Colette Meacher – Editor

A highly creative editor with nearly 15 years in the business and c.100 books under my belt, I have solid, extensive experience in educational, special interest, academic, trade and magazine publishing. With a reputation for skilfully identifying and researching new publishing opportunities, my focus is on producing beautiful, intelligent products that showcase innovative and groundbreaking ideas.

A skilled Fashion Editor, I have commissioned, project managed and edited for numerous international publishing houses including Phaidon, Octopus, Bloomsbury, Ivy, Quid and Rotovision, covering everything from cultural and historical fashion studies to fashion management, innovation and sustainability, as well as monographs on brands and designers. I have also commissioned and edited books on a wide range of associated visual arts and Humanities subjects.

Please feel free to contact me directly for copy-editing, proofreading, fact checking, website content, ghost writing, full project management and consultancy work. My wide-ranging clients typically come from the creative industries and include everyone from publishers to design agencies to university departments and beyond...

'Our atelier designs many books per year and we have had the pleasure of working with Colette Meacher on a number of occasions. We have employed her services mainly in the fields of editing and proofreading. Her work is always immaculate and her insights and arguments resourceful. From the experiences we have had working with Colette, we can happily recommend her services without hesitation or limitation.'
[Paulus Dreibholz, Director, Atelier Dreibholz and Senior Artist, University of Applied Arts, Vienna]

Commissioning titles in Fashion Design, Fashion Management, Fashion Marketing, Fashion Promotion, and Textile Design for Fairchild Books UK, as part of the Visual Arts Division of Bloomsbury Publishing, today the largest global publisher of illustrated books on the visual arts. Established in 1910 and used by students and professionals worldwide, Fairchild Books is one of the world's leading publishers of textbooks, reference titles and educational resources in the field of fashion.

'I worked with Colette first at AVA and then when we moved to Bloomsbury. She’s knowledgeable, professional, passionate about her books – and a real pleasure to work with.'
[Georgia Kennedy, Publisher, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc]

'I worked with Colette in her role as commissioning editor at Bloomsbury for over two years through to the publication of Zero Waste Fashion Design (which I co-authored with Holly McQuillan) in late 2015. I see Colette as connected and savvy; she has a thorough understanding of the global fashion education arena, which she taps into wisely. During the writing and editing of Zero Waste Fashion Design Colette was insightfully supportive, including in the lead up to publication. Her contribution has been invaluable and crucial to the success of the book.'
[Timo Rissanen, Associate Dean, School of Constructed Environments, Parsons School of Design, New York]

'I have had the extreme pleasure to work with Colette on two titles for Fairchild Books, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. – Fashion Buying and Fashion Retailing. In both instances, she was incredible to work with, accommodating my busy schedule, but still keeping us on target for necessary deadlines. As a first time author, Colette ensured I did not get overwhelmed, walking me through all the steps needed to successfully write a textbook that both of us would be proud of. I would highly recommend working with Colette at any capacity. Her professionalism is only out shined by her positive attitude and distinguished personality.'
[Dimitri Koumbis, Fashion Design Faculty, Parsons School of Design, New York]

'Being a first-time author was a fantastic learning experience thanks to my savvy Commissioning Editor, Colette Meacher, who understood and supported my vision for my book through all the steps in the creative process and facilitated our trans-Atlantic communication with patience and diplomacy.'
[Sharon Rothman, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Fashion Institute of Technology, New York]

'I have worked with Colette for some years. I have always found her to be extremely helpful, patient and knowledgeable. Colette has a wealth of experience and generously gives her time and attention to whatever she is advising on at any particular time. I have found that her advice is well-considered and always spot on. She is a joy to work with.'
[Gill Stark, Assistant Dean and Head of School, Regent's University, London]

I managed a list of titles in the applied visual arts, seeing them through from initial research and conception to pre-press and final production. I commissioned a range of titles across a number of lists, overseeing all aspects of the book production process; including management of authors, designers, picture researchers and illustrators; working with picture libraries to source and obtain images; copy-editing and fact checking manuscripts; preparing e-books; managing budgets; and working with marketing colleagues to promote titles through online and direct marketing, book fairs and launches.

'Colette is an extremely talented editor, well able to balance strategic, commercial considerations with sound content curation and engaging visual literacy. Her ability to successfully manage these different interests means that behind her programme sits a delighted collective of authors, publishers, picture researchers, reviewers and designers. Colette was an indubitable asset to the AVA team.'
[Caroline Walmsley, Managing Director, AVA Publishing]

'Colette is a conscientious and detailed editor with style and flair. She has an excellent visual approach to her work.'
[Brian Morris, Managing Director, AVA Publishing]

'Colette's experience in publishing is astonishing. The wealth of knowledge in all the key areas helped guide me, as a first-time author, through the complicated maze of writing and publishing. She has the ability to bring out the best in a chapter, subject or interview by suggesting ideas that I never thought about before.This advice provided me, and will for any future author, a much richer book that will excite the reader. I highly recommend Colette, she is an asset to anyone who works with her in the future.'
[John Lau, Associate Dean, School of Design and Technology, London College of Fashion, UK]

'Colette worked on my forthcoming book publication as the Commissioning Editor. Her professionalism, knowledge and support during the entire process was outstanding. If I chose to produce another book I would not hesitate to contact Colette. I highly recommend Colette as a Commissioning Editor.'
[Jennifer Prendergast, Senior Lecturer, University of Leeds, UK]

'Colette was my editor for my book on Interactive Design, during which time Colette was a delight to work with – always offering solid advice, encouragement when necessary and great at keeping the project on track, which was often necessary!'
[Jamie Steane, Associate Head of the School of Design, Northumbria University, UK]

Creation and development of magazine from inception: commissioning, writing and proofing editorial content. Establishing magazine as media sponsor for Brighton Art Fair, MADE, University of Brighton Visual Arts Awards, Brighton Festival Fringe Visual Arts Award, Lewes Artwave and Seeking Picasso.

Also co-hosted and programmed a weekly Arts discussion programme on Radio Reverb with a host of featured guests including poets, writers, artists and musicians, such as Billy Childish and Laura Marling.

'Colette worked as a co-presenter for RadioReverb's flagship drive time radio show called the Latest Soup. Colette always arrived on time (which is key in the radio business) and always contributed with great content and bought in high profiled guests from Brighton’s world of art and culture. She added value to the programme and I firmly believe that she can bring strong ideas to any media related content driven project! I highly recommend Colette and would gladly work with her again in any capacity.'
[Simon Watkins, Radio Producer, RadioReverb]