Annie Murphy – Editor

I'm a freelance editor based in London, and have worked in publishing ever since receiving my bachelor's degree in literature from Stockholm University in 2012. The following 5 years I spent at Bonnier Publishing, Sweden's largest publishing group and one of the top publishers in the U.K., before joining Polaris Publishing in 2017. I started freelancing in 2020 and specialize in suspense, thrillers, upmarket commercial fiction and literary fiction. I have worked with authors such as Karin Smirnoff (bestselling writer who I discovered in the slush pile and new author of the award-winning Millennium series), Gustaf Skördeman (another slush pile find which sold to more than 15 countries before it was even published) and Édouard Louis (in translation). I was responsible for editing Greta Thunberg's book Our House Is On Fire.

I also have commissioning experience, having focused on the English and French speaking markets, and throughout my career I've worked with the so called slush pile, i.e. reading manuscripts sent to publishing houses and evaluating their publishing potential. I've had the pleasure of finding manuscript this way that have been nominated for literary awards, reached the bestseller lists and sold to many different countries.

As a freelancer I mostly work with publishing houses, but I also don't want to miss out on getting that first person look at a manuscript and helping it thrive, something I find very satisfying and rewarding. Publishing houses and agents receive thousands of manuscripts each year and the titles who make it all the way are few and far in between — but I know from experience what publishers are looking for and what catches their eye, and that is something I can help you with. I have a passion for the written word and a great eye for detail, and there's nothing I like more than discussing nit-picky nuance, character development and storytelling.

I know from personal experience how valuable and important constructive criticism is, especially in the final stages before submitting a manuscript. I only take on editorial assessments in cases where I see potential and a willingness to go the extra mile, because that's what makes all the difference.

To give you an idea of what it's like working with me, to start with I always have a look at the manuscript in question before accepting a commission, so please attach a sample of your work when requesting a collaboration. Then I normally spend a few weeks reading and analysing your work before writing my editorial assessment which you will receive as an editorial note in PDF format (minimum 3 A4 pages). It of course depends on the manuscript, but I normally focus on such things as character development, narrative drive and voice, plot development, and language. I dig deep and use plenty of examples to advise you on how to improve your storytelling. I always offer authors I work with the opportunity to ask questions about the assessment, I'm very flexible and easy to work with and a first-class reader.