project to completion. It was great to sense that she was having fun, too, in the process of helping me complete my book manuscript. She is also comfortable working with non-native speakers like me. I could not help but chuckle when I noticed that she even recognized when I misspelled an acronym for a unique institution that I cover in my manuscript; she fully immersed herself in my work. If this does not scream that she contributes abundant devotion, care, and attention, I don’t know what does.”
—Emine Evered, author of Prohibition in Turkey: Alcohol and the Politics of Identity
“Working with Kathleen was a genuinely transformative experience for me. From our first meeting, Kathleen was able to reframe my attitude to my book project positively. Her detailed and thoughtful assessment of my manuscript provided me with a realistic timeline for completion, enabling me to understand exactly what I needed to do before I submitted it to my publisher. My only regret is not working with Kathleen earlier in the process!”
—Anne Longmuir, author of John Ruskin and the Victorian Woman Writer
“Kathleen A. Kelly gave me the editorial feedback and publication guidance I wished I had while working on my first book. Her invaluable insights helped me refine my proposal, “pitch” it to acquisitions editors, and weigh the pros and cons of prospective publishers. As a result, I have a contract for my next book with my dream press! I found in Kathleen an expert reader, a thoughtful line editor, a reliable sounding board, and a tireless advocate of my work. Plus, she is a wonderful person whose careful exhortations and gentle nudges facilitate the deep thought and diligent work needed to write.”
—Associate Professor, Miami University of Ohio
“As a scholar and higher education administrator, I had the pleasure of working with Kathleen Kelly and Gray Bevins Editorial to coordinate two workshops for faculty looking for guidance on their book projects. Both workshops proved to be indispensable for faculty who were at various stages of their projects. Kathleen Kelly helped to demystify the editorial and publishing process, was well informed of the latest and most important publishing trends, provided valuable insight, information, and handouts, engaged faculty in hands-on activities, and deftly answered all questions. She also met with faculty one-on-one after the workshops to provide more tailored assistance on individual projects. Several faculty, including myself, have continued to work with her one-on-one.
Kathleen is a wealth of information, a total inspiration, and always a delight to work with. I highly recommend her to individuals and institutions looking for guidance on how to navigate the fast- and ever-changing publishing world. She provides sound and practical advice, knows how to keep authors motivated, and knows the ins and outs of publishing. Her workshops were the most successful and effective professional development workshops the college provided during my tenure as associate dean. She has truly made a difference in the lives and careers of many.”
—Daniel Enrique Perez, associate dean (2019-2024) and associate professor, College of Liberal Arts, University of Nevada, Reno
“Kathleen was incredibly supportive and helpful throughout the drafting of my proposal and query letter. She patiently guided me through the process of transforming my scholarly project into a trade book, coached me on approaching agents, and brainstormed with me about how to promote my work. I feel so much more confident about putting this project out into the world thanks to her help!”
—Julia C. Bullock, director of The Halle Institute for Global Research and Learning and professor of Japanese Studies, Emory University
“Kathleen presented a book proposal workshop at the University of Nevada. This was easily the best professional development workshop my college has offered. All the participants moved their projects forward, and Kathleen was terrific at helping us reconnect to our motives for writing. The event was both practical and inspiring. I highly recommend her campus workshops.”
—Katherine Fusco, chair of Gender, Race, and Identity and associate professor of English, University of Nevada, Reno
“Working with Kathleen was the best thing I did to get my manuscript to the stage of a coherent cover-to-cover argument and story. More importantly, Kathleen edited with a knowledgeable eye towards language conventions in English and Spanish, style guide specifics, and thematic issues. I can’t wait to work with her on my next project!”
—Assistant Professor, College of Liberal Arts, University of Nevada, Reno
“As a longtime fiction and nonfiction author, I’ve worked with editors at all levels of publishing, and I’m happy to attest to the fact that Kathleen Kelly is a dream to work with. She’s erudite, prompt, smart, so incredibly well read, and she recognizes and articulates the layered intentions in an author’s work. She frames the work in both a literary and a publishing context, offers deft insights and excellent line editing. Her editorial work on my collection of creative nonfiction was inestimably valuable, and I recommend her with enthusiasm!”
—Rilla Askew, author of Most American: Notes from a Wounded Place
“Few workshops have been as useful to me, a junior scholar, as Kathleen A. Kelly’s ‘From Contact to Contract and Beyond: Best Practices for Publishing Your Book.’ I wish I had had the chance to take something like it as early as my graduate student years. Publishing a book and dealing with editors is a daunting new task, and our tenure often depends on a monograph; Kathleen’s experience and insight in this terrain can be invaluable for early-career academics.”
—Mariann Vaczi, assistant professor and director of Graduate Studies, Center for Basque Studies, University of Nevada, Reno
“I have worked with Kathleen for several years on both academic projects and more creative ones, from scholarly books and articles to flash fiction and the beginning pages of a novel. She has been a shining beacon of wisdom and support, helping me not only to complete numerous projects but to find my voice as an author. Kathleen is an excellent reader and editor, consistently helping to identify and improve big-picture issues related to argument and structure. At the same time, she brings her poet’s ear for language and pacing to recommend word- and sentence-level changes that make writing sing.
“I feel confident sending my work out knowing that Kathleen has reviewed it with her impeccable attention to detail. I have found her to be supportive and professional at every turn. She both honors my vision for my own writing and helps me to refine and revise each manuscript to meet the standards in my field and the publishing industry more generally.”
—Erika Robb Larkins, author of The Sensation of Security: Private Guards and Social Order in Brazil
“Kathleen’s ability to research appropriate Spanish-language publishers for the Spanish translation of my memoir, then crafting a query letter, and submitting materials on my behalf was impressive and incredibly helpful. She is knowledgeable, reliable, and professional.”
—José Antonio Rodríguez, author of House Built on Ashes: A Memoir and This American Autopsy: Poems
“I wholeheartedly recommend Kathleen Kelly at Gray Bevins Editorial. She has been integral to the success I have found in developing a book proposal, preparing winning grant applications, and navigating the world of agents and publishers. As someone who had only published with academic presses, Gray Bevins helped me build the confidence that I needed to take my writing career to the next level. Kelly has the unique ability not only to see your whole project as you see it but also to champion it.”
—Iris Jamahl Dunkle, author of Riding Like the Wind: The Life of Sanora Babb and Charmian Kittredge London: Trailblazer, Author, Adventurer
“I strongly recommend Kathleen Kelly and Gray Bevins Editorial for writers wishing to bring their book projects through final development and into publication. Specifically, I refer to writers wishing savvy counsel on shaping a manuscript into final form; crafting a successful book proposal and the supporting materials that accompany it; in fact, all aspects of the editing and publication process.
“I came to Gray Bevins Editorial with a huge project involving Virginia Woolf, her luminous diaries, and also all the diaries she read. My problem was that this labor of love had led to a manuscript too long for publication. I still marvel that through simply a few questions, Kathleen Kelly was able to lead me to see that I could make my manuscript into three books.
“As I developed my book proposal for volume 1, she recommended additions to my biography that I had overlooked and that strengthened my demonstrations of my credentials—and much more. The first of my trilogy’s books, Becoming Virginia Woolf, was published in the spring of 2014.
“Kathleen is a superb sounding board for book projects of all kinds (scholarly and literary). A published poet, she has a poet’s ear for language.
“Additionally, she has worked as a publisher’s sales representative, as an acquisitions editor, and as a literary editor as well, so she knows all phases of today’s publishing world.”
—Barbara Lounsberry, author of Becoming Virginia Woolf, Virginia Woolf’s Modernist Path, and Virginia Woolf, the War Without, the War Within
“Kathleen Kelly brought a wealth of experience to her discussion of acquisitions with our editors. She was open to our many questions and drew on her personal knowledge in her answers. I’d recommend her to anyone interested in learning from a pro about this specialty in the publishing business.”
—Barbara Fuller, director, Editcetera
“It was a pleasure to work with Kathleen. She helped to demystify the publishing process for me, and her editorial feedback was essential for me in finalising my book manuscript before submission. She is an exemplary professional with exceptional attention to detail, and she is a friendly and supportive advocate for authors. I recommend her without hesitation!”
—Senior Lecturer, King’s College London
“Kathleen Kelly exemplifies true professionalism. Her willingness to share her literary expertise helped make the Oklahoma Book Festival a tremendous success. Kathleen worked diligently to organize and moderate the festival’s poetry stage, which featured award-winning poets and other keynote speakers from Oklahoma and around the nation. She personally reached out to bring these poets and speakers to the festival. Moreover, Kathleen played an integral role in reviewing books and provided recommendations, both pro and con, as to whether an invitation would be forwarded to an author requesting their appearance at the festival. I would have no reservation working with Kathleen again on any project.”
—Connie Armstrong, executive director, Oklahoma Center for the Book, and co-director, Oklahoma Book Festival
“Kathleen Kelly was the acquisitions editor for my second novel, Live from Medicine Park, and recent short story collection, Hit Your Brights. Both projects owe much to her insight and acumen.
Kathleen has the ability to engage with a text on its own merits while also casting it into a wider cultural context, providing the sort of editorial support that helped me bring both books into the world in a way that affirms my own vision for them.
—Constance Squires, award-winning author of Hit Your Brights, Live from Medicine Park, and Along the Watchtower
“Kathleen Kelly was a thoughtful and careful champion for my book manuscript What Is a Western? Region, Genre, Imagination. She helped guide the vision for how the book should look, sought out perfect peer reviewers, and promoted the book to the press’s editorial board. From my two-page proposal and stray chapters, the book became a beautifully illustrated and coherent whole book. Kathleen knows publishing and of steering work through its currents.”
Gray Bevins Editorial 