I'm an independent editor, writer, and published author who can help you prepare your nonfiction for publication. I bring 25+ years of experience at well-known publishing houses to your project.

If you have a publishing contract: I'm "the editor before the editor," editing your material on macro and micro levels (conceptual and substantive editing and line editing) before you deliver your manuscript to the publisher.

If you're publishing your own work: I can work with you to make sure your ideas shine through to your readers.

If you seek a writer/collaborator: I will find the right words to communicate your important information.

If you're considering writing a book: I can help you zero in on the "what" and the "why."

If you're writing speeches, presentations, blogs, or other content: I will help you put your best words forward.

Please read on for details about my background.

I'm an accomplished editor of nonfiction books in a broad variety of categories, with mastery of the publishing process from acquisition through publication, and with experience working with bestselling authors, respected brands, and prominent professionals in many fields. I've held editorial acquisition positions at major New York publishing houses: HarperCollins Publishers, William Morrow, Simon and Schuster, and Macmillan. Known for my creative skills and for my rapport with authors, I excel as a developer of quality editorial content, a builder of durable business relationships, and a resourceful thinker on leveraging sales, marketing, and production efforts to maximize a book's marketplace potential.

As an editorial consultant/writer, I've edited or collaborated on projects under contract to HarperCollins, Simon and Schuster, the Penguin Group, Harlequin Nonfiction, Guideposts, and Workman.

I am coauthor with nonverbal communication expert and retired FBI special agent Joe Navarro of Louder Than Words (HarperBusiness, 2010): translation rights in 17 languages; featured in Forbes, Time, and praised by FINS, the Wall Street Journal Digital Network, as one of the "Six Best Business Books to Read for Your Career in 2010." The enhanced e-book was selected as one of the best of its kind by Apple's iTunes Rewind 2010.

I collaborated with Sara Horowitz, a MacArthur "Genius" Fellow, one of Forbes’s Top 30 Social Entrepreneurs (2011), a member of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and founder of Freelancers Union (a nonprofit organization with nearly 200,000 members nationwide promoting the interests of independent workers through advocacy, education, and services) on The Freelancer's Bible, a comprehensive career guide for independent workers (Workman, 2012), praised as “an amazing resource” by Meetup CEO Scott Heiferman, “important and useful” by Richard Greenwald in The Atlantic, and by Tina Brown, editor, Newsweek and The Daily Beast: “We live in a gig economy today and there’s no better guide to making your way in that world than The Freelancer’s Bible”, among others. Featured in Forbes as one of "The Best Books to Boost Your Career in 2013".

Areas of interest: nonfiction with breakout potential in science, psychology, wellness, lifestyle, important social and cultural trends, women's issues, family issues, career and workplace issues, personal improvement, and narrative nonfiction.

I'm also a published solo author: From This Day Forward: Meditations on the First Years of Marriage (HarperSanFrancisco 1995; Andrews McMeel 1998; Hallmark 2001; Loyola 2004 re-edited and retitled Now and Forever). More than 125,000 copies sold via Hallmark; foreign rights sold in Korea; 3-part serial sold to Glamour. My media and public appearances include television, radio interviews, print features (Boston Herald, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Cincinnati Enquirer), and bookstore talks/signings at Barnes and Noble and Joseph-Beth, among others.

I've been an invited speaker at numerous publishing courses and workshops, including the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA), American Psychological Association (with ASJA), National Speakers Association Writers Conference, New York University School of Continuing Education, New York University Medical Center, City College of New York, New York University Summer Publishing Institute, Southwest Writers Workshop, and the Self-Publishing Book Expo. I also conceived and taught a publishing course at Marymount Manhattan College of Continuing Education: From Concept to Contract: Getting Your Nonfiction Book Published.

Testimonials for Toni Sciarra Poynter

As a consulting/independent editor:

“Thank you to Toni Sciarra Poynter, who managed to make the process of editing painless and uplifting. You added clarification to difficult areas, improving the balance between information and empathy, and you did it all with grace, integrity, curiosity, and humor.”
--Priscilla Dunstan, author of Calm the Crying (Penguin/Avery)

“I also have to acknowledge the wonderful work of Toni Sciarra Poynter. Her unending encouragement and uncanny ability to help me hone my words and fine-tune my thoughts brought my ideas into focus in a way that regularly amazed me. Working with Toni was a pleasure and an experience I truly cherished.”
--Steven Craig, Psy.D., author of The 6 Husbands Every Wife Should Have: How Couples Who Change Together Stay Together (Simon & Schuster)

“Toni [Sciarra Poynter], my editor for Ask the Children, has been my brilliant editorial consultant for Mind in the Making. She has been my first, middle, and last reader. Every conversation with Toni—via e-mail, over the phone, or in person—brings me joy, deeper insight, and new understandings. I look forward to having these conversations with Toni forever and I am deeply grateful to her for so enriching my life and work.”
--Ellen Galinsky, president and cofounder of the Families and Work Institute, author of Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs (HarperCollins)

“Toni Sciarra Poynter, an editor with deep experience, was an invaluable help to me in editing my most recent nonfiction book. She was thorough, always on time, always helpful with questions that arose throughout the process. Toni’s queries on the manuscript caused me to sharpen my thinking, recheck for possible inaccuracies, and tighten the overall organization of the book. There are editors and then there are editors: to say Toni Sciarra Poynter let nothing slide, and did so graciously, is to give her a well-deserved editorial bouquet.”
--Linda Dahl, author of Loving Our Addicted Daughters Back to Life: A Comprehensive Guide for Parents to Lifesaving Therapies for Young Women with an Addiction Problem

"Toni Sciarra Poynter is an enormously insightful and incredibly intelligent editor. She superbly critiqued, evaluated, and line edited and copyedited repeated drafts of my book manuscript and query packages. Her remarkable propensity for precision and accuracy was pleasantly reassuring as she helped me form the work that my professional reputation depends on. Toni relates in a friendly, easygoing, relaxed fashion but still tends to be quite honest, open, and 'up front.' She has the rare ability to be assertive, persuasive, and confident in illuminating problems in my written work. Her modest, unpretentious manner and pleasant sense of humor made it easy to accept her many improvements. Toni is creative and attacks problems in the work with ingenuity and enthusiasm. I felt that she always delivered more value than she charged for. She is a great pleasure to work with. I could say more but think my point is well made. I would be happy to answer questions about her or her work.”
--Bernard J. Sullivan, Ph.D. , author of Confidence Beyond Measure (independently published)

As a collaborator:

“To Toni Sciarra Poynter, who is divinely inspired in taking all forms of intuitive knowledge or ideas and expertly turning them into thoughtful, understandable, logical prose. You made this book journey a pleasure and I know that meant crazy extra amounts of work for you. Your ideas are genius and you are a good friend to boot.”
--Sara Horowitz, founder and executive director of Freelancers Union and author of The Freelancer’s Bible (Workman Publishing)

“Working with three authors could only have been handled so expertly by Toni Sciarra Poynter. Her skill, thoughtful organization and unfailing sense of humor have been astonishing. We are truly grateful. We couldn’t have done it without her!”
--Ann Blumenthal Jacobs, Patricia Ryan Lampl, and Tish Rabe, authors of Love for Grown-ups (Harlequin nonfiction)

“Writing a book is not easy, as anyone who has attempted it will attest. Working with Toni Sciarra Poynter has certainly made that task truly enjoyable. I met Toni previously while working on What Every Body Is Saying; she was the final editor on that book. Toni has a sharp wit to match her mind, a tremendous work ethic, and a high standard of professionalism for her craft. . . . Toni has been a joy to work with throughout this endeavor. This book would not have been possible without first her encouragement and later her elegant crafting of the thoughts I envisioned. To her I give my first and most sincere thanks.”
--Joe Navarro, author of Louder Than Words: Take Your Career from Average to Exceptional with the Hidden Power of Nonverbal Intelligence (HarperCollins)

As an acquisition editor (at HarperCollins & William Morrow):

"I am extremely fortunate to have worked with the fabulous editor Toni Sciarra, who is whip smart, meticulous, and hilarious. It was Toni's idea to make my book one that was both broad and solution-based for the many people who are struggling with the themes addressed here. She was right."
--Joshua Coleman, Ph.D., author of When Parents Hurt: Compassionate Strategies When You and Your Grown Child Don't Get Along

"Our editor, Toni Sciarra, guided us along an unfamiliar path through the world of publishing with infinite patience and good humor. She achieved the perfect balance between leading us and letting us find our own way."
--Karen A. Smith, Ph.D., and Karen R. Gouze, Ph.D., authors of The Sensory-Sensitive Child

"Toni Sciarra . . . has been unfailingly enthusiastic and an exemplary editor."
Alison Gopnik, Ph.D., Andrew N. Meltzoff, Ph.D., and Patricia K. Kuhl, Ph.D., authors of The Scientist in the Crib: What Early Learning Tells Us About the Mind

"Working with Toni Sciarra, my editor at HarperCollins, has been a privilege and a pleasure. Toni and I also worked together on the revised edition of Taming Your Gremlin®. She understands not only my message but the challenge of presenting it in a way that is entertaining and practical. This book is better because of Toni's input. I couldn't ask for a better teammate."
--Rick Carson, author of A Master Class in Gremlin-Taming® and Taming Your Gremlin®

"We are deeply grateful to our editor, Toni Sciarra, who in reading drafts seemed able to read our minds and thereby translated our intentions into prose."
--Steven R. Quartz, Ph.D., and Terrence J. Sejnowski, Ph.D., authors of Liars, Lovers and Heroes: What the New Brain Science Reveals About How We Become Who We Are

"Toni Sciarra, executive editor at HarperCollins, took time and care to be sure that every word of the fourth edition was clear."
--Karen Pryor & Gale Pryor, authors of Nursing Your Baby

"My heartfelt thanks to . . . Toni Sciarra . . . for your keen eye, probing questions, and ability as taskmaster. I am grateful for your patience, support, and friendship."
--Barbara Coloroso, author of The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander

"I was fortunate to have . . . an editor, Toni Sciarra, who really understood this field-without-a-name . . . from the start."
--Janine M. Benyus, author of Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature and recipient of a Time Magazine Heroes of the Environment award, the Rachel Carson Environmental Ethics Award, and a Champion of the Earth Award in Science & Innovation from the United Nations Environment Programme, among others

In my capacity as an in-house acquisition editor, leading franchises and authors included:

Mayo Clinic (2 editions of the classic 1,400-page Mayo Clinic Family Health Book, as well as titles on pregnancy and heart health), The Emily Post Institute etiquette series (13 titles, including the national bestseller Essential Manners for Men and the classic Emily Post’s Etiquette, 17th Edition), lifestyle author Alexandra Stoddard (13 titles, including Things I Want My Daughters to Know, 100,000+), bestselling trainer Jack Canfield, biographer/historian Tilar Mazzeo's New York Times bestseller The Widow Clicquot, nonverbal communication expert and retired FBI special agent Joe Navarro (What Every BODY Is Saying; translation rights sold in 23 languages), Families and Work Institute President Ellen Galinsky, Salk Institute neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran, M.D., Ph.D., bestselling women's health expert Judith Reichman, M.D., New York Times science writers Gina Kolata and Sandra Blakeslee, Earl Mindell's Herb Bible (more than 2 million sold in multiple editions), relationship expert Barbara De Angelis, bestselling psychologist Paul Pearsall, Ph.D., New York University Medical School Women's Health Service, The American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, Petfinder.com, Good Housekeeping, and Children's Television Workshop.

I have acquired first-of-their-kind properties that became category successes, including When Parents Hurt, The Scientist in the Crib, The Sensory-Sensitive Child, Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, and The Million Word Crossword Dictionary. In my backlist-building capacity, I nurtured the continued sales of such core sellers as Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Leonard Shlain’s Art and Physics, Lynne McTaggart’s The Field, bestselling author Gary Zukav's The Dancing Wu Li Masters, business psychology expert Robert Cialdini, Ph.D.'s Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, and anthropologist Margaret Mead’s classic titles, including Coming of Age in Samoa.

Employment

HarperCollins Publishers (1999-2008), Executive Editor (hired as Senior Editor)

William Morrow & Company (1991-1999), Senior Editor, William Morrow, and Executive Editor, Quill Trade Paperbacks, fulfilling those dual roles from 1994 to 1999 and overseeing the expansion of the Quill program from 24-30 titles per year to approximately 60 titles annually.

Prentice Hall Press, an imprint of Simon and Schuster (1988-1991)

Rawson Associates (which became an imprint of Macmillan), where over 7 years I advanced from Editorial Assistant to Editor-in-Chief.

Memberships

Women’s Media Group (WMG) [Board Member March 2012-present], Authors Guild, Consulting Editors Alliance,
Books for a Better Life Award Executive Committee [Inception (1997) – Present]

Education

Vassar College, B.A., English, 1981. Phi Beta Kappa, General and Departmental Honors, Thesis Distinction