Laura Chasen

Laura Chasen is a freelance book editor who recently relocated to Los Angeles from New York City. After 13 years in NYC, she's slowly adapting to the finer points of the west coast—fresh air, amazing produce, and driving, though that last one is a work in progress.

In New York, Laura spent six years as an editor at St. Martin’s Press, where she worked on a range of wonderful books—from literary fiction to young adult to upmarket women’s fiction, current affairs, memoir, science, and parenting. Her interests are varied, but she's particularly drawn to immigrant stories, international and school settings, family sagas, and anything to do with the dance world. She's edited many acclaimed books in her career, including BEA Editor’s Buzz Panel pick Dream Things True by Marie Marquardt; Make Your Home Among Strangers by Jennine Capó Crucet, an Editor’s pick in The New York Times Book Review; as well as numerous “Best Books of the Year,” in outlets like the Miami Herald, Bustle, Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, and Redbook among others. She is a proud graduate of Barnard College and Georgetown University, and is a mentor for WriteGirl LA.

Combined with her years of industry knowledge, Laura brings energy, compassion, and an open mind to all of her projects. To her, the editing process is a unique mix of rigor, collaboration, and reward. She finds developing a rapport with an author, and together, bringing a book to new levels, an incredibly rich and fruitful experience.

Laura’s select booklist can be found below.