Claire Baldwin - Editor
Editor with over a decade of experience acquiring and publishing bestselling fiction at Hachette UK.
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Overview
I am an experienced editor and publisher who has worked in the book industry for nearly twenty years. The majority of these were spent at Hachette UK and Headline Publishing Group. There, as Associate Publisher, I commissioned and published a wide range of bestselling and highly acclaimed fiction: from commercial to literary novels, including historicals, magical realism and fantasy, as well as psychological thrillers and stories with rich, international settings. I focused particularly on launching debut writers and my authors included international bestseller Deborah Harkness, Lyndsay Faye, Katherine Clements, Anton DiSclafani, Tom Vowler and Kevin Brophy.
I still work, on a freelance basis, with Headline and the authors I commissioned there, as well as other publishing companies, literary agencies and independent authors worldwide. I also recently co-authored the New York Times bestseller The World of All Souls, the in-depth and fully illustrated companion to the All Souls trilogy.
I made the exciting leap to go freelance to concentrate solely on the areas of publishing I love most: discovering and nurturing new talent, the creative and collaborative editorial process, and working one-to-one with writers to bring out the full potential of their stories. I can give you candid and insightful feedback on your manuscript with a general Editorial Assessment. Or, if you feel ready for a full structural edit, I’ll look at all key aspects of the book, including plot, structure, characterisation, pace, voice and themes, as well as positioning in the market, giving clear and detailed guidance on how and where areas could be developed.
Please do get in touch if you’d like to discuss your project further.
I still work, on a freelance basis, with Headline and the authors I commissioned there, as well as other publishing companies, literary agencies and independent authors worldwide. I also recently co-authored the New York Times bestseller The World of All Souls, the in-depth and fully illustrated companion to the All Souls trilogy.
I made the exciting leap to go freelance to concentrate solely on the areas of publishing I love most: discovering and nurturing new talent, the creative and collaborative editorial process, and working one-to-one with writers to bring out the full potential of their stories. I can give you candid and insightful feedback on your manuscript with a general Editorial Assessment. Or, if you feel ready for a full structural edit, I’ll look at all key aspects of the book, including plot, structure, characterisation, pace, voice and themes, as well as positioning in the market, giving clear and detailed guidance on how and where areas could be developed.
Please do get in touch if you’d like to discuss your project further.
Languages
English (UK)
English (US)
Fiction
Action & Adventure
Classics
Fantasy
Historical Fiction
Humor & Comedy
Literary Fiction
Work experience
Editor and Publishing Consultant
Self-employed
February, 2015
–
Present
(over 7 years)
- Editorial work for big UK trade publishers as well as independents, including Headline, Sceptre (Hodder & Stoughton), Tor (Pan Macmillan), Orion, Bonnier, Unbound, Onwe and Faber Academy: structural and line editing on books pre-publication, as well as assessment of submissions from agents.
- Commissioned by Deborah Harkness to produce THE WORLD OF ALL SOULS: a six-hundred-page, fully illustrated companion volume to the bestselling ALL SOULS trilogy. This involved researching, writing and project managing the overall production of the book, leading a team of four others. The book was published by Viking, Penguin in the USA and Headline in the UK, and went on to become a top ten New York Times bestseller.
- Editorial collaboration with a wide range of literary agencies, in the UK and internationally, including Curtis Brown, Conville & Walsh, The Soho Agency, Zeitgeist Agency, Brotherstone Creative Management, Wolf Literary, Fletcher & Co: mentoring and developmental edits for their clients, both debut as well as published writers, to prepare manuscripts for submission to publishers.
- Editorial consultancy and developmental edits for independent writers around the world: working with them to bring out the full potential of their manuscripts, and to prepare them for submission to agents or self-publishing.
Associate Publisher, Fiction
Headline Publishing Group
August, 2012
–
January, 2015
(over 2 years)
- Commissioned a wide range of commercial to upmarket, literary fiction for the Headline, Headline Review and Tinder Press imprints, originating and driving the publishing vision and strategy for each author acquired.
- Authors I published at Headline include No.1 internationally bestselling Deborah Harkness, Lyndsay Faye, Anton DiSclafani, Katherine Clements, Tom Vowler, Jen Williams and Kevin Brophy, as well as (for maternity cover) Eowyn Ivey's The Snow Child and Natalie Young's Season to Taste.
Senior Commissioning Editor, Fiction
Headline Publishing Group
October, 2010
–
July, 2012
(almost 2 years)
Commissioning Editor, Little Black Dress
Headline Publishing Group
July, 2008
–
October, 2010
(over 2 years)
Portfolio (25 selected works)
The Book of Life (All Souls)
Deborah Harkness
Shadow of Night
Deborah Harkness
Discovery of Witches (All Souls)
Deborah E. Harkness
Fall under the spell of Diana and Matthew in the stunning first volume of the No.1 internationally bestsellling ALL SOULS trilogy. A world of witches, daemons and vampires. A manuscript which holds the secrets of their past and the key to their future. Diana and Matthew - the forbidden love at the heart of it. When historian Diana Bishop opens an alchemical manuscript in the Bodleian Library, ... read more
The Crimson Ribbon
Katherine Clements
Marrying the vibrancy of Sarah Dunant with a gothic touch, Katherine Clements conjures the extraordinary women you never knew about in the turbulent years of the English Civil War Based on the real figure of the fascinating Elizabeth Poole, this is the mesmerizing story of two women's obsessions, superstitions, and hopes. May Day, 1646: Ruth Flowers finds herself suddenly, brutally, alone. For... read more
The Gods of Gotham (Gods of Gotham 1)
Lyndsay Faye
August 1845 in New York; enter the dark, unforgiving city underworld of the legendary Five Points...After a fire decimates a swathe of lower Manhattan, and following years of passionate political dispute, New York City at long last forms an official Police Department. That same summer, the great potato famine hits Ireland. These events will change the city of New York for ever.Timothy Wilde ha... read more
Now available in paperback, Memoirs of a Geisha meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in a gorgeously vivid, fresh historical that instantly captures the imagination I am Kozaisho: Fifth daughter, Woman-For-Play, teller of stories, lover, wife, and Flower Samurai.In the rich, dazzling, brutal world of 12th century Japan, one young girl begins her epic journey, from the warmth of family to the V... read more
The Berlin Crossing
Kevin Brophy
For readers who were gripped by the world of espionage in William Boyd's Restless, this is a compelling, unforgettable novel that brings to life the very human story behind a momentous turning point in history In Germany 1993, the Berlin Wall is down, the country is reunified, and 30-year-old school teacher Michael Ritter feels his life is falling apart. His wife has thrown him out, his new We... read more
What Lies Within
Tom Vowler
For fans of Before I Go to Sleep and The Guilty One, a tightly spun, atmospheric, and powerful psychological suspense novel Living in a remote Devon farmhouse, Anna and her family have always been close to nature, surrounded by the haunting beauty of the moor. But when a convict escapes from nearby Dartmoor prison, their isolation suddenly begins to feel more claustrophobic than free. Fearing ... read more
From Jen Williams, author of highly-acclaimed fantasy debut THE COPPER PROMISE, comes a brand-new epic fantasy adventure in THE IRON GHOST. Beware the dawning of a new mage...Wydrin of Crosshaven, Sir Sebastian and Lord Aaron Frith are experienced in the perils of stirring up the old gods. They are also familiar with defeating them, and the heroes of Baneswatch are now enjoying the perks of be... read more
The Coffin Path: 'The perfect ghost story'
Katherine Clements
The Snow Child
Jane Steele
Lyndsay Faye
The Ninth Rain (The Winnowing Flame Trilogy 1)
Jen Williams
The Museum of Cathy
Anna Stothard
Season to Taste or How to Eat Your Husband
Natalie Young
Season to Taste or How to Eat Your Husband
Written in the Blood
Stephen Lloyd Jones
Frieda: a novel of the real Lady Chatterley
Annabel Abbs (author)
The Bitter Twins (The Winnowing Flame Trilogy 2)
Jen Williams
Lying To You: A gripping and tense psychological drama
Amanda Reynolds
Wildfire (July 2018) 1st Paperback
Daisy Belle: Swimming Champion of the World
Caitlin Davies
The Soldier (Rise of the Jain Book 1)
Neal Asher
The Soldier is the first novel in the Rise of the Jain series, by bestselling science fiction author Neal Asher.Her mission is vital. Her failure is unthinkable.A corner of space swarms with alien technology, a danger to all sentient life. It’s guarded by Orlandine, who must keep it contained – as it could destroy entire civilizations. An alien intelligence shares her vigil. But she doesn’t sh... read more
The Joyce Girl
Annabel Abbs
Claire has 40 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
Claire is fabulous. Her recommendations and much needed corrections of my horrendous grammar has made my novel readable. She is a star. I highly recommend Claire.
STEVEN CLOAD, July 2022
Amazing quality! Claire combed through my manuscript and provided an incredible amount of work with numerous brilliant suggestions and detailed analyses. Her keen eyes and her perspective on specific issues (pacing, plot, writing true to the time period, consistency, building tension etc) were far beyond what I was hoping for. Claire also graciously worked with me and my challenges in the Eng...
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N.H. Schwabacher, July 2022
Claire was thoroughly professional and provide a comprehensive editorial assessment which provided me with a roadmap to improving the quality of my work and gearing it for publication.
Matthew Cheetham, May 2022
This is the second time I've worked with Claire. She's amazing. Very insightful, very thorough. A pleasure to work with.
Larry Bastian, March 2022
Claire showed a deep understanding of the story and gave extensive, valid editorial notes paired with comments at the line level inside the manuscript. It was invaluable feedback.
GP Landry
GP Landry, January 2022
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