Anne Abel Smith – Editor

So - how can I help? Well, I specialise in non-fiction... assessing a manuscript, discussing the structure; library/archive research, interviewing for information, fact-checking; rewriting or just a tidy-up; editing, proofreading and (finally!) guidance on publication. Five years with a literary agent and publishers, plus many later years as an editor, have given me an interesting and broad skill set!

My experience is a useful mix of research and publishing. I went to university as a (supposedly!) mature student and came out with an arts degree in classics and a science one in psychology. The latter was clearly the more vocational and slowly led me into social policy research for government departments, working as a freelance. Each project taught me research skills such as interviewing and fact-finding, and I built up a useful list of publications, which also gave me experience of being an author myself - and of being edited!

After about 20 years and beginning to feel stale, I returned to London and to publishing. I re-trained as an editor, working on the kinds of reports and books that I had been used to writing - my career had come full circle! I began to work for government organisations like the Care Quality Commission and the National Audit Office, which produce a regular flow of publications, as well as for academic publishers of books in the genres that appealed to me most (see below).

Mostly recently I've become involved in government inquiries as either an editor or a writer - first the Francis report, then the inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA) and lastly Windrush.

I enjoy working with authors – especially those who are very skilled in their field but less confident in their writing, and also those who are non-native English speakers. Making a book the best it can be is a team-of-two effort. As editor, I must become attuned to an author’s intentions – not only their overall aim but also the meanings they are trying to convey throughout the text (as a way to achieving that aim). This involves questioning, considering and agreeing – all done in co-operation and with sensitivity. The result should be a publication that not only attracts readers and achieves sales but is also one of which both author and editor are proud!