Ann Klefstad

Ann Klefstad – Editor

Book editor and award-winning writer who works on fiction and nonfiction, with special expertise on books in translation.

Overview

I'm a longtime book editor who worked as senior fiction editor at Sun and Moon Press in Los Angeles and later for a number of publishers, including Basic Books and Polity Press on nonfiction works in history, politics, and biography, scholarly presses like Stanford University Press and University of Wisconsin Press, and great literary presses like Coffee House and Archipelago. I have a very good sense of authorial voice, I'm never ham-handed, and I care about making an author's work the best it can be. I also work well with authors whose first language is not English. I'm genuinely interested in what you have to say, and will help you say it well.

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Business & Management
Fiction
Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Middle Grade Short Story
Languages
English (UK) English (US)
Awards
  • SPJ Front Page Award, Best Short Feature

Work experience

Self-employed

Sep, 1998 — Present
Since working in-house for Sun and Moon Press, I have built a business as a freelance editor for scholarly, popular, and literary presses. Some of these presses are: Basic Books, Polity Books, Stanford University Press, University of Minnesota Press, Scholastic, University of Wisconsin Press, Athabasca University Press, University Press of New England, University of Cincinnati Press. I have also worked on manuscripts for individual clients, polishing their work for successful submission to publishers.

Ann has 18 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Luke M.

Luke M.

May, 2024

Pinned
Ann was great to collaborate with. She provided valuable feedback and made me enjoy reading my work because of the great editing job she did on it. She kept my voice through the piece. I will definitely work with her again. She will be an asset to anybody that needs her service
Ann K.
Thank you, Luke. You are an unparalleled storyteller and a wonderfully inventive writer with a huge range. May you write on!
Andreea B.

Andreea B.

Sep, 2023

Pinned
Ann is a perceptive and thorough editor. As a person, she is kind and generous. I unexpectedly received a ton of feedback from a journal on my story, and Ann was flexible when I needed a few extra days to revise my story accordingly. Also, I hired her for a copyedit only, but she also showed me h...
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Birgit C.

Birgit C.

Sep, 2023

Pinned
Ann was exactly the right person to edit my text and I was very happy with her work. Her comments and amendments went much deeper than simply correcting words or rephrasing a sentence. Instead, Ann looked at the overall look and feel of the text and edited it accordingly. I was very pleased with...
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J S.

J S.

May, 2025

I had the honor and privilege of working with Ann K. as the editor for my debut novel. She approached the project with professionalism, met every deadline, and fulfilled all aspects of our agreement with care and precision. Thanks to her dedication and editorial expertise, my manuscript emerged f...
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Arturo D.

Arturo D.

Apr, 2025

Ann’s feedback was thoughtful, perceptive, and genuinely helpful. Her close reading and sensitivity to the tone and rhythm of the text contributed to a deeper refinement of the work. I particularly appreciated her encouragement to explore a broader emotional range—“more salt,” as she wisely put i...
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Ann K.
Arturo, it was a pleasure to read your work.

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