David Bamford

David Bamford - Editor

London, UK

Editor with ten years of professional experience working across literary fiction and non-fiction, formerly at Little, Brown UK.

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Overview

I edited and project managed a wide array of both literary fiction and narrative non-fiction books over eight years at Little, Brown Book Group (part of Hachette UK), one of the country's largest and most successful publishing houses. My experience includes developmental editing, copy editing, proofreading and copywriting, as well as commissioning literary non-fiction, so I know what a book, a proposal or a submission needs to do to excite an agent, an acquiring editor and, ultimately, its readers.

I relish working with authors to hone their books, making the most of every opportunity to inform, entertain and inspire readers with compelling voices and narratives. But on the technical side, too, I am adept at spotting a typo, spelling mistake or the tiny tweak required to turn a good sentence into a great one, and make a manuscript shine.

In my role at Little, Brown I was lucky enough to work with countless wonderful writers – from debut novelists and first-time memoirists to established Booker and Pulitzer Prize-winners, public figures and beloved entertainers. So whether you're a seasoned professional writer looking for some finishing touches, someone with a fascinating life story who isn't quite sure how to tell it, or a budding literary voice that needs amplifying, I'd love to help you with the next step of your writing career.

I'm available for editorial assessments, reviews, developmental editing, copy editing and proofreading
on full-length books, non-fiction proposals and query letters, so please do get in touch to let me know what you're writing, and to discuss how we might collaborate on your work.
Languages
English (AUS)
English (NZ)
English (UK)
English (US)
Non-Fiction
Art
Biographies & Memoirs
Entertainment
History
Math & Science
Political Science & Current Affairs
Fiction
Literary Fiction

Certifications

  • The Publishing Training Centre/Hachette copy editing course
  • The Publishing Training Centre/Hachette proofreading course

Awards

  • Hachette UK Staff Award

Work experience

Editor

Little, Brown Book Group (UK)
August, 2013 – May, 2021 (over 7 years)

My career in publishing to date has primarily been in the editorial department at Little, Brown Book Group, where I worked across the literary fiction and non-fiction imprints, including Abacus, Virago, Fleet and Little, Brown itself. I was also responsible for all project management and desk editing for Dialogue Books, an imprint dedicated to amplifying voices often excluded from the mainstream.

My job involved structural editing, copy-editing and proofreading, as well as copy writing both for covers and marketing material. I also acquired literary non-fiction for the Little, Brown/Abacus list, and was responsible for the publication of books by – among others – Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter, Gerald Scarfe, Maryn McKenna, Alyssa Mastromonaco and Jeevan Vasagar.

Portfolio (21 selected works)

British Summer Time Begins

Ysenda Maxtone Graham

A Sunday Times Book of the Year Sunday Times Top 10 BestsellerBritish Summer Time Begins is about summer holidays of the mid-twentieth century and how they were spent, as recounted to Ysenda Maxtone-Graham in vividly remembered detail by people who were there. Through this prism, it paints a revealing portrait of twentieth-century Britain in summertime: how we were, how families functioned, wh... read more

A Sunday Times Book of the Year Sunday Times Top 10 BestsellerBritish Summer Time Begins is about summer holidays of the mid-twentieth century and how they were spent, as recounted to Ysenda Maxtone-Graham in vividly remembered detail by people who were there. Through this prism, it paints a revealing portrait of twentieth-century Britain in summertime: how we were, how families functioned, wh... read more

Long Drawn Out Trip

Gerald Scarfe

In Long Drawn Out Trip: My Life, Gerald Scarfe tells his life story for the first time. With captivating, often thrilling stories, he takes us from his childhood and early days at Punch and Private Eye, through his long and occasionally tumultuous career as the Sunday Times cartoonist, to his film-making at the BBC and much-loved designs for Pink Floyd's The Wall and Disney's Hercules. Along t... read more

In Long Drawn Out Trip: My Life, Gerald Scarfe tells his life story for the first time. With captivating, often thrilling stories, he takes us from his childhood and early days at Punch and Private Eye, through his long and occasionally tumultuous career as the Sunday Times cartoonist, to his film-making at the BBC and much-loved designs for Pink Floyd's The Wall and Disney's Hercules. Along t... read more

Here Comes the Sun

Steve Jones

'Illuminating!' Professor Brian Cox'Every Steve Jones book is a masterclass in clear and captivating writing with tantalising detours into beguiling anecdotes. Here Comes the Sun is dense with ideas and stories and, like all his books, it will change the way you see the world around you' Robin Ince Our sun drives the weather, forms the landscape, feeds and fuels - but sometimes destroys - the ... read more

'Illuminating!' Professor Brian Cox'Every Steve Jones book is a masterclass in clear and captivating writing with tantalising detours into beguiling anecdotes. Here Comes the Sun is dense with ideas and stories and, like all his books, it will change the way you see the world around you' Robin Ince Our sun drives the weather, forms the landscape, feeds and fuels - but sometimes destroys - the ... read more

A Seat at the Table

Amy Raphael

'Fascinating and illuminating' STYLIST'Perceptive and candid' IRISH TIMES'Wide-ranging, deep-dive, soul-baring interviews, full of candid, intimate, spiky meditations on inspiration, artistry, sexuality, race, love, self-doubt, abuse, defiance and everything in between' OBSERVER'Variously optimistic, troubling, joyful, illuminating, fierce and thoughtful' GUARDIANINTERVIEWS WITH WOMEN ON THE F... read more

'Fascinating and illuminating' STYLIST'Perceptive and candid' IRISH TIMES'Wide-ranging, deep-dive, soul-baring interviews, full of candid, intimate, spiky meditations on inspiration, artistry, sexuality, race, love, self-doubt, abuse, defiance and everything in between' OBSERVER'Variously optimistic, troubling, joyful, illuminating, fierce and thoughtful' GUARDIANINTERVIEWS WITH WOMEN ON THE F... read more

Friends

Robin Dunbar

Friends matter to us, and they matter more than we think. The single most surprising fact to emerge out of the medical literature over the last decade or so has been that the number and quality of the friendships we have has a bigger influence on our happiness, health and even mortality risk than anything else except giving up smoking.Robin Dunbar is the world-renowned psychologist and author ... read more

Friends matter to us, and they matter more than we think. The single most surprising fact to emerge out of the medical literature over the last decade or so has been that the number and quality of the friendships we have has a bigger influence on our happiness, health and even mortality risk than anything else except giving up smoking.Robin Dunbar is the world-renowned psychologist and author ... read more

Lion City

Jeevan Vasagar

Lion City tells the extraordinary story of Singapore - the world's most successful city state.In 1965, Singapore's GDP per capita was on a par with Jordan. Now it has outstripped Japan. After the Second World War and a sudden rupture with newly formed Malaysia, Singapore found itself independent - and facing a crisis. It took the bloody-minded determination and vision of Lee Kuan Yew, its foun... read more

Lion City tells the extraordinary story of Singapore - the world's most successful city state.In 1965, Singapore's GDP per capita was on a par with Jordan. Now it has outstripped Japan. After the Second World War and a sudden rupture with newly formed Malaysia, Singapore found itself independent - and facing a crisis. It took the bloody-minded determination and vision of Lee Kuan Yew, its foun... read more

Hamilton: The Revolution

Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jeremy McCarter

Winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for DramaNow a major motion picture, available on Disney Plus.Goodreads best non-fiction book of 2016From Tony Award-winning composer-lyricist-star Lin-Manuel Miranda comes a backstage pass to his groundbreaking, hit musical Hamilton.Lin-Manuel Miranda's groundbreaking musical Hamilton is as revolutionary as its subject, the poor kid from the Caribbean who fou... read more

Winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for DramaNow a major motion picture, available on Disney Plus.Goodreads best non-fiction book of 2016From Tony Award-winning composer-lyricist-star Lin-Manuel Miranda comes a backstage pass to his groundbreaking, hit musical Hamilton.Lin-Manuel Miranda's groundbreaking musical Hamilton is as revolutionary as its subject, the poor kid from the Caribbean who fou... read more

London, Burning

Anthony Quinn

London, Burning is a novel about the end of the 1970s, and the end of an era. It concerns a nation divided against itself, a government trembling on the verge of collapse, a city fearful of what is to come, and a people bitterly suspicious of one another. In other words, it is also a novel about now. Vicky Tress is a young policewoman on the rise who becomes involved in a corruption imbroglio ... read more

London, Burning is a novel about the end of the 1970s, and the end of an era. It concerns a nation divided against itself, a government trembling on the verge of collapse, a city fearful of what is to come, and a people bitterly suspicious of one another. In other words, it is also a novel about now. Vicky Tress is a young policewoman on the rise who becomes involved in a corruption imbroglio ... read more

Wish We Knew What to Say

Dr Pragya Agarwal

'A thoughtful, prescient read for any mother or father parenting through the unique challenges of this racially polarised year, decade and beyond' Kenya Hunt 'Comprehensive, readable, and so very important. The next generation needs you to read this book' Clare Mackintosh, Sunday Times bestselling author'A vital book that equips us to have conversations about race and racism with young people,... read more

'A thoughtful, prescient read for any mother or father parenting through the unique challenges of this racially polarised year, decade and beyond' Kenya Hunt 'Comprehensive, readable, and so very important. The next generation needs you to read this book' Clare Mackintosh, Sunday Times bestselling author'A vital book that equips us to have conversations about race and racism with young people,... read more

Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?

Alyssa Mastromonaco, Lauren Oyler

'Always fascinating and very funny, Alyssa's book is full of juicy stories from one of the world's most glamorous jobs' Mindy KalingIf your funny older sister were the former deputy chief of staff to President Barack Obama, her behind-the-scenes political memoir would look something like this . . .Alyssa Mastromonaco worked for Barack Obama for almost a decade, and long before his run for pres... read more

'Always fascinating and very funny, Alyssa's book is full of juicy stories from one of the world's most glamorous jobs' Mindy KalingIf your funny older sister were the former deputy chief of staff to President Barack Obama, her behind-the-scenes political memoir would look something like this . . .Alyssa Mastromonaco worked for Barack Obama for almost a decade, and long before his run for pres... read more

Locking Up Our Own

James Forman, Jr.

Winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-FictionLonglisted for the National Book AwardOne of the New York Times Book Review's 10 Best Books of 2017Former public defender James Forman, Jr. is a leading critic of mass incarceration and its disproportionate impact on people of colour. In Locking Up Our Own, he seeks to understand the war on crime that began in the 1970s and why it was su... read more

Winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-FictionLonglisted for the National Book AwardOne of the New York Times Book Review's 10 Best Books of 2017Former public defender James Forman, Jr. is a leading critic of mass incarceration and its disproportionate impact on people of colour. In Locking Up Our Own, he seeks to understand the war on crime that began in the 1970s and why it was su... read more

Cold Warriors

Duncan White

'White handles hefty quantities of research effortlessly, combining multiple biographies with a broader overview of the period. His energetic, anecdote-laden prose will have you hooked all the way from Orwell to le Carré' Sunday Times, Books of the Year'Cold Warriors reads like a thriller . . . ambitious, intelligent, searching history' The TimesIn this age of 24-hour news coverage, where rall... read more

'White handles hefty quantities of research effortlessly, combining multiple biographies with a broader overview of the period. His energetic, anecdote-laden prose will have you hooked all the way from Orwell to le Carré' Sunday Times, Books of the Year'Cold Warriors reads like a thriller . . . ambitious, intelligent, searching history' The TimesIn this age of 24-hour news coverage, where rall... read more

Diamond Hill

Kit Fan

Set in the last shanty town of Hong Kong before the fraught 1997 handover from Britain to China, Diamond Hill follows the return of a recovering heroin addict, Buddha, as he tries to salvage what's left from a place he hoped to forget.Diamond Hill was once the 'Hollywood of the Orient', but is now an eyesore in the middle of a glitzy financial hub. Buddhist nuns, drug gangs, property developer... read more

Set in the last shanty town of Hong Kong before the fraught 1997 handover from Britain to China, Diamond Hill follows the return of a recovering heroin addict, Buddha, as he tries to salvage what's left from a place he hoped to forget.Diamond Hill was once the 'Hollywood of the Orient', but is now an eyesore in the middle of a glitzy financial hub. Buddhist nuns, drug gangs, property developer... read more

Naked at the Albert Hall

Tracey Thorn

In her bestselling autobiography Bedsit Disco Queen, Tracey Thorn recalled the highs and lows of a thirty-year career in pop music. But with the touring, recording and extraordinary anecdotes, there wasn't time for an in-depth look at what she actually did for all those years: sing. She sang with warmth and emotional honesty, sometimes while battling acute stage-fright.Part memoir, part wide-r... read more

In her bestselling autobiography Bedsit Disco Queen, Tracey Thorn recalled the highs and lows of a thirty-year career in pop music. But with the touring, recording and extraordinary anecdotes, there wasn't time for an in-depth look at what she actually did for all those years: sing. She sang with warmth and emotional honesty, sometimes while battling acute stage-fright.Part memoir, part wide-r... read more

Circling the Sun

Paula McLain

A RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK'Thrilling...sun-soaked, gin-fuelled...A totally absorbing and compelling read.' Richard & JudyThe author of The Paris Wife takes us to the heart of another true story: set in 1920s colonial Kenya, Circling the Sun is about an unforgettable woman who lives by nobody's rules but her own.She was a daughter of Edwardian England, transplanted to Kenya as a young girl... read more

A RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK'Thrilling...sun-soaked, gin-fuelled...A totally absorbing and compelling read.' Richard & JudyThe author of The Paris Wife takes us to the heart of another true story: set in 1920s colonial Kenya, Circling the Sun is about an unforgettable woman who lives by nobody's rules but her own.She was a daughter of Edwardian England, transplanted to Kenya as a young girl... read more

Writers as Readers

Virago Press

Margaret Drabble | Beryl Bainbridge | Angela Carter | Maggie O'Farrell | Elizabeth Jane Howard | A. S. Byatt | Penelope Lively | Sarah Waters | Jonathan Coe | Diana Souhami | Jilly Cooper | Elizabeth Bowen | Mark Bostridge | Alexander McCall Smith | Sarah Dunant | Rachel Cooke | Zadie Smith | Anita Desai | Sophie Dahl | Clare Boylan | Paula McLain | Diana Athill | Marina Lewycka | Claire Messu... read more

Margaret Drabble | Beryl Bainbridge | Angela Carter | Maggie O'Farrell | Elizabeth Jane Howard | A. S. Byatt | Penelope Lively | Sarah Waters | Jonathan Coe | Diana Souhami | Jilly Cooper | Elizabeth Bowen | Mark Bostridge | Alexander McCall Smith | Sarah Dunant | Rachel Cooke | Zadie Smith | Anita Desai | Sophie Dahl | Clare Boylan | Paula McLain | Diana Athill | Marina Lewycka | Claire Messu... read more

English Animals

Laura Kaye

'A joy to read' Amanda Craig'Shades of Cold Comfort Farm...Charming' GuardianEnglish Animals is a subversive, wry debut that fans of Marina Lewycka's A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian will love. When Mirka gets a job in a country house in rural England, she has no idea of the struggle she faces to make sense of a very English couple, and a way of life that is entirely alien to her. Rich... read more

'A joy to read' Amanda Craig'Shades of Cold Comfort Farm...Charming' GuardianEnglish Animals is a subversive, wry debut that fans of Marina Lewycka's A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian will love. When Mirka gets a job in a country house in rural England, she has no idea of the struggle she faces to make sense of a very English couple, and a way of life that is entirely alien to her. Rich... read more

Plucked!

Maryn McKenna

'This is an important book. You can't understand the radical cheapening of food, with all its unpleasant effects, for farm animals and our most cherished rural landscapes, until you begin to understand the industrialisation of chicken. Industrial chicken is now displacing many more sustainable farming systems, driving them out of business. This book explains how that happened and why we should... read more

'This is an important book. You can't understand the radical cheapening of food, with all its unpleasant effects, for farm animals and our most cherished rural landscapes, until you begin to understand the industrialisation of chicken. Industrial chicken is now displacing many more sustainable farming systems, driving them out of business. This book explains how that happened and why we should... read more

For the Love of Peanuts

Peanuts Global Artist Collective, Elizabeth Anne Hartman

A gorgeous, coffee-table collection that captures the energy, excitement and, of course, the love, behind Peanuts's first-ever partnership and public art exhibition with seven major internationally renowned artists including Nina Chanel Abney, AVAF (Assume Vivid Astro Focus), FriendsWithYou, Mr. A (Andre Saraiva), Tomokazu Matsuyama, Rob Pruitt, and Kenny Scharf.Launched in early 2018, the Pea... read more

A gorgeous, coffee-table collection that captures the energy, excitement and, of course, the love, behind Peanuts's first-ever partnership and public art exhibition with seven major internationally renowned artists including Nina Chanel Abney, AVAF (Assume Vivid Astro Focus), FriendsWithYou, Mr. A (Andre Saraiva), Tomokazu Matsuyama, Rob Pruitt, and Kenny Scharf.Launched in early 2018, the Pea... read more

Laughing All the Way to the Mosque

Zarqa Nawaz

Being a practicing Muslim in the West is sometimes challenging, sometimes rewarding and sometimes downright absurd. How do you explain why Eid never falls on the same date each year; why it is that Halal butchers also sell teapots and alarm clocks; how do you make clear to the plumber that it's essential the toilet is installed within sitting-arm's reach of the tap? Zarqa Nawaz has seen and do... read more

Being a practicing Muslim in the West is sometimes challenging, sometimes rewarding and sometimes downright absurd. How do you explain why Eid never falls on the same date each year; why it is that Halal butchers also sell teapots and alarm clocks; how do you make clear to the plumber that it's essential the toilet is installed within sitting-arm's reach of the tap? Zarqa Nawaz has seen and do... read more

The Indian Empire At War

George Morton-Jack

'Essential to a proper understanding of the war and of our world of today' Michael Morpurgo1.5 million Indians fought with the British in the First World War - from Flanders to the African bush and the deserts of the Islamic world, they saved the Allies from defeat in 1914 and were vital to global victory in 1918. Using previously unpublished veteran interviews, this is their story, told as ne... read more

'Essential to a proper understanding of the war and of our world of today' Michael Morpurgo1.5 million Indians fought with the British in the First World War - from Flanders to the African bush and the deserts of the Islamic world, they saved the Allies from defeat in 1914 and were vital to global victory in 1918. Using previously unpublished veteran interviews, this is their story, told as ne... read more

David has 19 reviews

Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality

Adam Foster
My second time working with David and, once again, he did not disappoint!

Adam Foster, March 2023


Adam Foster
A consummate professional. David was thoughtful with his critique, incisive with his cuts and a total joy to work with. We worked together sharpening up some sample chapters of my memoir for submission. He did two rounds of notes - one with a more developmental focus, the other more copy-editing focused. Couldn't recommend more!

Adam Foster, January 2023


David Weinstein
Great experience. So much so that plan to use David again. Recommend without reservation.

David Weinstein, December 2022


David Weinstein
David has exceeded my expectations. He is certainly a professional and could very well be editing top books at the big houses. I would recommend him without reservation.

David Weinstein, December 2022


Lesley Howard
This has been my first experience of working with a professional proofreader, and David was a pleasure to work with. Not only correcting punctuation and formatting, he also made other suggestions which were very helpful, without changing my author's voice, and picked up on inaccuracies which had eluded me. It was an enjoyable collaboration and would definitely recommend David. I hope that we ...
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Lesley Howard, September 2022

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