Cat Cobain – Editor

As a Publishing Director at Penguin Random House (Transworld) and Associate Publisher at Hachette UK (Headline), I gained incredible insight into what readers really want while crafting publishing strategy and commissioning new writing talent across multiple genres including historical, literary, thriller and romance.

As a freelancer for more than a decade including for top publishers, agencies and TV companies such as Bookouture, Orion Books and Hat Trick Productions, I know how to help writers bridge that gap from idea to publication.

I left in-house publishing when I started colocating back in my home town in Northern Ireland, and through Reedsy offer editorial assessment, developmental and structural editing, and agent submission reviews (query letters, biographies and sample chapters).

I'm excited about helping authors with their writing at almost any stage of the process and I'm very honest about whether the service you're asking for is the best thing for your writing right now. Paying a professional editor can be a big investment and I want you to get the most useful and productive support that I can give. I find working at the developmental stage incredibly rewarding, helping authors see when and how to move their story on to maintain page-turning pace, create drama and tension through plot hooks and twists, and tie everything up into a satisfying finale.

I’ve been lucky enough in my career to work in some of the most successful divisions of the world’s biggest publishers, getting to indulge my personal passions – growing new names into established authors and helping authors to find good publishing homes and successful careers.

I love working across multiple genres and I'm always open to discussing a flexible approach built around what an individual writer needs.