Arabella Alexander – Editor

Thanks for checking out my profile. I'm a freelance book editor trained by Chapterhouse, a member of the Chartered Institute of Editing & Proofreading, and the former editor at LID Publishing, Panoma Press, and Story Terrace. I work with authors, businesses, publishers and creators to improve their content. It’s my goal to help you develop as a writer and connect with your audience on a deeper level. I actively seek to work with authors from or representing diverse backgrounds.

I tailor my editing approach to each individual client. My advice is based on each author’s genre, target reader, publishing goals and budget, and I always ensure the guidance I offer is objective. I help my clients to troubleshoot at the early stages of the writing process, offer suggestions based on current market trends, weed out grammatical errors and tricky-to-spot typos, and help authors to navigate the different paths to being published.

I’m comfortable working across genres: my past projects range from horror novels and short stories to philosophical theories about the modern workplace. In terms of non-fiction books, I’ve worked on a lot of self-help novels, business biographies, leadership titles and wellbeing books. I’m particularly passionate about the fantasy genre; Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson are among my favourite authors, and I studied the Ancient Greek classics like Homer’s Iliad at university. I’ve also worked on a number of YA and children’s books and find this a particularly gratifying area to work in; reading formed a huge part of my childhood, and it brings me joy to work on stories that will be similarly formative to future generations. I actively seek to work with authors from and/or representing diverse backgrounds.

WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY:

"Bella did a fantastic job in identifying plot developments, providing scene suggestions and tips informed by her editorial expertise, all whilst creating a safe environment for a debut novelist." – Yasmeen Cohen, author

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"Bella knew exactly what my work needed to improve and communicated quickly, kindly and clearly. Under her guiding hand, your writing is sure to blossom into something amazing." – Rachel Eban, author

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"Bella is always a pleasure to work with. Her keen eye and passion for storytelling enable her to elevate any project to a higher standard." – Cody Collins, author

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"Before talking with Bella, I had hit a wall. What Bella does so well is illuminating what you're trying to achieve with your work. She truly understands how to lead you to a personal epiphany and I strongly recommend her services to anyone who is struggling to refine their work." – Sam Bottomley, screenwriter

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"Personable and professional, Bella is a delight to work with. Her eye for detail is second to none, and she brings her infectious enthusiasm to every project she takes on." – Susan Furber, author and former editorial manager at LID Publishing

ABOUT BELLA:
Stories and writing have long been cornerstones in my life. I find correcting grammatical and textual errors deeply satisfying and I love helping creatives' work to flourish. I have worked on a variety of projects: fantasy novels, horror stories, young adult romances, non-fiction books (from self-help titles to business memoirs), television and film scripts, and marketing copy.​ I'm confident working on any part of the editorial process, whether it requires me to provide structural advice and guidance or to weed out grammatical errors and typos which are tricky to spot.

I started working as a freelance editor in 2018 and have spent my time since then developing my skills, efficiency and editorial eye. At the end of 2018, I completed a copy editing and proofreading course with Chapterhouse; in February 2019, I spent a week shadowing the lovely team at The Chicken House; the following month I started working at non-fiction publisher LID Publishing as a publishing assistant; shortly after, I was promoted to editor. I worked as LID Publishing's editor for a year, and this was a great learning curve that allowed me to refine my editorial approach to manuscripts. I went on to work as an editor at Story Terrace and Panoma Press before turning my attention fully to my freelance business.

Before working in publishing, I worked extensively in the film and television industries, including for companies like Stylist Magazine and the BBC on the long-running drama 'Silent Witness'. This experience helps me advise authors how to make their book stand out in a world dominated by visual and short-form content. When I'm not editing books, I enjoy developing my skills as a magician.