On query letter development:

“When I first met Clelia, I didn’t know much about agents or that I even needed one! She not only opened my eyes to that world but taught me so much about children’s book publishing. Most importantly, she helped me understand the anatomy of a good query letter, knowing as a seasoned agent herself, what exactly agents are looking for. She critiqued my query letter drafts, helped refine and tighten my pitch. It was not long after that I landed my agent, which led to multiple book deals! Clelia has been an invaluable part of my writing career and I highly recommend working with her! She’s lovely, warm, personable and extremely knowledgeable.”

- Namita Moolani Mehra, author of ANNI DREAMS OF BIRYANI (Two Lions, 2022), SUPERFOODS FOR SUPERHEROES (Harper India, 2021) and THE MAGIC SPICE BOX (Scholastic India, 2016)

On picture book manuscript development:

“Clelia Gore is a joy to work with for so many reasons. She's prompt, professional, and patient. She knows what makes a good story–in both fiction and nonfiction. She communicates clearly and thoroughly answers questions. She's knowledgeable about the publishing industry, and she knows how to help authors get their stories in tip top shape so they have a high likelihood of getting scooped up by an editor. Under Clelia's guidance, my debut picture book, The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London's Poop Pollution Problem found a home at a Big Five publisher and, ultimately, won a 2022 Robert F. Sibert Honor. I highly recommend her services.”

- Colleen Paeff, Sibert Honor author of THE GREAT STINK: HOW JOSEPH BAZALGETTE SOLVED LONDON’S POOP POLLUTION PROBLEM (McElderry/S&S, 2021)

“Clelia Gore made our book a reality. From its inception to the day it hit the New York Times Bestseller List, Clelia shepherded our story with grace, strategy and expertise. Our story is deeply personal and so we needed partners who would understand and embrace the emotions involved. Because Clelia understood this from the beginning, she worked intimately with us to develop a product that we are extremely proud of. As new authors, we had no idea what we were doing, but Clelia was incredibly patient and knowledgeable. She is a world class ambassador and a world class person.”

- Jessica Kensky & Patrick Downes, New York Times bestselling and Schneider Family Award and Christopher Award-winning authors of RESCUE & JESSICA: A LIFE-CHANGING FRIENDSHIP (Candlewick, 2018)

“I've worked with Clelia Gore on a number of my picture books. She has helped me develop and edit my manuscripts through big picture feedback as well as sentence level edits. Clelia is highly knowledgeable about the workings of the American children's publishing market and the current trends in the industry. Her insights have guided me in exploring promising new story ideas and making my stories more relevant to industry needs. Her expertise has even led me to sign a book deal! I highly recommend Clelia's services to anyone looking for editorial help or wanting to break into the children's publishing scene.”

- Srividhya Venkat, author of GIRLS ON WHEELS (Kokila/S&S, 2023)

On picture book dummy development:

“Clelia is a pleasure to work with! She communicates promptly and professionally and gives insightful, helpful comments and suggestions on both story and art to really push projects to the next level. She has a great feel for the children's market and is knowledgeable about what's currently selling. I've loved working with her and would recommend her to anyone looking to further develop their picture book projects and dummies!”

- Leah Gilbert, author-illustrator of A COUCH FOR LLAMA (Sterling, 2018) and THE PERFECT PLAN (Bloomsbury, 2021)

On NONFICTIOn PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT:

“I was fortunate enough to have several of my proposals and books edited and critiqued by Clelia. I know without a shadow of a doubt my books would not have sold without Clelia’s keen editorial eye. She was thorough, thoughtful, and creative with each of my manuscripts and proposals. Clelia is also extremely supportive and kind. I feel extremely fortunate to have partnered with Clelia on my middle grade nonfiction books.”

- Ella Schwartz, award-winning nonfiction children’s book author, including CAN YOU CRACK THE CODE (Bloomsbury, 2019), STOLEN SCIENCE (Bloomsbury, 2021) and HER NAME WAS MARY KATHERINE (Christy Ottaviano Books/Hachette, 2021)

On writing:

“I had the pleasure of working with Clelia Gore to craft a recent middle grade book and Clelia's insightful relationship to the world of publishing and her clear vision when writing made the entire process a true joy. Clelia is one of the most creative, thoughtful, and respectful co-writers with whom I have had the pleasure to work. As a lawyer and an adjunct professor, writing is part of my daily life. Clelia made our work together a flawless success. Side-by-side, we took on a topic which was very challenging to break down to our target audience. Clelia knew what the audience needed at every step of the way. She understood how to write, edit, and revise the text to make the stories come alive. She will help you peel back the layers of the words to get to the heart of the true story to be told. More so, Clelia made the journey throughout the book overtly fun and creative. She is mission driven, methodical on how she approaches each detail, and always able to deliver written work that provokes the reader to think, hope, dream, believe, and equally, comprehend.”

- Allison Matulli, founder of Little Lawyers, lawyer, professor and co-author of YOUR FREEDOM, YOUR POWER: A KID’S GUIDE TO THE FIRST AMENDMENT (Running Press Kids/Hachette, 2023)