Craig Hillsley

Craig Hillsley – Editor

Award-winning editor (with two Booker Prize nominations) of historical and literary fiction, crime and thrillers.

Overview

I have edited a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction, the most prominent being Graeme Macrae Burnet's "Case Study" and "His Bloody Project", both nominated for the Booker Prize. The books that I’ve worked on (for a variety of UK publishers) have won or been shortlisted for more than eighty major literary awards, including the Rathbones Folio Prize, the Wainwright Prize and the Historical Writers’ Association Debut Crown.

As Editorial Director of the award-winning independent publisher Saraband, I was named as a Bookseller Rising Star, and I’m particularly adept at editing historical, literary and crime fiction, as well as memoirs, nature writing and narrative non-fiction.

My strength is helping authors get their manuscripts to stand out in the highly competitive publishing environment, be it on the overall development of narratives or detailed copy edits. A dozen years of editing experience has taught me to help writers hone the technical aspects of their writing and attain the essential balance needed in any manuscript: achieving commercial viability whilst preserving the author’s artistic vision.

Testimonials:

“I have always found Craig to be a sympathetic and insightful editor, sensitive to what I am trying to achieve as a writer. He has an incredible attention to detail both in terms of fact checking and in the appropriate use of language. I would recommend him wholeheartedly.” Graeme Macrae Burnet, Booker-nominated author

“Craig is an excellent editor. He possessed the skill, vision, tact and sensitivity that was required to help me edit my first novel, and he deserves a great deal of credit for the warmth of the reception the work received on its publication.” Donald S Murray – author of As the Women Lay Dreaming, winner of the Society of Authors’ Paul Torday Memorial Prize

Services
Fiction
Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Mystery & Crime Thriller & Suspense
Non-Fiction
Nature Travel
Languages
English (UK)
Awards
  • The Bookseller, "Rising Star", 2017

Work experience

Self-employed

Sep, 2019 — Present
Developmental and copy editing of literary, historical and crime fiction, as well as nature writing, memoir and environmental titles.

Saraband

Feb, 2012 — Sep, 2019 (over 7 years)
-Editing, manuscript assessment / acquisitions and marketing across Saraband’s publishing programme of fiction and non-fiction titles. -Media relations: pitching feature articles, generating reviews, setting up author interviews for TV, radio and print. -Writing blurbs, promotional copy and AI sheets (including sales points and author biographies). -Establishing Contraband crime imprint and driving forward Saraband’s fiction list.

Portfolio

The characters in this delicious book are pushed to the point of no return and seek retribution. But how we get even is not always the best road to redemption. On the island of Mull, it takes ... read more
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Case Study

Burnet, Graeme Macrae

Copy Editing
Three Fires

Denise Mina

In Three Fires, award-winning author Denise Mina re-imagines the 'Bonfire of the Vanities', a series of fires lit throughout Florence at the end of the fifteenth century - inspired by the fana... read more
Copy Editing
Proofreading
The Goldenacre

Miller, Philip

Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Fade to Black

Mullins, Steve

Copy Editing
Lakeland Wild

Jim Crumley

Copy Editing
Copy Editing
In a Veil of Mist

Murray, Donald S

Copy Editing
Copy Editing
2020: A Novel

Steven, Kenneth

Copy Editing
Copy Editing
A Proper Person to be Detained

Czerkawska, Catherine

Down to the Sea

Sue Lawrence

Mr Todd's Reckoning

Iain Maitland

The Janus Run

Skelton, Douglas

Craig has 29 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Laura H.

Laura H.

Jun, 2025

Pinned
Craig has provided excellent developmental feedback on the first draft of my novel 'Winterfylleth War'. I now have the opportunity to make significant improvements to my novel. I found the positive feedback encouraging, and I found the suggestions on how to improve to be insightful and clear. Cra...
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Craig H.
Bless you, Laura, very kind words and much appreciated. I'd be very happy to work on the copy edit, too!
Bill K.

Bill K.

Jun, 2025

Pinned
Craig did a terrific job copy editing my manuscript. He provided a copy complete with track changes as well as a clean version. The track-changed copy included all his comments and excellent suggestions. Additionally, he supplied a four-page editorial report containing an overall impression and r...
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Craig H.
Many thanks, Bill. It was a pleasure working with you on your manuscript. Good luck with it!
Stephen K.

Stephen K.

Mar, 2025

Pinned
Craig was excellent to work with and I would be delighted to return to him with another project. He was professional, supportive, clear in his comments. He took the effort to highlight both what worked and what needed improvement, and placed his evaluation in context. My only regret is that all t...
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Matthew F.

Matthew F.

Sep, 2025

Here’s what will happen when you hire Craig. He will climb into your brain. I was frankly astonished at how insightful and perceptive Craig was about my manuscript. He appeared to know it better than I did. First, every niggle I had about my work – doubts I’d pushed to the back of my mind, perhap...
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Craig H.
What an incredibly generous review, Matthew, thank you. I very much enjoyed reading and working on Leopold & Lyra - I wish you all the best of luck with it!
Alistair K.

Alistair K.

Aug, 2025

I was very pleased with the editing work—professional, thorough, and of excellent quality. Communication was clear and timely, and the service provided good value for money. The only reason I not give perfect marks is that I had hoped for a little coaching and publishing advice alongside the edit...
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