About Star & Jake
Jake Tavares
With nearly 20 years in the publishing industry, nine of which he spent working at Gartner Research, Jake, an award-winning editor, has created and edited content for a wide variety of clients. He has collaborated on book-length manuscripts published by major and indie publishers alike, and, teaming up with independent writers, has edited bestselling works of fiction, as well as those that have been signed by big publishers.
As Director of Content and Editorial at DoubleCheck, Jake ensured that all deliverables, including reports, blog posts and other content, were informative, actionable, and engaging. In his marketing agency work, he's always had a deep understanding of what it means to put the reader first, and also pays close attention to brand, messaging, and consistency. A fierce proponent of style guides, Star describes Jake as “the first person I turn to when I want a smooth edit that maintains my voice. Jake is flawlessly professional.”
Jake is also a writing coach and award-winning graphic designer. He has collaborated with business professionals and artists alike to create effective, visually compelling e-books, logos, event posters, and websites.
Star A. Tavares
Star loves writing and ghostwriting blog posts, which has become a career for them, but that isn’t the only writing they enjoy. Star has also been a social media consultant and writer for clients like marketing strategy expert and Harvard Business Review contributor Dorie Clark.
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As a queer, non-binary writer, Star's passion for gender and sexuality activism has garnered them publication credits at Huffington Post Personal and the New York Times (Tiny Love Stories—scroll down for "Cold Sun"). They have also written about queer TV and film at Thrive Global, where, under their previous name of Star Williams, they've interviewed high-flying creators like Pedro Eboli, director and creator of Cupcake & Dino General Services (Netflix).
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Star, who is also a digital illustrator, is a plushie activist with a stuffed animal called Duck. Duck arrived in our lives after an overseas move, when marginalizing UK laws barred us from receiving vital medication, and we were also being stalked—often hourly—by the woman who lived upstairs from us. This person reminded Star of the person who abused them as a child. Duck has a following in his own right and also writes a blog.
Fiction writing is also a passion of Star’s. Under an old name, they were a writing instructor at Grub Street, where their courses, like their publications, spanned a variety of genres. Grub Street is also where they started writing coaching, taking a special interest in confidence building. At Grub, they even taught a Buffy-themed writing course—one of their favorite subjects to date. Star also used to be an editor at Narrative, which has been called “‘the gold standard’ of international literary magazines” by Esquire. Narrative publishes authors like Joyce Carol Oates, Kurt Vonnegut, and Sherman Alexie, and while working there, Star managed a group of editors, promoting stories to senior editors and sitting on contest finalist panels.
Star has won literary awards and recognitions for their own fiction writing, which has appeared in numerous magazines and journals. Under a pen name, they’re an Amazon bestselling romance author, having reached #2 in two major categories. In fact, they published a novel with Harper Collins, using that same identity, and have worked as a romance and LGBTQ+ editor. Star started out as an English, literacy, and drama teacher in the UK., where they focused on supporting learners with special needs. They are LGBTQ+ and have they/them pronouns.
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