As acquisitions editor for Herald Press, Valerie has worked with a stream of talented authors to organize ideas, hone messages, and enliven prose for audiences. Centering her career on editing nonfiction books about reconciliation, Christian living, Anabaptism, spirituality, and discipleship, Valerie has worked with a wide spectrum of writers including Donald B. Kraybill, Drew G. I. Hart, Katherine Willis Pershey, Osheta Moore, Bruxy Cavey, Margot Starbuck, Jennifer Grant, and Sarah Quezada. Books that she has edited are frequently reviewed in Publishers Weekly, including several that have received starred reviews. Valerie initiated and developed the Plainspoken series, which features memoir by Amish and conservative Mennonite writers and includes books such as Chasing the Amish Dream, Hutterite Diaries, and Anything but Simple. In her role with Herald Press, she performs a variety of tasks including editing manuscripts, titling books, writing marketing copy, and managing publication schedules. Before her time at Herald Press, Valerie did freelance editing and consulting for publishers including Brazos Press, InterVarsity Press, Johns Hopkins University Press, and authors whose books went on to be published by Oxford University Press and Jossey-Bass.
A sampling of books Valerie has been honored to edit include:
