David Aretha
Line Editor
David Aretha has written more than 70 books and edited more than 200 books for 20 publishers, including Random House, HarperCollins, St. Martin’s Press, and Scholastic. He authored Malala Yousafzai and the Girls of Pakistan, which in 2014 was voted a Top 10 Young Adult biography by Booklist and earned a Moonbeam Children’s Book Award—one of two Moonbeam awards he won that year. For Malala, David was one of four authors, including Mitch Albom, to earn a Wilbur Award. David’s The Murder of Emmett Till was assigned reading for journalism students at New York University because of its exemplary journalistic prose. Books that he has edited have appeared on the Today show, CBS Early Show, NPR, and MSNBC. He has edited books with forewords penned by Walter Cronkite, John Eisenhower, Margaret Truman, Maureen O’Hara, and two U.S. senators. He has proofread materials for the Harvard Graduate School of Education as well as the Democratic Party, including those signed by President Barack Obama.
AREAS OF SPECIALTY
Nonfiction for adults, children, and young adults (including biographies, autobiographies, memoirs, sports, and history).
Fiction for adults, children, and young adults.
AVAILABLE FOR
Content editing, copyediting, proofreading, book project management, manuscript critiques, query letter and book proposal edits.
“David Aretha’s keen eye and meticulous work ethic elevated my manuscript to the professional level I imagined for my novel. Moving forward, I will not publish another novel without the assistance and support of David and Yellow Bird Editors.”
–Scott Semegran, award-winning writer and publisher, Mutt Press
“David Aretha has been working for me and with me for about 10 years on a freelance basis. He’s always on time, and he’s a person of great integrity and honesty. He is in some ways amazing in the quantity and quality of work he can put into a day. He gets more done in one day—always done well and always thorough—than many do in a week. He gets right on things, never makes excuses, and frankly never has to. Excellence is his habit, and everybody I’ve teamed him up with (my clients, my authors, namely) loves to work with him. They are very vocal about it. His work ethic and his creativity distinguish him from others I’ve worked with, and I’ve worked with the best. In addition to excellent editorial and writing skills, he’s an idea man extraordinaire. A dozen original and successful books have emerged from him in the last few years.”
–Les Krantz, publisher/president, Facts That Matter, Inc.
“David Aretha is one of the most reliable and qualified copyeditors and proofreaders I have worked with in my many years in publishing. His attention to detail, his consistent and conscientious approach to the text, and his organizational skills ensure that the material he submits on editing projects is always of utmost quality. I highly recommend David for both copyediting and proofreading work.”
–Josh Leventhal, publisher, MVP Books
“David Aretha is one of our top freelance copyeditors. He is highly professional, easy to work with, and meets deadlines without fail. When I hand over a manuscript to Mr. Aretha to copyedit, I’m always confident it will return clean and clear. I recommend him without reservation.”
–Sharon F. Doorasamy, managing editor, Morgan Reynolds Publishing
“You’ve been wonderful to work with. It’s rare to work with an editor who is both thoroughly professional and considerate.”