Darryl Samaraweera – Editor

Having represented new and established non-fiction and prize-winning fiction authors for over 15 years (as well as high profile Instagrammers in the lifestyle market), I have worked with a wide range of writers, from leaders in their fields to those taking their first steps.

As a freelance editor I have helped debut and well-established writers polish manuscripts ahead of publication - whether as a self published project - or when delivering a commissioned manuscript to a tradional publishing house.

As an agent I have worked with Booker Prize shortlister Fiona Mozley, leading international affairs scholar Samir Puri, and Rebecca Wilson who launched What Mummy Makes on Instagram and now has 500,000 followers. In an editorial advisory capacity I have enjoyed working with Telegraph columnist and novelist Celia Walden and Helen Fielding (whom I assisted early on in my career in quite a varied role!).

*Please note my job as an agent and my freelance editorial work are quite distinct.*

Although I like to share the benefit of my industry knowledge, and do advise authors if I feel a book would benefit from traditional representation (where fees should never be charged), I feel there is a need in itself for the kind of pre-publication editorial support that most agents and publishers simply haven't the time or capacity for during a busy working week - from initial editorial assessments and full structural/developmental edits to fine-tune copyediting and proofing, which all require a lot of dedicated work.

I continue to write creatively myself and my first novel was called a 'literary tour de force' by the Sunday Telegraph (UK). I currently have a couple of new ongoing projects I am working on and know well the difficulties of fulfilling the dream of seeing your book(s) published, in what is always a tough market!

Fees:

I follow Reedsy's own guidelines for fees and base mine strictly on word count (and am happy to advise before we work together if I think a manuscript is simply too short or too long). I also advise if I feel a manuscript is at too early a stage for a proofread and needs a copyedit, or indeed would first benefit from an editorial assessment. Reedsy's pricing calculator can be found on their blog here:

https://blog.reedsy.com/cost-to-self-publish-a-book/?utm_source=mailparrot&utm_campaign=from_new_request_to_collaboration