Michelle Misra: 'Gaining an author’s trust is paramount'
BY Maya Fernandes
30th Apr 2026
In this interview Michelle Misra, freelance editor and mentor on our Complete Your Manuscript programme, shares her advice for budding writers.
'Thirty years on, I still feel as passionate about children’s books and YA as ever as these are the books that will inspire a lifelong love of reading.'
We spoke to Michelle about her background in children's publishing, her favourite fictional characters and what she enjoys about working with aspiring authors.
You’ve spent many years working on children’s and YA books at publishers like Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins, how would you describe your approach as an editor?
I like to work very collaboratively – making suggestions and gently guiding, rather than forcing my opinion or choices on an author. I always say that, at the end of the day, this is their work and I am simply a custodian of it. Gaining an author’s trust is paramount too – I’ve been working with some of my authors for as long as twenty years, and often across multiple publishing houses.
What originally drew you to children’s and YA publishing, and what continues to inspire your passion for it today?
I was an avid reader as a child. Still am today. But in all honesty, it was kind of by accident. I knew I wanted to go into something with pictures and originally applied for jobs in art publishing. Children’s publishing came up because of the illustration aspect. The irony is that, whilst I do work on some illustrated children’s fiction, I’ve ended up focussing on the upper end of children’s books – middle grade and YA – which tends to have less illustration. Thirty years on, I still feel as passionate about children’s books and YA as ever as these are the books that will inspire a lifelong love of reading. Books are escapist and can lead you into brand new and brave new worlds.
Can you share any misconceptions that aspiring authors often have about the publishing industry?
Hmm. That’s a hard one. I suppose the misconception that editors sit around all day reading and editing manuscripts. There’s so much more to the job than that. Most publishing houses have a policy of not looking at unsolicited manuscripts (i.e. those that are unagented) because a lot of an editor’s job isn’t just about editing a book but about driving that book forward with the PR and marketing team, the rights team, the sales team et al. If we had all day to read every manuscript that comes in, we wouldn’t be giving the books that we have bought their best shot.
You’ve worked on beloved series like Rainbow Magic, Magic Ballerina and the Hello Kitty books. Do you have a favourite fictional children’s character, either from those books or another?
Yes, it has been very gratifying to work on some of the biggest selling children’s series over the last twenty or so years from a business POV and certainly these series that you have listed above have many books in them which, because of their collectability, have got a lot of children reading. But my favourite fictional character wouldn’t actually come from one of these more plot-driven series – it would have to be Paddington by Michael Bond. Whilst I never worked on these books at HarperCollins, Michael was often in the office. He always knew who everyone was, had a sparkle in his eye and has left an indelible mark on children’s publishing.
What are some of your favourite recent YA and children’s fiction books?
I’m going to have to give a shout out to the books I’ve recently acquired, obviously! You know almost instantly when you’re reading something special. Wolf Siren by Beth O’Brien is one of those books. Beth was a debut writer that I discovered whilst I was at HarperCollins and this title has just been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. At the book’s heart is an empowering disabled character (she is partially blind) called Red. She lives next to the woods but isn’t allowed into them because of their strange magic (do you see where I am going with this? Yes, there is a nod to Little Red Riding Hood in this book, but there is so much more to it than that). When a murder takes place, the nearby wolves are blamed, but Red has a secret, and exposing it could ruin her family forever … Beth is partially blind herself which lends the book its authenticity and which makes it the all the more exceptional an achievement.
Likewise, adult author Caryl Lewis – I published her first YA title – The Danger of Small Things back in March. Set in a dystopian society where bees have gone extinct, the girls are sent away from home, and forced to pollinate crops by hand with brushes and to marry as soon as they can. Enter one fourteen‑year‑old girl, Jess who knows that the system is dangerous and sets out to stoke a revolution. Reminiscent of Margaret Atwood, some books just have you at ‘hello’ and this was one of those for me. Caryl is an exceptionally gifted writer and this is something I expect to see great things from – watch this space!
We're so excited to have you on board as an editor and mentor on our Complete Your Manuscript – One-to-One Programme! What do you find most rewarding about supporting budding writers?
Working one-on-one with a writer and seeing their work improve. Hoping that I’ve made a difference.
Could you share your top three tips for writers who are at the beginning of their writing journey?
- Voice is everything. Don’t worry too much about the grammar and spelling. It sounds a cliché, but writers are born not made.
- Don’t give up if you fall at the first hurdle. Sometimes books don’t get published because it isn’t the right time or place for them, not because they aren’t good.
- Voice again.
Michelle is a freelance editor with over 30 years in the industry. She has worked at Hachette, HarperCollins and latterly at Simon & Schuster amongst others. She has commissioned titles from young fiction and middle grade right through to YA. Many of the books she has edited have gone on to win or been shortlisted for several major awards, including the Carnegie Medal, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the UKLA Book Awards, the Branford Boase Award and the Lollies.
We're delighted to welcome Michelle as the latest addition to our expert mentoring team. She’s now a mentor on our Complete Your Manuscript – One-to-One Programme and is also available to provide full manuscript reports, submission reports and mentoring through our editorial services.
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