Amy Durant

Amy Durant – Editor

I am an experienced editor who has worked for over ten years in publishing. Particular interests: literary, historical, and crime fiction.

Overview

I am a freelance editor and digital publishing consultant. I co-own Sapere Books, for which I am also the Editorial Director. I have edited over one hundred books, mainly focusing on historical fiction and historical non-fiction, but also on crime fiction, thrillers, women's fiction, romance, dystopian, horror, biography and general non-fiction. I work as a freelance editor, mainly giving opening chapter/ synopsis/ agency cover letter feedback, editorial critiques, developmental edits and full copy-edits.

TESTIMONIALS: 'Amy has always been the height of professionalism whenever I have worked with her on my books. Her constant and clear communication has guided me through the publishing process, and I have depended on her insight into both editing and the publishing industry. Amy is the perfect editor to have in your corner, and I highly recommend her.' Emily Murdoch, author of SEASONS OF LOVE.

'Amy is always prompt with her responses to questions and has been most helpful in getting my work published. It is a great pleasure to work with her.' John Frye, author of THE SECESSIONIST

'Amy did a good job on my Game of Empires (2015). She encouraged me to improve it in several important respects', Richard Blake, author of GAME OF EMPIRES
Services
Fiction
Dystopian Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Mystery & Crime Romance Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction
Non-Fiction
History True Crime
Languages
English (AUS) English (CAN) English (NZ) English (UK) English (US)
Awards
  • Shortlisted for the Kim Scott Walwyn Award 2017
  • Shortlisted for the LBF Trailblazer Award 2016
  • Shortlisted for the LBF Trailblazer Award 2018

Work experience

Sapere Books

Jan, 2018 — Present

I co-founded SAPERE BOOKS, a digital first publisher, specialising in historical fiction, crime fiction and thrillers, romance and women's fiction and popular history.

Endeavour Press

Jan, 2013 — May, 2017 (over 4 years)

I managed the publishing schedule for Endeavour Press for four years, commissioning both fiction and non-fiction work; editing manuscripts; rewriting some non-fiction essays; writing copy; overseeing cover design; and overseeing marketing strategies.

Portfolio

An uplifting romantic comedy from a new voice in women’s fiction! Perfect for fans of Trisha Ashley, Debbie Johnson, Jenny Colgan and Holly Martin. One long summer changed Faith forever… Faith Coombes should have been over the moon when her long-term boyfriend... read more
An international crime thriller with an unforgettable detective. Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin, Jo Nesbo and Peter Robinson.What do you do when the poison comes from within…?The body of a young woman is found strangled by the side of the road.There are no obv... read more
A heart-warming read full of quirky characters! Perfect for fans of Gail Honeyman, Rachel Joyce, Joanna Cannon and Graeme Simsion… All Ruth Robinson ever wanted was the man of her dreams. But she lost the man, and got a baby instead… Six months ago, Ruth Robin... read more
Looking for your new favourite historical mystery series? Perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes, Rory Clements and Antonia Hodgson…Jack the Ripper is stalking the streets of London. Can anyone stop the serial killer before more women are murdered? London, 1888Wh... read more
A sparkling and hilarious romantic comedy! Perfect for fans of Jo Watson, Gill Sims and Kirsty Greenwood… What do you do when the love of your life is already somebody else’s dad…? Brown-eyed, brunette, 25.Enjoys walking barefoot across shards of broken home. ... read more
Lady Fan and her crime-fighting family are back! For fans of Georgette Heyer, Mary Balogh, Barbara Erskine and Jane Austen.A dark shadow has been brought from the West Indies to an English estate…1790, EnglandLord Francis and Lady Ottilia Fanshawe are preparin... read more
Esther and Jack Enright embark on their next case! Perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes, Rory Clements and Antonia Hodgson…People are dying in London’s East End. Is a serial killer on the loose? London, 1894Five people have been killed during the demolition sta... read more
Looking for your next fix of Victorian crime? Discover a new series of historical mysteries perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes, Rory Clements and Antonia Hodgson…A shadowy presence is haunting London. Can anyone shine a light on the darkness? London, 1891The ... read more
Mina Scarletti returns in her most thrilling mystery yet! Perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie and Antonia Hodgson...A family is being torn apart by rumours of a murderer in their midst. Can Mina solve the mystery and lay the ghosts to rest? Br... read more
The Victorian crime-fighting couple are back! Perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes, Rory Clements and Antonia Hodgson…Dark rumours surround the death of a young woman. Can Jack and Esther Enright discover the truth? London, 1892When a young woman is found dead ... read more
'Vivid, gripping and authentic storytelling. A Great crime thriller.' --Robert Daws, bestselling author of The Rock and The Poisoned RockCorrupted is the fourth book in the Charles Holborne thriller series, and Simon Michael's follow up to the bestselling The ... read more
BookViral Readers Award Finalist for WW2 fiction! For fans of Pam Jenoff, Anthony Doerr, Sebastian Faulks and Kate Atkinson. Some memories fade, some refuse to let you go…1945, Carnforth, EnglandYoung sweethearts Rhoda and Peter were torn apart by the outbreak... read more
London, 1940.A city is at war, and under siege. When Eve Duncan stumbles upon the body of a dead girl, she is shocked - but no one else seems very concerned. With the imminent threat of invasion by the Germans, and bombing by the Luftwaffe, no one has the time... read more
Game of Empires

Richard Blake

Constantinople, 617 AD.Chained up in a condemned cell, Rodi thinks it’s the last day of his life.It becomes the first.Though only fourteen, his brains and skill at forgery make him too valuable for the Roman Empire to waste on a public execution.The Lord Treas... read more
Dante is one of the greatest poets of all time.. His work The Divine Comedy has provided the inspiration for hundreds of later works - of which Dan Brown's thriller 'Inferno' is just one example.But what are the meanings behind his complex symbolism? 'Dante: A... read more
Highwayman: Ironside

Micheal Arnold

England: 1655. A nation reeling from the turmoil of bloody civil war. An island in the iron grip of Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate. The forces of King Charles have been utterly defeated. The sovereign is dead, his supporters beaten, humiliated and scattered. B... read more
These days, Welfare Island is a verdant, residential retreat which was renamed Roosevelt Island in 1973. But in the earlier 20th century it was notorious as the “worst and most unmanageable prison in the world”. The grotesquely misnamed Welfare Island was know... read more
Everyone has heard of Cleopatra and Boudicca. But what about the other women who fought their way to power in the ancient world?The struggle for women to gain recognition within society was an issue no less important in the ancient world than the modern one. N... read more
Winter, 1941. The ambitious and headstrong Lieutenant Commander George Steadfast RNR is looking forward to captaining his first ship, the HMS Defiant. After years having to answer to commanders and captains, it’s finally Steadfast’s turn to take charge.After l... read more
Blood Horizon

Mark Dewar

The tenth century.Cordoba, the capital of Moorish Spain, is at the centre of a power struggle in the medieval world.The city is on the brink of war with their sworn enemy, Baghdad. Its ships are only days away from setting sail on a mission that could decide t... read more
Christmas 1913.In Britain, people are debating a new dance called ‘the tango’.In Germany, they are fascinated by the wedding of the Kaiser’s daughter to the Duke of Brunswick. Little did they know that their world was on The Eve of War, a catastrophe that was ... read more
For Jane Austen, Edmund was a name the represented heroism and chivalry, Maria signified heartlessness and Richard was a joke. She had a weakness for Emma and a passion for Frederick which endured from her earliest years until she bestowed it on her last, and ... read more
Nothing much ever happens in Beldon Magna, with its friendly blend of wealthy aristocrats and country folk living in a picturesque landscape of rolling hills and fields. This is, until one cold March morning…Out walking his dog Desmond Appleby comes across wha... read more
Charles Dickens is one of the best-loved English novelists. But who was the man behind the novels?And how did his turbulent personal life contribute to his literary genius?By the age of twelve Dickens was separated from his family when his father was sent to d... read more
1165 AD. The Third Crusade is on the horizon, and Henry II is on the throne. Young Frederick Banastre has grown up hearing about his father’s adventures in the Second Crusade. And now Frederick is being sent to court to become a steward to the young prince Ric... read more
Skin Deep

Anne Hjelle

‘As I look into my compact mirror hoping to see a familiar reflection, I am stunned when a stranger stares back at me. This is not the face I know so well. I am looking at the handiwork of a mountain lion; he ambushed me while I was biking in Whiting Ranch Wil... read more
17th Century England England has been fighting a bitter civil war for ten years. Abigail Chaplin, a young deaf girl, has lost her father who was fighting on the side of Parliament.With her family now in reduced circumstances, she is forced to work as a servant... read more
30-something Sarah has finally decided to start her own business.After years of 5 am starts, running around a busy television studio, she has decided to hand in her resignation, and begin her dream of running her own cake making business.Swapping her stylish c... read more
Nothing is what it seems ... Karl and Marte Vollan live in an isolated farmhouse in rural Norway. It seems like paradise until suddenly it becomes a living nightmare.During the dead of winter Karl tries to drive heavily pregnant Marte to hospital. But before h... read more
Dorothy Anderson is waiting to meet her husband, Gerry, at the prison gates.He has been locked away for twenty years for murder.She needs to spend time in the past to be able to cope with an uncertain future with a virtual stranger.So, as she anxiously awaits ... read more
Displacement

Derek Turner

Martin Hacklett is at the bottom of London’s pile - working-class and white, poor and uneducated, ignored and alienated. But he is bright and an athlete, and at nights becomes the London Leaper, free-running the capital’s roofline in defiance of death, seeking... read more
Meet Ryan Kyd, a former member of the elite Diplomatic Protection Group. In his time, Ryan guarded Royalty, Prime Ministers and faced down terrorists. Now he’s set up on his own as a Private Investigator on the mean streets of South London. Then trouble comes ... read more
Gorobets is a murderer.Age 17, just before the outbreak of the First World War, he plotted to kill the Tsar. He failed, but his bomb killed innocent bystanders. Picked up by the secret police, Gorobets was exiled to Siberia, and sent to ‘Ubiichogorsk’: a deadl... read more
'A storyteller who knows the humour, the fear and the frenzy of men in battle.' - Bernard CornwallAfghanistan. 1880. A bloodied but unbowed young medic must fight in a war that will test both his courage and conscience to its very limits. Despite his own wound... read more
Two years have passed since the dramatic destruction of Count Dracula.And Jonathan Harker has settled down to a quiet life as a junior partner in a law firm.But his reputation is about to catch up with him.As word of his abilities spreads, clients are turning ... read more
In the high days of the Raj Captain Toby Larburgh meets a stranger in Calcutta’s Great Eastern Hotel. Over a drink Toby tells of his adventures in the mountains of British India’s northern borders. His quest to find out what lay behind the death of a local Imp... read more
Anne Frank is the most well-known victim of the Holocaust.In 1945, at the age of fifteen she died at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, becoming one of the six million Jews who were murdered in Europe under the Nazi regime.But through her writing her memory liv... read more
Alan Mathison Turing. Mathematician, philosopher, codebreaker, a founder of computer science, and the father of Artificial Intelligence, Turing was one of the most original thinkers of the last century - and the man whose work helped create the computer-driven... read more
Meet Rook.A middle-aged philosophy professor with a sarcastic sense of humour, an ongoing rivalry with his highly-strung colleague Jeremy, and a rocky relationship with his ex-wife.But he has far more pressing matters to attend to than domestic disputes and ac... read more
Every year for thirty years Lord Robert, the Viscount of Marchwood, throws a Christmas Ball.But this year, the Marchwood Christmas Ball holds extra importance.His daughter, Lady Audrey, has just turned eighteen, and it is time for her to be introduced into soc... read more
Their finest hour…In 1939, with Britain fighting for its life against Nazi Germany, the Air Transport Auxiliary was formed to back up the Royal Air Force.All of its pilots were men. But by 1940, after Fighter Command lost hundreds of pilots during the Battle o... read more

Amy has 8 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Liam J.

Liam J.

May, 2024

Amy has helped me tremendously with my query letter and synopsis. They have gone from a basic blurb type to a full professional edit ready to send to agents. She also highlighted the improvements I need to make and the value of the story line of my book which was very strong and would work well. I can confidently move forward and make my novel the best I can ready for submission once all tidy ...
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Meg H.

Meg H.

May, 2024

Amy is a great editor. First time I've ever sent work to an editor so wasn't quite sure what to expect. Easy to work with, feedback she gave in the report was well written with points to work on, worded well and professionally. Again, wasn't sure what I was expecting but definitely didn't expect the level of feedback she gave. Definitely coming back to her once the work she's said has been comp...
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Les W.

Les W.

Apr, 2023

There I was, having done as much as I thought I was capable of with my first attempt at writing a novel. It needed more work, but I was bereft of ideas. An editor, I thought, would only be capable of so much. Would it be enough? Then along came Amy. Obtaining the services of Amy was the best move I could have made. Her professionalism and insight have given me much greater confidence and a ...
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Eleanor C.

Eleanor C.

Sep, 2018

Amy D. was a great help with editing a synopsis when I was under a tight deadline. Her communication was swift, her instructions were clear, and her edit was professional and extremely helpful. I will definitely be using Amy for future editing needs!
Brendan M.

Brendan M.

May, 2018

Amy, was excellent her review of the work was detailed concise and full of constructive criticism. Just what was required to take the book to the next level. I would certainly recommend Amy to any author needing a keen editorial eye on their work. The aftercare support from Amy is also very strong and fully appreciated. An excellent collaboration from my point of view. Bredan

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