Meet the Editor

ANNOUNCEMENT: SYPLaunch – Society of Young Publishers’ Mentoring Scheme Mentee!


When I first made the decision to go freelance, I was quite scared about the future. I was worried about the unstable nature of working for myself, let alone starting my business whilst thousands of miles from home and having no real business experience whatsoever. I looked at myself and thought, ‘Are you winging this?’ However, what I did have was lots of enthusiasm, editorial experience and a voracious love of crime, thriller and suspense fiction.

This is why I love my job, because I get to do what I love every day.

But that only happens because of my lovely authors.

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Meet the Editor, What Does an Editor Do?

What Does an Editor Do? – The Copy Edit

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I can edit to a number of styles including Standard British, Australian and well as Chicago.

Welcome, avid reader, to the second instalment in the What Does an Editor Do? series. Today, I’ll be talking about the most pernickety of edits: the Copy Edit. 

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Meet the Editor

Meet the Editor – My Reading Life

DSC_5751_1One of the most effective ways of improving your skills as a writer is to research. And what does research involve? Reading! And lots of it. I can’t emphasise enough how important it is to read around your genre, whether it’s police procedural or epic romance. Knowing your market not only helps improve your craft but also shows publisher and agents that you know what you’re talking about. You know the market you’re writing in to – it’s not a romantic image, but it’s the truth.

So, I was tagged in a challenge the other day on Instagram (if you’re not following me, go check out my page for exclusive content including reviews, behinds the scenes sneak-peeks and tips.) As an editor, I do even more reading for both the manuscripts I’m working on but also in my own time. So check it out…

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Book Review, Uncategorized, What Does an Editor Do?

“There’s nothing in the world more powerful than a good story” – Lessons aspiring authors can learn from the finale of Game of Thrones.

SPOILERS AHEAD. YE BE WARNED.

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So, let’s face it, the only thing everyone is talking about – nay, ranting about – is the finale to Game of Thrones. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, it is very likely you have been living under a rock for the past eight or so years. (Either that you have the willpower of iron for not being dragged into the phenomenon that is the fantasy TV series inspired by George R R Martin’s book series – in which case, you need to teach me your ways for my next diet.)

Now, I will readily admit that I was a latecomer to this series, madly watching the first seven seasons in the last two years before eagerly anticipating the final season earlier this year. So I was super excited to see how it would all turn out in the final series.

The beginning of the final season was promising, with the ‘Battle of the Long Night’ being a gripping and cinematographic masterpiece (albeit a bit dark). Then it went a little downhill … However, this blog is not a television review – as much as I want to rant and rave about the final episode – but I think many budding writers can learn some lessons from the final series of this epic show.

Continue reading ““There’s nothing in the world more powerful than a good story” – Lessons aspiring authors can learn from the finale of Game of Thrones.”

Meet the Editor, What Does an Editor Do?

What Does an Editor Do? – The Developmental Edit

Crime and thriller books
I specialise in crime, suspense and thriller genres – it’s all about building the tension…

First, let me welcome you to the first in my new series of posts: What Does an Editor Do? This will be a number of posts that showcase and highlight the various editorial services I have on offer, looking at what stage in your writing process you might encounter them and how to best prepare for them, and then make the most of them.

The first edit I shall be introducing you to is the Developmental Edit. This is the biggest sibling of all the edits – the useful older sibling who has the car when you need to move house or the muscles to help move that wardrobe.

Basically, it does all the heavy lifting.

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Book Review, Meet the Editor

Book Review – The Girl on the Page, John Purcell …

… and a defence of commercial fiction.

39726936As an editor, I was completely drawn to the cover of The Girl on the Page. Funnily enough, not for the reasons those of us who work in the publishing industry would want us to – yes, we design books so that you do judge them by their covers – but because it was covered in all the tools of my trade. I thought the cover design was so clever, using proofreading symbols and other editorial mark-ups to create the cover and marketing copy. Ingenius. I was bound to like this from the start.

It was always a joke around the lunch table with my colleagues when I worked in-house that someone should write a book about the mad world of publishing. But it seems that John Purcell has beat me to it.

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Meet the Editor, Uncategorized

#IAmAReader

So as well as a book editor, I also dabble in Bookstagram – Instagram book reviews and photography. And recently, I had the pleasure of collaborating with another bookstagrammer called @bookishkaren for her project I Am A Reader.

It’s a project that aims to showcase readers around the world, bringing cultures together over our love of reading. It was such fun to be part of it and I wanted to share the piece that I contributed – and also, let you know a little bit more about me.

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