Interested in editing an anthology? In our next From Manuscript to Marketplace case study, we’re joined by author and editor Patrice Gopo and senior acquisitions editor Abby Freeland to learn about the recently published essay collection We Deserve to Heal.

Patrice and Abby will tell the story of the book’s conception, composition, editorial process and launch for the book, which features 10 authors and was published by the University Press of Kentucky in February 2026. We’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at the publishing team’s experience and discuss the current landscape for essay collections and anthologies. Included in the discussion:

• Where to start assembling contributors and pieces
• Compensating the contributors
• Shifting gears from writer to editor and project manager
• Finding the right publisher for your anthology
• Engaging with the editorial process for every writer involved
• Marketing and publicizing an anthology

A Q&A will follow the presentation; you can pre-submit a question when registering for the event. A recording will be made available for those who cannot attend live.

The event will take place via Zoom with automatic closed captioning. To request any other accessibility features, please email support@authorsguild.org and we will make every effort to accommodate.

Panelists

Patrice Gopo is an award-winning essayist who writes words that touch wounds and speak to the hope of healing. She is the editor of the essay anthology We Deserve to Heal: Black Women on the Perils & Promises of Friendship with White Women (University Press of Kentucky | February 2026). Her essay collections include Autumn Song, recipient of the inaugural Pattis Family Foundation Creative Arts Book Award, and All the Colors We Will See, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection. Patrice lives with her family in North Carolina, where she enjoys walks just after dawn and thinks a perfect day ends with ice cream. Find her online at patricegopo.com. Click here to read the We Deserve to Heal illustrated companion essay.

Abby Freeland is a book publishing professional with twenty years of experience. She began her career in the UK before returning to her home state of West Virginia, where she served as the sales and marketing director, head publicist, and fiction editor at West Virginia University Press for over ten years. She then spent four years as a senior acquisitions editor at the University Press of Kentucky, where she co-founded and managed the book series Appalachian Futures: Black, Native, and Queer Voices and acquired in several other areas, including creative nonfiction.

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