Annie Hunter, Editor in Glasgow, UK

Overview

I edit nonfiction, primarily environmental nonfiction (nature, science, activism, transportation, energy, agriculture, food systems) and memoir. I am especially drawn to manuscripts with the potential to create positive change in the world!

I truly care about preserving your (the author's) voice and personality when editing, whilst taking the target audience into consideration.

I offer:

- Developmental Editing (For developmental editing, I will ask to see a partial sample of the manuscript beforehand to ensure that my expertise is a good fit for your goals.)

- Book Coaching

- Query Letter Review

- Editorial Assessment

My specialities include:

- Working with first-time authors

- Working with authors who are experts in their field, but need help communicating complex ideas to a lay audience

- Revising book proposals to send to agents or publishers

- Strengthening arguments and structure; improving audience accessibility

My strong publishing background includes over five years of experience at a traditional publishing house, a certificate in developmental editing from the University of Washington, and an understanding of all aspects of the publishing world from the Columbia Publishing Course.

Finally, I am excited to share an excerpt from a recent 'Publishers Weekly' review for one of my developmental editing projects. The book is written by a debut author and is set to publish this autumn:

"Throughout, he manages to be detailed, practical, inspirational, and reasonable. This is a go-to resource for those seeking to hold companies accountable."

Note: I do not work on AI-generated content.

Services

Developmental Editing

Editorial Assessment

Query Letter Review

Book Coaching

Non-Fiction

Agriculture Biographies & Memoirs Nature Political Science & Current Affairs Transportation

Languages

English (UK) English (US)

Certifications

Columbia Publishing Course, Oxford, UK
Specialisation in Developmental Editing from the University of Washington

Work experience

Freelance Editor

Island Press

Jul, 2025 — Oct, 2025 (3 months)

After leaving my full-time position at a publisher due to my upcoming transatlantic move, I stayed on in a freelance capacity to edit a nonfiction manuscript. In addition to developmental editing, I managed author communications, collaborated with editorial contacts at the press, and formatted the text for production.

Assistant Editor

Island Press

Apr, 2022 — Jun, 2025 (about 3 years)

As Assistant Editor, I acquired, edited, and nurtured nonfiction book projects on environmental topics. My duties included working with potential authors prior to acquisition to revise their book proposals, after which I pitched the book proposals at decision-to-publish meetings. I also liaised between authors and internal staff regarding book projects and negotiated contracts with authors and agents on behalf of the publisher.

Editorial Assistant

Island Press

Mar, 2020 — Mar, 2022 (about 2 years)

As an editorial assistant, my duties included writing book proposal reviews for five editors and moderating decision-to-publish meetings, where I obtained firsthand knowledge on the factors publishers are looking for when deciding which books to acquire.

Editorial Intern

Island Press

May, 2019 — Aug, 2019 (3 months)

Literary Agency Intern

Grosvenor Literary Agency

May, 2018 — Aug, 2018 (3 months)

As an intern at a literary agency, I edited nonfiction book proposals (primarily memoir) in collaboration with the agent, managed the inbox of unsolicited submissions, and wrote reader’s reports.