Overview
Coverage of Ben and his novels in Australian news media in early 2013 led to a flood of requests from fellow authors for help self-publishing their own work. His freelance practice, Hourigan & Co., has editing and book production (print and electronic) for independent authors as one of its specialties, along with editing for business, academia, and digital media. It provides a turnkey service that can take you all the way from manuscript to published book, even including such things as cover design and printing.
Ben’s book editing is intensive and detailed, upholding high literary values while prioritizing simplicity, clarity, and readability. With all clients, he adopts the role of mentor as well as editor, offering detailed feedback on manuscripts and in emails, and provides advice on book production, publishing, and marketing as well as style, content, and structure.
In book production, he draws on his extensive experience in magazine and digital publishing to create books with elegant, minimal designs and high technical standards. Hourigan & Co. uses professional typographical software to produce its print interiors, while innovative digital production methods informed by web development best practices ensure your e-book files are styled attractively and predictably on all reading platforms.
TESTIMONIALS
"You've x-rayed my text, spotted anomalies and fixed them. I have been lucky to have great editors and this only keeps getting better. Thank you for taking the time and patiently waiting for all my answers. It has been a pleasure working with you. Next time you are in Mumbai, for work or on a vacation, the breakfast/lunch/dinner is on me." —Abhishek Kumar, correspondent for The Economist
"Please accept these words: you are awesome. I love it beyond words. It is perfect in every which way. I do not know how to say thank you. I bloody love what you have done with all of the information I have given you. I would hug you right now, but lets not go that far, lol. :) Thank you so much, Ben. I could not have done a better job even If I tried. This is by far the best way anyone could have explained this. Like I said, I am so very glad you are my editor. Thank you so much." —Michael Johnson, author of "Keep it Clear"
"Really impressive work here, well done. The level of professionalism you work towards … I can only say I am glad I found you." —Grant Finnegan, author of "The Seventh List"
Services
Fiction
Non-Fiction
Languages
Certifications
- Accredited Editor (IPEd – Institute of Professional Editors, Australia)
- BA (Hons), The University of Melbourne
- MBA, The University of New England
Work experience
Architecture Media
Manager of digital publishing operations for Architecture Media, Australia’s leading publisher of magazines for architecture and design professionals. Key responsibilities involved supervising product development, sales, and content production for Selector, a directory of architecture and building products, and ArchitectureAU, Australia’s most-read website for architecture professionals. Revenue for the digital publishing division increased nearly 300% during this period.
Hourigan & Co.
Freelance editor of a wide range of material, including corporate annual reports, websites, marketing collateral, academic theses, novels and non-fiction books. Hourigan & Co. has developed a particular specialization in self-publishing since 2011, when national news coverage of Ben Hourigan’s novel "Kiss Me, Genius Boy" resulted in a high volume of requests for help from other independent authors.