Daniel Burgess is a graduate of the MFA program in Fiction at Columbia University School of the Arts, where he taught a course on the many surprising ways authors interpret the call to “write what you know.” A former Assistant Editor at Scribner, he has edited two volumes of the Best American Poetry series and acquired the memoir For the Love of Money by New York Times contributor Sam Polk and National Book Critics Circle Award winner Belonging by New School professor Nora Krug. He also worked in a supportive role on winners of the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and a finalist for the National Book Award, assisting the Publisher with authors such as Don DeLillo, Anthony Doerr, Rachel Kushner, and Stephen King.
In his freelance career, Daniel specializes in connecting with writers at various stages in their writing life—people from diverse walks of life who have unique stories they are eager to tell, whether seeking a weekly coach to help build from an outline or a line editor to apply a fine-tooth comb to a completed manuscript. Under his guidance, Daniel’s clients have found representation with agencies such as Bernstein Literary and Carnicelli Literary. Authors looking for complete control over the publication and distribution of their books have taken his feedback to self-publishing platforms and won visibility on Amazon and other online retailers. At the heart of his work lies the belief that all writers, regardless of profession or background, can benefit from the editorial eye found at big publishing houses.