Hello! I’m Amy Sumerton, and I’m a bookworm, editor, writer, and book designer (in that order).
I also occasionally make books, and I am an (overly) enthusiastic book recommender.
My editorial philosophy is: it’s your book, I’m just here to help. To that end, the first step in my editorial process is to ask a series of questions about what you want your novel (or short story, or blog entry, or, heck, grocery list) to say and do and be. I see my job as an editor as making sure what you think your piece of writing is is coming across on the page. (And also being a cheerleader, a partner-in-crime, a sounding board, a brainstormer, a researcher, and, occasionally, a smart speaker.)
My writing philosophy is: if you’re gonna say it, why not make what you say engaging and conversational? To that end, I approach most writing projects as a conversation I’m having with the future reader. Sure, things should be informative and clear, but they should also make the reader need to keep reading. I see my job as a writer as making sure what you want to say will be read . . . all the way to the end. (And also grammatically correct, error-free, and intelligent.)
My design philosophy is: books are magical portals, yes, and they are also aesthetic experiences. There is nothing quite like holding a truly beautiful book in your hands. I see my job as a book designer as making sure that the experience of physically holding and looking at your book feels as good as the experience of reading it. (And, to that end, making sure fonts are super-legible, margins are large enough to accommodate thumbs, and there is an overall sense of both classic and unexpected.)
I’ve won some awards for my writing, and some of the books I’ve edited have won awards too. But the award I am proudest of is being voted Class Bookworm by my fifth-grade classmates. (I did some campaigning for that, although I probably didn’t need to. They also voted me Most Considerate, which I am also proud of, and did not campaign for, and still strive to be.)
I’ve worked on everything from footnotes to poetry to literary fiction to nonfiction to horror to humor to bibliographies to short stories to mysteries to YA to academic texts to science fiction to dystopian and beyond.
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Clients include: 826michigan, Ann Arbor Observer, Dave Eggers, Fifth Avenue Press, Illustoria Magazine, Matt Shlian, McSweeney’s, Tabitha St. Bernard-Jacobs, TKO Presents, University of Michigan’s Bentley Historical Library, and Young Authors Greenhouse.
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Recently Spotted in Various Books’ Acknowledgments!
[Dedication] To all my teachers & to my stalwart friends Amanda, Amy, Andrew & Taylor
[Acknowledgments} This book would be nowhere without its tireless champions: Amanda Uhle, Amy Sumerton, Melanie Nolan, Andrew Wylie, Luke Ingram, and Taylor Norman.
—Dave Eggers, The Eyes and the Impossible (winner of the 2024 Newbery Award)
This book would not have made it into the world without the care and faith and editing and unflagging enthusiasm of Amanda Uhle, courageous publisher, and Amy Sumerton, unparalleled editor. Thank you, dear friends.
—Dave Eggers, The Every
And to Amy Sumerton. She came onboard at the eleventh hour and, with minimum fuss and maximum fun, made it all so much better. She’s the copy-editor I’ve always dreamed of having.
—Joshua Dysart, Brood X
Amy Sumerton, I must have done something right in another life and working with you on this book has been my reward. There's no other explanation I can think of. Thank you.
—Shelly Oria, ed. I Know What’s Best for You
Thank you to editor extraordinaire, Amy Sumerton, who saw what I was trying to do and say with my first draft and pushed me to make it better and say it louder.
—Leigh Harlen, What Time Forgets, the Blood Remembers
Thank you, Amy Sumerton, my “Editing Demoness,” who plowed through, organized, and made coherent my fledgling effort—aka “the beast”—tamed her and rendered her ready for her closeup. She did it during a pandemic, with young ’uns underfoot.
—Janet Porter, Free Rider
A special thanks to Amy Sumerton for her astute, artful, and discerning guidance in editing this collection.
—Rick Solomon, Dali/Dalai
My excellent editor Amy Sumerton was always available to bring order and reason to the chaos of my work and helped me define and structure my storyline.
—Preeti Rout, Adventures in Datingland