Anselm Audley – Editor

A fourth-generation author as well as an editor, I grew up in a publishing family where structure, conflict and the use of language were everyday topics of conversation. I've been reading manuscripts, fixing plot holes, and brainstorming new books since I was in school. I studied history at Oxford, where an array of formidable tutors introduced me to the equivalent processes for non-fiction. I've had four novels published and been translated into six languages, so I know what it's like to be on the receiving end of editorial advice both constructive and otherwise. I later gained a degree in planetary science, and currently write non-fiction for Amazon's Kindle Singles program.

As a freelancer (and in the past for a small press) I've edited writing including novels (in genres ranging from crime to romance), novellas, theses, academic papers and even a secondary school curriculum. My chief joy is in working with plot, structure and characterization, in finding the knots, holes and problems in a book and helping the author to fix them. At its best, editing can be like an Oxford tutorial, and just as stimulating for both sides. It's hugely important to have the right editor for a book; I work best with stories containing some action, suspense, or mystery, in whatever genre.