Carly Blake – Editor

“Carly is one heck of an editor [...] Her dedication to the highest possible quality and her no-nonsense, personable manner means it has been a real pleasure collaborating with her” — Dug Steer, Ology author

“From an author’s perspective, one of Carly’s greatest strengths is that she challenges and checks, always making sure that my text is as good as it can be” — Camilla de la Bedoyere, nonfiction author

Hi, I'm Carly!

Over my career, I’ve helped shape hundreds of children’s books, selling over 2 million copies worldwide and translated into more than 30 languages. Most recently, I was Senior Commissioning Editor at a major London trade publisher, where I led the editorial direction on bestselling and award-winning titles including Ghostology (from the Ology series), The Language of the Universe, and Sarah Maycock’s Sometimes I Feel….

I genuinely love helping authors turn great ideas into books children want to read again and again. I’ve spent my career immersed in children’s publishing, working closely with authors to shape ideas, solve creative problems, and bring clarity and confidence to their writing.

I specialise in children’s nonfiction for ages 3–12 and picture books for ages 3–7 – especially projects with heart, humour or strong educational themes. I’m particularly drawn to nonfiction that makes children say 'WOW!': natural history, science and space, classical music and food, are just some of the areas I have experience in but I always love a new challenge.

Whether you’re at the spark-of-an-idea stage or refining a full draft, I can help you shape your manuscript into a clear, engaging, child-focused book. I support projects from early development through to a polished manuscript ready for self-publishing or submission to agents and publishers.

Alongside detailed, constructive editorial feedback, I bring real-world commissioning insight – helping you understand your audience, how your book fits its genre, and what makes it stand out in today’s children’s market.

I’m an enthusiastic, thoughtful and collaborative editor. I’ll be honest and clear in my feedback, but always encouraging – my aim is for you to come away feeling excited, motivated and confident about the next steps.