Abigail Fenton

Abigail Fenton – Editor

Literary agent with over a decade's experience editing at Hachette and HarperCollins publishers. Supportive, collaborative and thorough.

Overview

Hi! I'm Abi and I'd love to work with you to make your book the very best it can be. I currently work as a literary agent at The Ampersand Agency, but I also have over a decade's experience in Big Five publishers, most recently running the digital-lead imprint at HQ, HarperCollins. I love working with authors wherever they are in their journey, from working on an initial idea right through to polishing a near-final manuscript.

Books I've edited include no.1 Kindle bestseller Murder by Candlelight by Faith Martin, Bookseller Heatseeker The Little Venice Bookshop by Rebecca Raisin, USA Today bestseller The Secret of the Chateau by Kathleen McGurl, and winner of the International Thriller Writers Ebook Original award The Couple at Causeway Cottage by Diane Jeffrey. I've also worked with many unpublished authors, providing manuscript appraisals, book coaching/mentoring and query letter assessments through Black Girl Writers, Asian Women Writers, and various charity auctions.

As an editor I aim to be supportive, thorough, and collaborative. It's your book, so whilst I'll make suggestions on improvements – and give ideas on how to make changes too – I'll also try to explain why I'm suggesting things. Often I find that explaining the reasoning behind my suggestion helps authors find their own way of solving things, whilst remaining true to their vision of the book!

Whatever stage of your writing journey you're at, I'd love to help. Do reach out, and let's work out how I can help you achieve your goals.

**Please note that as of January 26 the earliest availability I have for new projects is April. I am not currently offering book coaching or query-letter reviews via Reedsy.**

Services
Fiction
Chick Lit Contemporary Fiction Contemporary Romance Cozy Mysteries Historical Mysteries Historical Romance Psychological Thriller Romantic Comedy
Languages
English (UK) English (US)

Work experience

The Ampersand Agency

Sep, 2025 — Present
I recently joined The Ampersand Agency and am actively building my list across women's fiction and romance, crime and thriller, book club and historical.

Self-employed

Jun, 2024 — Present
I work as a freelance editor, offering developmental and line edits, proofreads, manuscript appraisals and more to publishers and authors. I specialise in commercial fiction, particularly books targeting a large digital audience.

Asian Women Writers and Black Girl Writers

Oct, 2016 — Present
Alongside my day job I provide mentoring, query letter assessments, manuscript appraisals and edits for authors through Asian Women Writers and Black Girl Writers, as well as various charity auctions. Authors I worked with include Ptissem Abourachid, whose novel The Checklist won the TLC Pen Factor competition in 2023.

HQ, HarperCollins

Apr, 2019 — Jun, 2024 (about 5 years)
I ran the HQ Digital list at HQ, HarperCollins, where my authors included bestsellers Faith Martin, Rebecca Raisin and Kathleen McGurl. I have published USA Today bestsellers, Bookseller Heatseekers, and Kindle bestsellers, including the no. 1 bestseller Murder by Candlelight.

Bookouture, Hachette

Oct, 2016 — Apr, 2019 (over 2 years)
At leading digital publisher Bookouture, I published across all areas of commercial fiction, including crime/thriller, saga, historical and women's fiction, in both the UK and US. My authors included bestsellers Pam Howes, Colleen Coleman and Karen Clarke.

HarperCollins

Feb, 2011 — Oct, 2016 (over 5 years)
I worked in various editorial roles across the ebooks and audio departments, latterly managing the audiobook publishing programme for HarperFiction, HarperNonFiction and Avon, whose authors included George RR Martin, Agatha Christie, Bernard Cornwell, and Fern Britton.

Portfolio

Editorial Assessment
Cozy Girl Fall

Willow Hurst

Transworld

A seasonal and spicy second-chance romance, perfect for fans of The Pumpkin Spice Cafe seriesCan she rekindle the love she left behind?When Penny Larkin returns to her hometown of Magnolia Spr... read more
Copy Editing
Italy, 1943. Ambra and Nina have been friends since they were children, their bond fixed by a friendship pact made in the shadow of a shared tragedy. But when war comes to the small Italian vi... read more
Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
The Transfer (CTU Titans Book 1)

Andrew, Lauren

Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
The Retreat

Littler, Adam

Wellfield Publishing

Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
Killer Changes

Mormile, Anthony

519 Media

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing Book Coaching
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing Book Coaching
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing Book Coaching

Abigail has 27 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Christina C.

Christina C.

Dec, 2025

Pinned
Abigail's feedback really helped me jumpstart the editing process. It's nothing something I enjoy and I usually put it off as long as possible, but Abigail gave me actionable items to fix. Her praise and criticism was specific and detailed in a way that showed me how much time and care she'd giv...
Read more
Abigail F.
Christina, it was such a pleasure to work with you again! Best of luck with the edits and I can't wait to see the book published.
Emily T.

Emily T.

Nov, 2025

Pinned
Abi is terrific! She understood what I was asking for from the start, and really delivered in a professional, responsive, and warm way. Her editorial assessment was clear, thoughtful and thorough, and our Zoom follow-up conversation gave me further direction and motivation. Before working with Ab...
Read more
Abigail F.
Emily, it has been such a pleasure working with you and I'm so happy to hear you are feeling confident about next steps! Thank you for this kind review.
Andi M.

Andi M.

Aug, 2025

Pinned
Abi was incredibly thoughtful, knowledgeable, and supportive in her feedback. She really took the time to understand the heart of my story and offered insights that were both encouraging and deeply constructive. I especially appreciated how she tailored her guidance to fit my writing style and pr...
Read more
Abigail F.
Andi, thank you so much for this lovely review! It was a pleasure working with you and I’m wishing you all the best with your writing going forwards.
John P.

John P.

Jan, 2026

Abi's editorial assessment of my novella was exactly what I hoped for - detailed, insightful and, above all, very helpful. Additionally, the follow-up call Abi offered as part of the process was fantastic, allowing for deeper exploration into her thoughts and suggestions, the result of which cert...
Read more
Abigail F.
John, it was such a pleasure working with you and thank you so much for this review. Wishing you the very best with your publication plans!
Ivy H.

Ivy H.

Nov, 2025

Abigail was easy and great to work with. She gave me very specific feedback that helped me figure out where I needed to push.
Abigail F.
Ivy, it was such a pleasure working with you and thank you for this lovely review. I'm so pleased to hear the feedback has helped you push your novel to the next level.

Sign up to read more reviews

Create a free Reedsy account to connect with Abigail and thousands of other publishing professionals on Reedsy.

Professionals similar to Abigail

Get a range of offers by requesting quotes from multiple professionals.

Eli Keren

Eli K.

Experienced literary agent with a proven history of deals and commercial success across fiction and non-fiction

London, UK

100% reply rate

View profile
Jules E.

Jules E.

Seasoned novel coach, DE & query letter pro (fiction/memoir). 20 years exp. A passion for gripping stories. A mission to launch your dream.

Gainesville, FL, USA

100% reply rate

View profile
Alyssa Matesic

Alyssa M.

Passionate book editor who's worked with bestselling authors at Penguin Random House on thrillers, historical fiction, and book club reads.

New York, NY, USA

95% reply rate

View profile