A woman with long dark hair, wearing glasses and a bright pink sleeveless top, is holding a silver MacBook laptop in front of her chest. She is standing outdoors in front of a mosaic wall with patterned tiles.

Marisa Solis is cofounder of Book Structure Pros and coauthor of The Complete Expert-to-Author Guide. She has been in publishing since 1999. She began editing travel guidebooks for Random House and Avalon Travel Publishing, then served as managing editor at Seal Press, an imprint of books by and for women. Marisa entered the freelance world in 2007, with a mix of clients including Chronicle Books, Weldon Owen, Workman Publishing, and Insight Publications. For these publishers, she edited a range of beautiful, original titles, including cookbooks, craft books, design and photography books, card decks, parenting guidebooks, activity books for children, fun infographic manuals, and more. In 2013, Marisa shifted her attention to psychology and self-help. Over the past decade, she’s developed a workable understanding of ACT, CBT, DBT, EMDR, IFS, experiential processes (such as psychodrama), mindfulness, and Buddhism. She’s edited mental-health books for adults and teens on anxiety, depression, eating disorders, trauma, hoarding, addiction, grief, self-compassion, and relationships. She’s also worked on books on autism, spirituality, Black excellence, healthy eating, chronic illness, aging, yoga, and more. Marisa works directly with individual authors who are self-publishing, seeking a publisher, or already have a contract. She often partners with New Harbinger Publications, Guilford, The Collective Book Studio, and Girl Friday Productions. Marisa is based in Los Angeles. You can see a sampling of her portfolio of edited books at marisasolis.com.

Smiling middle-aged woman with long gray hair, wearing a turquoise top and necklace, standing in a bright kitchen.

Photo Credit: Jenny Sarabia

Elizabeth Dougherty is cofounder of Book Structure Pros and a coauthor of The Complete Expert-to-Author Guide. She has been in publishing since 1988. As the executive editor of the lifestyle and children’s division at book publisher Weldon Owen, she produced more than a hundred books over nearly 10 years. She developed brand clients’ content strategies and managed their books from idea to publication. She launched book publishing programs for Parenting and Working Mother magazines, and ran book programs for big-name brands such as Gymboree, Pottery Barn Kids, and Hallmark. She produced several lines of children’s reference books. Publishing partnerships included Chronicle Books and Scholastic. Elizabeth entered the freelance world in 2012 with a range of clients including Weldon Owen, Chronicle Books, Klutz Publishing, Collective Book Studio, Insight Publications, and New Harbinger Publications. While she works on a variety of advice-based nonfiction topics, her super-specialties are leadership, health, and all things parenting. She coaches writers through the publishing process, from idea to publication. Developing book proposals is another passion, with a laser focus on a rock-solid table of contents. She holds a master’s degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Elizabeth is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Learn more about Elizabeth at bestbookeditor.com.