“One day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”
—C. S. Lewis
Bio
Jodi Hughes is an introvert, dog mom, and seasoned editor. She began working for Thomas Nelson Publishers (and later HarperCollins Christian Publishing and HarperCollins Focus) shortly after college and held various roles during her nearly fourteen years with the company, primarily with the fiction team. She has enjoyed working with bestselling and award-winning authors, such as J’nell Ciesielski, Joy Callaway, Kristy Cambron, Terri Blackstock, Charles Martin, and Sean Dietrich, among others.
Jodi lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her black-and-white rescue dogs. She graduated cum laude from Samford University with a BA in Classics.
My Story
My career began immediately after college with a brief internship at a publishing company that morphed into a fourteen-year foundational season.
I started my journey in the world of book publishing working as a catchall intern for multiple departments within Thomas Nelson’s nonfiction business. From printing and manually binding manuscripts for publicity mailings to writing press releases and comparing proofreader marks, I did it all. Two years later I was still at the company and had miraculously landed my dream job: editorial assistant with the fiction team.
I worked hard. So hard. HarperCollins soon bought Thomas Nelson, the longtime fiction publisher left and a new one joined our team, internal systems changed, authors were acquired, books published, conferences attended, and I slowly rose through the ranks to associate editor then editor and finally senior editor. I learned about contracts and metadata, contributed to titling meetings, hired proofreaders, managed schedules, and dealt with rights reversions. I worked with some lovely people—colleagues and authors and freelancers. I studied line edits and read writing craft books and eventually began performing in-house line edits. And fell in love with the process of line editing.
In April 2023 I left corporate publishing to pursue a career in freelance editing. And now, here I am.
Books I’ve Edited:
Every Moment Since by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen--AVAILABLE October 2024
Daughter of Ruins by Yvette Manessis Corporon--AVAILABLE October 2024
The Winged Tiara by J'nell Ciesielski--AVAILABLE August 2024
The Nightmare Virus by Nadine Brandes--COMING July 2024
What the Mountains Remember by Joy Callaway
Mortal Queens by Victoria McCombs
The Brilliance of Stars by J'nell Ciesielski
To Free the Stars by J'nell Ciesielski
All the Pretty Places by Joy Callaway
Twilight at Moorington Cross by Abigail Wilson
Hooked on You by Kathleen Fuller
The Ice Swan by J'nell Ciesielski
The Vanishing at Loxby Manor by Abigail Wilson
Beauty Among Ruins by J'nell Ciesielski
Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey by Abigail Wilson
Midnight on the River Grey by Abigail Wilson
In the Shadow of Croft Towers by Abigail Wilson
The June Boys by Court Stevens
Where Hope Begins by Catherine West
Testimonials
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![J'nell Ciesielski author headshot]()
“Working with Jodi Hughes is like working with a dream.”
“Taking my subpar words, she spins them into gold by teasing out exactly what I meant to say. My books, my characters, my writing would be lacking without her expert guidance on how to best find the soul of a story.”
—J’nell Ciesielski, bestselling author of The Brilliance of Stars and To Free the Stars
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![Joy Callaway author headshot]()
“I highly recommend Jodi!”
“Jodi and I worked together on my latest novel, All The Pretty Places. She was thorough, thoughtful, and absolutely made my work shine. Jodi’s sharp eye and attention to detail made me feel like she cared about my work as though it was her own.”
—Joy Callaway, bestselling author of All the Pretty Places
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![Abigail Wilson author headshot]()
“Jodi encouraged my writing to grow and develop at every stage.”
“As a new author I was incredibly thankful to have been partnered with Jodi for many of my published books. She had the know-how, the deft hand, and the compassionate guidance I needed, which not only elevated my books to something they never would have been without her but encouraged my writing to grow and develop at every stage. I would highly recommend her services!”
—Abigail Wilson, author of Within these Gilded Halls
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![Jenny Hale author headshot]()
“Jodi’s attention to detail is unmatched. She’s one of the best!”
—Jenny Hale, USA TODAY bestselling author of The Magic of Sea Glass
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![Kathleen Fuller author headshot]()
“Responsive, diligent, and detail-oriented.”
“I’ve worked on many projects with Jodi Hughes, and I highly recommend her as a responsive, diligent, and detail-oriented editor. I always know my stories are in good hands.”
—Kathleen Fuller, USA TODAY bestselling author of The Proposal Plot and Hooked on You
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![Kristy Cambron author headshot]()
“Your next best publishing partner.”
“Developing a memorable story is as much about writing as it is polishing the details of a book. From plot to design, proofing to production . . . it’s essential to have editorial support that thrives in this space. More than a decade of working with editors has taught me this: if you need that added component to make your story shine, you’ll find your next best publishing partner in Jodi Hughes.”
—Kristy Cambron, bestselling author of The Paris Dressmaker and The British Booksellers
