Overview
I'm a fiction and non-fiction editor with nearly 20 years' experience, having climbed the ranks from editorial assistant to editorial director/company board member, and my skills are subsequently wide-ranging.
I’ve commissioned and grown authors (both mainstream and genre) to bestselling and award-winning status, and I now work in various capacities with publishing companies, literary agents, private authors and writers'/literary festivals. Publishing clients include: Bookouture; Elliot & Thompson; Hachette Ireland; HarperCollins; Little, Brown; Orion; Pan Macmillan; Penguin Random House; Transworld and Whitefox.
I work on fiction and non-fiction, across all editorial areas, e.g. >
- query letter review and advice
- manuscript assessments
- structural/developmental edits
- line-editing
- copy-editing
- proofreading
Do get in touch about your project; I'd love to hear from you!
Some titles I've worked on as a freelancer:
* John Marr's sci-fi hit The One (now on Netflix)
* The Summer of Impossible Things by Rowan Coleman and Killer Intent by Tony Kent, which were both chosen for the 2018 Zoe Ball TV Book Club
* Two of the six WHSmith Richard and Judy Book Club summer 2019 titles - How to be Famous by Caitlin Moran & Marked for Death by Tony Kent
* The No.1 bestselling novel (Ireland), Hungry Road by Marita Conlon-McKenna (2021)
* Winner of the Romantic Novelists’ Association Popular Fiction Award 2022 (voted for by librarians, book bloggers and reviewers, and booksellers): The River Between Us by Liz Fenwick; and the Festive Holiday Romantic Novel Award 2022: Winter at Cliff’s End Cottage by Sheila Norton
* Sunday Times Bestsellers:
- Lucky by Ed Jackson (rugby union player turned Paralympics presenter)
- Get Divorced, Be Happy by Helen Thorn (award-winning comedian and podcaster)
- Knee Deep in Life by Laura Belbin (author of the Knee Deep in Life blog)
- Hear Me Out by Sarah Harding
- Friend Request by Laura Marshall
- Midnight in Everwood by M.A. Kuzniar
- A Different Kind of Happy by Rachaele Hambleton (aka Part-Time Working Mummy)
- With This Kiss by Carrie Hope Fletcher
- No Shame by Laura Belbin (author of the Knee Deep in Life blog)
- Be Yourself and Happier: The A-Z Guide to Wellbeing by Will Young
- Springtime at Cannon Hall Farm by The Nicholson Family
- Ten Things I Hate About Me: How to Stay Alive With a Brain That's Trying to Kill You by Joe Tracini
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Services
Non-Fiction
Fiction
Languages
Awards
- In 2012, I was one of four people shortlisted for the prestigious Kim Scott Walwyn Prize, which recognises women's creativity, professionalism and ambition in publishing.
Certifications
- BA Arts (Joint Honours – English and Philosophy), University College Cork
- MA Publishing Studies City University, London
Work experience
Self-employed
Since July 2015, I have worked freelance with major trade publishers, agents and private authors on their editorial projects, providing a range of services.
Harlequin UK Ltd
Oversaw the running of the Harlequin UK editorial programme and its imprints, managing a team of 6, as well as commissioning and growing authors myself. I sat on the board, and so was also involved in the management of the company at senior level.
Little, Brown
During my six years at Little, Brown, I held various editorial roles, latterly Senior Commissioning Editor. I worked on commercial fiction, including: women’s commercial fiction; historical fiction; romantic suspense; crime and thrillers; paranormal romance; urban fantasy; and horror.
Portfolio
Donna has 29 reviews
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May, 2024
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Jan, 2024
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Jun, 2024
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