Testimonials
"Emily was my editor at Penguin, presiding over two books that both won awards, and she was just the greatest pleasure to work with. I miss her cool and calculating eye and her warm good humour. Wrangling writers and their sensitive souls is an art in itself, and Emily is endowed with bags of talent." —Alex Marwood, award–winning author of The Wicked Girls, The Killer Next Door, and The Darkest Secret
"I’ve worked with Emily on two books now. Both times I’ve really appreciated her judicious mix of tough love and helpful suggestion. Emily has always shown me the flaws and weaknesses in my writing style and plot structure. She has also always been helpful and encouraging in finding ways to sort and improve those flaws. Perhaps most importantly, Emily has an uncanny knack of quickly understanding what I’m trying to achieve with my work. This means she can help me get to my writing goals a lot quicker. When Emily needs to be she is critical, but always in a constructive way. She puts in the effort and that means the hours required to really deal in detail with a complicated manuscript. And, I can attest, if Emily believes in your work then she’ll champion it unreservedly throughout the publishing process." —Paul French, author of the Edgar Award–winning Midnight in Peking and the forthcoming City of Devils
"My book benefited from every suggestion made by Emily Murdock Baker. Thoroughly professional and exceptionally thorough, she is the editor every writer needs." —Christine Negroni, author of The Crash Detectives
"I was extremely lucky to be able to work with Emily Murdock Baker on my first two novels. Her insightful observations and suggestions regarding pacing and characterization helped me shape my books’ final drafts, and she skillfully offered her advice without inserting her own voice into my stories. I found her to be accessible, warm and supportive in all of our interactions, and I would not hesitate to recommend her as a highly qualified and talented editor." —Patricia Bracewell, author of Shadow on the Crown and The Price of Blood
"Emily was a fantastic editor on my mystery series, published by Penguin. I always looked forward to her reading of my drafts; she was quick, kind yet firm, and her suggestions allowed me to craft even finer books." —M.L. Longworth, author of the Verlaque and Bonnet series
"Emily is not only an insightful and precise editor but also a wonderful person! She was professional to work with from our first interaction. Not only did she provide me with detailed, easy to read feedback on my manuscript, she also offered to speak on the phone to discuss certain scenes and plot points. Emily's editing had the ideal mix of positive encouragement and constructive criticism. She pointed out things I had not thought of and helped me flesh out parts of my manuscript I had overlooked. To add to that, she is incredibly friendly and wonderful to talk to. Emily also went above and beyond when I was going through the querying stage for my manuscript. I truly don't know what I would have done without her throughout this entire process. I highly recommend her to anyone seeking an editor." —Saumya Dave, author of Well-Behaved Indian Women
"Emily Murdock Baker's guidance during the year's-long research and writing of The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book was truly appreciated." —Frank Caiafa, author of The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book