I had been working on my manuscript for several years and desperately needed an outside opinion on it. There's only so far you can get on your own. Many authors recommended Hannah to me, and I'm so glad. Within days of reading it, she sent me the kindest, most encouraging, most enthusiastic note about the book, and I knew she was the one for me! We decided to move forward with a line edit, and then she dove into the nitty gritty of each scene. It was such a joy to be read so closely and with such empathy and care. There was no moment too small for her keen eye. After that, this novel sold faster than anything I've ever done. 

– Gabrielle Korn (author of Long Island Girls, St. Martin’s Press, 2026, The Shutouts, St. Martin’s Press, 2024, Yours for the Taking, St. Martin’s Press, 2023 and more)

I felt nervous showing a draft of my second book to my agent and decided to share with Hannah first. Her editorial feedback was jaw-droppingly good – she sent me back a report where she had excavated all that was good in the novel and probed into all that could still be done. She discerned themes and motivations that I myself had not consciously grasped, and by bringing them to my attention, helped me understand my own work better, and get it where I wanted it to be. In an industry characterised by rejections and misunderstanding, she affirmed my own inner compass by seeing and validating my art. Her strong and true sense of political integrity became obvious very quickly, and she was able to therefore hold the marginalised parts of me and of the text, which is something I have found to be very rare and hugely valuable. I’m so grateful.  

– Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi (author of The Centre, Gillian Flynn Books, 2023)

If the job of an editor is to take a piece of writing and help to shape it in the image of the unrealized potential of the person writing it, then Hannah’s work is unparalleled. I’ve worked on over a dozen stories with Hannah, and each time I’m humbled by the level of her effort and care she displays with my writing. By working with Hannah, I haven’t just polished a small set of stories, but become a better writer and thinker. On a practical level, her flexibility with tight turnarounds (along with her professional etiquette) has made her a total joy to work with. I can’t recommend her enough. You would be lucky to take up a sliver of her editing time.

— Caro Claire Burke (author of Yesteryear, Knopf, 2026)

As an editor, Hannah is truly every writer's dream. Not only does she have a keen eye for structure - pacing and plotting - but she also has a remarkably deft touch when it comes to the deeper, more soulful work of writing. With her, writers feel seen. They feel like they have a partner, a collaborator and not just a critic, which is a rare gift in an often isolating craft. Hannah provides clear notes and line edits, and is always happy to do a bit of brainstorming to help a writer realize the potential of a project. I truly believe that any writer would be lucky to have her eye on their work.

— Samantha Shea (author of Marrow, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2025 and literary agent at Georges Borchardt, Inc. New York.)

Hannah is a dream editor. As both a writer and a teacher, they bring a rare depth of craft and heart to their reading of a manuscript. I've almost never had a reader their equal. They saw my work so clearly and deeply, even on first pass, and then brought such intellect to bear on how to take it to another level. Hannah is generous and warm and quietly incisive. They will expose the weaker joints in your project, but in a way that feels revelatory and charged with possibility. If I could afford for them to read and edit everything I ever write, I would. If you have a project you're struggling with, let Hannah be your guide out of the underworld. I can't imagine an editor who takes better care.

– Meghan Flaherty (author of Tango Lessons, Mariner Books, 2018)

No one has done better work with my writing than Hannah did. She has a talent for finding structure at all levels, from beautiful and well-crafted sentences to the overall arc of the story. Her attention to detail and care for the story gave me the feeling that she was highly invested in my work. As a writer, I felt cared for, but she also fearlessly approached the dirty work of finding what was unnecessary. Most importantly, Hannah turned my manuscript into a book.

– Elaina Erola (Society for Cultural Anthropology, Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation)

I reached out to Hannah with a short story that I felt hadn’t reached its full potential. The story had several competing thematic threads—both in the external and internal plot, and hovering in the background through language/atmosphere. Though these threads interacted in interesting ways, ultimately I felt the story needed to decide where to maintain its energy and focus to reach a satisfying conclusion.

With this context in mind, Hannah sent a thorough list of themes she had absorbed after their first reading, which was elucidating for me to see what was on the page and what wasn’t, and prompted me to consider the type of story I wanted to tell. Hannah asked if I was interested in further generative support, which sparked an invigorating conversation about various possibilities and their potential impact, which helped me choose the best route for my characters moving forward.

Hannah is a kind, rigorous, and generous editor who can guide your languishing poem or story out of the doldrums and back on track. I also appreciate her clearly defined payment structure and commitment to offering equitable support to historically marginalized writers. Hire Hannah, you won’t regret it!

– Patty McCrystal (Joyland, Epiphany)

Warm, funny, and super-smart, Hannah is a total dream editor. Her feedback helped me pinpoint exactly what was going on with my novel (at that point in its beginning stages and in a total rut) and clarify where to go next. I was looking for a reader who is queer, experimentally minded, and attuned to trends in writing & publishing, and I feel so lucky to have found Hannah — working with her was such a gift.

— Jenny Fran Davis (author of DYKETTE, Henry Holt, 2023)

Quite simply, Hannah is the editor I've always wanted. Big-hearted, deeply kind, and in possession of a searing intellect, she is the visionary thinker and creative counsel I needed. Under her guidance, I was able to reinvigorate a project I’d been working on for years. Each email from Hannah was like unwrapping a gift, one full of thoughtful questions, original ideas, and an attention to detail I’ve rarely experienced. She understood on an almost psychic level what I was trying to do on the page and helped steward me toward the full potential of my story, always mining for tension, conflict, and truth. Hannah's dedication and precision was alive in each correspondence and in every line note. Before working with Hannah, I was on the fence about hiring a freelance editor. It was new to me, and I wasn’t sure how it would work. But this was one of the single best things I’ve done for myself and my writing. To work with her is a dream. She set the bar sky high for what I've come to expect from a reader and editor. She handled my writing with a profound level of attention and care, and I’m still marveling at her poetic brilliance. If you’re looking to make your book or story better, faster, more affecting and more awake, trust Hannah to help you see that through. I’m so glad I did.

– Genevieve Hudson (author of Headfirst, Roxane Gay Books, 2026, Boys of Alabama, Liveright Publishing, 2020, Pretend We Live Here, Future Tense Books, 2018, and more)

When my press hired Hannah for a "comprehensive edit package" for my debut memoir, it was a dream come true. Hannah is a master editor whose edits are in-depth, thoughtful, and progressive. I was especially impressed at how thorough she is in answering questions on her notes, even after time has passed. She genuinely makes you feel like you have a partner in the process. Anyone would be lucky to get to work with her.

– Michelle Yang (author of Phoenix Girl, 5th Avenue Press, 2025)

I had the chance to work with Hannah at a critical stage in the writing of my novel, ZONE ROUGE. I was on my seventh draft, the work felt stale, and writing felt like a chore. Working with Hannah helped me see my work in a new light. She took such care with my characters and the world I created for them while showing me the places I could sink deeper into the story. She met every deadline we established while providing the type of insight that seems to come with years of analysis.

– Michael Jerome Plunkett (author of ZONE ROUGE: A Novel, Unnamed Press, 2025)

Hannah can see a book's full potential even in its earliest drafts. I recently had the privilege of working with her on readying my manuscript for submission. Questions she raised throughout our correspondence were insightful, integral to the project, and became inquiries in the work itself. Her love for language and style is complemented by her attention to structure and ideas. There are few people I trust more with my first pages. In addition to her editorial genius, she also happens to be one of the kindest humans you can work with in this business. If you get the chance, work with her!

– Katiy Heath (author of FOCUS GROUP ARCHIVES, a column from Catapult)

As an editor, one of Hannah’s many gifts is an ability to look at a story and see right down into the emotional under-current of it. Truly, she identified things about my characters—their needs, proclivities, hang-ups, and intuited how they operate within the greater context of the work, and then showed it to me in a way I’d never seen before. It was like a curtain lifting to reveal an entirely new side of the story’s world, coupled with insightful, sensitive guidance on where, precisely, to manipulate the boundaries of that world. She possesses a great analytical power. Hers is exactly the kind of eye you want on your work.

— Justine Champine (author of Needle Lake, The Dial Press, 2025 and Knife River, The Dial Press, 2024)

Hannah deftly guided me as I worked to transform academic case studies into a narrative collection of essays full of compelling characters and scenes. Her wise developmental edits gave me the confidence to venture outside of my comfort zone, and her intuitive grasp of the subject of the collection helped me articulate more joy (and heartbreak) throughout it. Hannah offered feedback that helped me to see the beauty and complexity of my characters, and she showed me how to write that onto the page. Her detailed line edits and suggestions about restructuring were also exactly the feedback I needed to break through feeling stuck in different parts. I am so grateful for Hannah’s wisdom and kind, encouraging feedback, and I would highly recommend her to anyone seeking editorial support. 

– Marie Berry (Associate Professor, Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs)

Hannah is a dream to work with. Her editing process teases apart the themes and threads of your writing and gives language to what you might be unable to name. She is attentive, detail-oriented, and, best of all, intuitive––a truly poetic editor. I'd trust her and treasure her input on any of my writing.

– Kyle Lucia Wu (Win Me Something, Tin House, 2021)

I placed my novel in Hannah's adroit hands when I was looking for an editor who could help me during a later stage of the revision process. She treated my manuscript with such meticulousness, providing notes that weren't overly prescriptive, but instead expertly amended what was already on the page. ("Micromovements," as she put it!) I found her suggestions around pacing and scene-blocking, two skills that don't come as intuitively to me, to be so transformative that I've kept them in mind on my subsequent projects. In a creative world where deadlines frequently float by, her speed and structure — a balm! 

– Dana Liebelson (Ploughshares, Guernica)

Rarely do you find a developmental editor who approaches the work as if mining for gold. Hannah is one such prospector. She helped me unearth gems on the page for narrative relevance and find and eliminate threads that went nowhere. Hannah’s deft eye pointed out key areas where a character needed more than one job in the story, and she suggested restructuring scenes to magnify the tension. My manuscript is better for her care and concern for the story and its potential.

– Robin Gaines (author of Invincible Summers, ELJ Editions, 2016)

Hannah is the editor who helped me finally see myself as a real writer. I came to them with a manuscript I had taken as far as I could alone, and through their developmental edit they gave me extensive, actionable paths to revision and big-picture "growing edges" that I'll carry with me in all my future writing. I'll never forget opening their feedback letter and immediately crying because I felt so seen. Hannah took both my manuscript and me seriously, treating my work with care, rigor, and encouragement. I left this process with a stronger draft and... dare I say... confidence?!! I've never felt so determined to keep going as I did after working with Hannah. 

– Jo Ellen Pellman

Hannah has a rare ability to cut straight to the heart of both sentence and story. Rather than offering prescriptive comments or abstract what-ifs, she focuses on what immediately matters. Working with her gave me a clear path to finishing my novel, and now (as I tackle her edits) I feel energized and hopeful and "alive"—unusual feelings during an extensive revision. Why? Her input was so constructive and essential that I can't help but feel that after this editing process, I will be left with something way more beautiful, true, and likely to be read.

– Remy Smidt (Columbia MFA Graduate, Copywriter)

I’d been lost in my novel for two years and the book looked like I’d been meandering around in it. Messy paths that needed tending. Too many people talking all at once. Hannah stepped in with clarity and grace. She asked questions that helped me develop the characters and the rooms they moved through, and I was able to let some of them go. She suggested restructuring and we chose a new opening, reordered the sequence of events, and exposed motivations and themes. In short, Hannah is an editor who begins a conversation—with the book, with the author—that offers the possibility of transformation. 

– Karen Brown (author of The Clairvoyants, Henry Holt and Co., 2017,The Longings of Wayward Girls, Atria Books, 2013, Pins & Needles, Washington Square Press, 2013, and more)

Hannah is a kind and thoughtful reader, and editor. She has the greatest care and attention to detail. It is an edit that will make your intentions feel seen and allow you to see your work afresh.
— Rowan Hisayo Buchanan (author of The Sleep Watcher, Sceptre, 2023, Starling Days, Sceptre, 2019, and Harmless Like You, W. W. Norton Company, 2018)

Working with Hannah was the best decision I made for my novel. I was completely blown away by the amount of edits she provided me with, even though I only selected the developmental edit. Each suggestion came with an example from my manuscript, and advice about how to action the edit. She gave me feedback I never would have considered on my own, and provided me with affirmation on the elements of my novel that were successful. My experience working with Hannah gave me the confidence I needed to push through a final round of edits before querying. I’d recommend her to any writer!

– Kim Narby (author of Saturn Returning, Bindery Books, 2026)

Hannah’s edits and comments transformed my memoir. They brought my characters and scenes alive. Plus, Hannah explained the logic for her comments. I learned so much from them. Hannah was also prompt, getting me her comments and edits ahead of schedule. In conclusion, Hannah is a master editor. If they are available, I would jump at the opportunity.

– Craig Montell, Ph.D.  (Science, Nature)

I've worked with Hannah regularly, since 2020, on several portfolios and a poetry manuscript—and I keep coming back. Hannah's feedback is to the point and constructive; her editing always makes my poems tighter, more effective versions of themselves. One of Hannah's great strengths as an editor is seeing and connecting threads that might otherwise feel disparate or hard to see: she has illuminated and helped me foreground themes in my own writing that I struggled to connect to each other, simply by reordering a portfolio. Hannah is a deeply talented editor who always brings warmth and excitement to her projects. She is a joy to work with and I cannot recommend her highly enough.

– sterling-elizabeth arcadia (author of Heaven, Ekphrasis, Kith Books, 2023)

Impeccable communication. Fully transparent process. Insightful high-level notes. Detailed inline comments. Extensive back-and-forth as needed to dig into plot development, character motivation, thematic choices, style and tone, and more. As I continue to work through my manuscript, I’m guided by Hannah’s comprehensive review. I’m also pleased to report that three chapters of my work-in-progress have found homes in literary publications. Bottom line: thank you, Hannah; your editorial excellence took my manuscript to places I couldn’t go on my own.  

– Greg Roensch (author of Lunch with the Alien, 2021, Breakfast with the Alien, 2017, Rickey Henderson (Baseball Superstars), Chelsea House Publishers, 2008, and more)

Hannah helped me understand just how important an editor is in a writer’s process. Her thoughtful questions quickly earned my trust - and that trust opened up an entire world of possibilities for my writing. I felt like I found someone who cared about the project as a whole, while also being so great and sharp with the details of writing: consistency in the pace, grammar, punctuation etc. I can't recommend her enough and I definitely look forward to working with her again. 

– Stella Honorel

Working with Hannah was an absolute pleasure. From our very first conversation, she approached my manuscript with care, bringing clarity and helping me shape the novel’s tone and voice in a way that felt true to my vision. Her editorial process is thoughtfully organized, which gave me confidence at every step. Beyond her edits, Hannah was a generous creative partner—always ready to explore possibilities, spark ideas, and share in my excitement for the work. Her insight, encouragement, and steady guidance made my writing—and me as a writer—stronger.

– Lorne Chambers (owner, editor, and publisher of West Of Free Press and The Folly Current)

Working with Hannah was like shining a light on what had previously felt tangled and dark. She saw in my work the larger meaning I couldn't quite grasp, and helped me pare away and shift material to make that meaning sing. From our first revision to our last, I was blown away by the time, attention and respect she gave my writing. Often, I have felt pushed to sacrifice the poetry of my work for clarity, but Hannah found a way to cohere my essay in a way that drew its lyricism out, rather than erasing it. Quite simply, working with Hannah Beresford was, hands down, the most moving and instructive editorial experience I have ever had.

— Allie Rowbottom (author of Lovers XXX, Virago, 2026, Aesthetica, Soho Press, 2023 and Jell-O Girls, Little, Brown, 2018)

Hannah is an editorial maven. She will prioritize your project as a whole, ensuring that it's cohesive and dynamic and structurally fit, and also urge your sentences to do as much as they can. I asked her to read my collection of essays, ones that cover a range of subjects, in a range of ways. I wanted to knit them together more organically, but couldn't figure out how. Hannah helped me find the project's true locus and make thoughtful tweaks. With her encouragement, I even generated some of the material of which I feel most proud. I've joked to Hannah that the manuscript I delivered to her was a basketful of fruit, and that she helped bake it into pie. Which is to say: she turned it into a book.

— Courtney Zoffness (author of Spilt Milk, McSweeney’s, 2021)

Hannahs's work with one of the Fifth Avenue Press authors was truly transformational and we are grateful for her talent and guidance with such an important work! Writing a memoir is already a fraught experience so it was a blessing to have Hannah’s safe guidance on the journey to bringing their story to light. The graceful compassion that Hannah exudes combined with her skillful discernment for structure is a rare and valuable gift and any writer would be lucky to work with her. 

– Erin Helmrich (Fifth Avenue Press)