Edmund Pickett - Editor
I'm from the Rocky Mountain west. I've edited ten best selling thrillers, all for the same author. Now I'd like to help you.
Request a quote
Overview
I'm a novelist who got into editing accidentally and discovered that I liked it. I enjoyed the first two Mark Dawson thrillers I read but the next one seemed to have editing problems so I wrote him a long email. Instead of ignoring me, he offered me a job. That was about ten books ago. Besides writing my own thrillers and editing Mark's, I read a ton of thrillers by other authors (thank you, BookBub!) so I know the market and I know all the errors that can rob your plot of suspense and your prose of polish. I love sentences that flow and characters who are unpredictable. I can offer developmental editing in the early drafts, and copy editing for the final manuscript. I have non-literary experience that comes in handy in the thriller world also. I was born and raised in Wyoming and worked outdoors in Alaska for many years, so I know horses, trucks, firearms and explosives. My own writing is available on Amazon. Currently I divide my time between the Andes mountains of Argentina and the highlands of Mexico.
Languages
English (US)
Fiction
Action & Adventure
Mystery & Crime
Thriller & Suspense
Work experience
Editor
Self-employed
December, 2013
–
Present
(about 8 years)
As an editor I have had only one client, Mark Dawson. I have found that I enjoy editing. It's a good change of pace from my own writing and I always learn something. Since Mark writes thrillers and so do I, that is my area of concentration. Since I began to work for Mark I've found that I now think like an editor when writing my own books and also when reading other writers. I also keep in touch with the market by reading any new thriller author I can find. Best sellers, indies, newbies and wannabes, I read them all, so I can help you avoid the usual errors.
My focus in developmental editing is plot, characters, setting, continuity and pacing. I won't let you pad a chapter to make your daily word count. In copy editing, I'm hell on confusing fight scenes, mixed metaphors, unclear pronoun antecedents, and revolvers with safeties. I can help to make your action scenes addictive and your characters memorable. Note: Time passes and I've now worked with almost a hundred authors through Reedsy. Fifty-two of them have left reviews of me and you can read them by scrolling down. Note: there are several genres that I do not edit: fantasy, sci-fi, horror, supernatural, zombie or vampire. I don't read those genres for pleasure so I don't think I would be the best choice to edit them. I also do not work on serial killer novels, for the same reason.
Portfolio (16 selected works)
Shoal Creek
Bledsoe, Lanny, Bledsoe, Lanny
Backwater Channel (Kurt Hunter Mysteries Book 2)
Becker, Steven
Ghosts - John Milton #4 (John Milton Series)
Mark Dawson
John Milton is a ghost. He was Number One. The most dangerous assassin in Group Fifteen, the black-ops organisation that solves problems when diplomacy has failed. Now Milton is Her Majesty’s most wanted fugitive – an anonymous loner with a deadly set of skills. So when he is arrested following a brawl in a Texas bar, the last person he expected to bail him out was a glamorous operative from t... read more
A man called Milton walks into town… On the run from his own demons, John Milton treks through the Michigan wilderness into the town of Truth. He’s not looking for trouble, but trouble's looking for him. He finds himself up against a small-town cop who has no idea with whom he is dealing, and no idea how dangerous he is.But Milton is double crossed and badly injured. Unarmed and alone, he flee... read more
John Milton is trying to make amends for a career spent killing for the British Secret Service. He has a burning need to right wrongs - and rewrite his own bloody past.He finds himself in Louisiana - the Big Sleazy, the bayou, and the post-Katrina wreckage of the Gulf Coast - with a debt of honor to repay. Isadora Bartholomew, who saved his partner's life, needs his help. Joel Babineaux, a rut... read more
Bury your enemies, and bury them deep. John Milton thought he was done with Avi Bachman. The most dangerous man he's ever known has been incarcerated in Angola, the brutal Louisiana prison. Inmates rarely leave Angola. Once you go in, the only way out is in a box. But Bachman is no ordinary prisoner. He was an assassin for the Mossad, and he has favours to call in.Milton is in the Australian o... read more
The Agent (An Isabella Rose Thriller Book 3)
Mark Dawson
Isabella Rose is on the run, hunted by the very people she had been hired to work for. Trained killer Isabella and former handler Michael Pope are forced into hiding in India and, when a mysterious informer passes them clues on the whereabouts of Pope’s family, the prey see an opportunity to become the predators.Chased from the poverty of Mumbai’s slums into the sights of a sniper’s rifle amon... read more
Meet John Milton. He considers himself an artisan. A craftsman. His trade is murder. Milton is the man the government sends after you when everything else has failed. You wouldn't pick him out of a crowd but you wouldn't want to be on his list. In this second dip into his case files, Milton is sent to Italy to investigate the death of a colleague from Group 15, the secret assassination squad t... read more
1,000 Yards: A John Milton Short Story
Mark Dawson
From Amazon number-one best-selling author Mark Dawson, this novella is an introduction to John Milton, the most dangerous assassin in the pay of Her Majesty's government. Meet John Milton. He considers himself an artisan. A craftsman. His trade is murder. Milton is the man the government sends after you when everything else has failed. Ruthless. Brilliant. Anonymous. Lethal. You wouldn't pick... read more
An assassin haunted by his past. Two young refugees out of their depth and in need of his special talents.John Milton is no stranger to the world’s seedy underbelly. But when the former British Secret Service agent comes up against a ruthless human trafficking ring, he’ll have to fight harder than ever to conquer the evil in his path. After Milton meets a refugee who lost a sister to people sm... read more
An offer he couldn't refuse. A murder he can’t remember…John Milton’s life is about to change. The former government assassin follows a lead to Manila that he hopes will change his life. But he never expected to wake up in an unfamiliar hotel room beside a murder victim. And, unfortunately for him, Milton doesn’t remember a thing about the night before.Thrown into a gruesome Filipino prison, h... read more
New York isn’t ready for Britain’s most dangerous ex-assassin…John Milton has finally found a place to escape the bloodshed: off-season Coney Island. No tourists. No special ops. Just peace and quiet. But when a local boy witnesses a grisly murder, Milton can’t resist investigating.Milton uncovers a vicious drug kingpin and a group of crooked cops from a notorious precinct known as “The Alamo.... read more
John Milton is a former assassin for the British government. He is a ronin, trying to atone for his past sins by offering his services to those people who have no-one else to whom they can turn.Milton is keeping a low profile in London when he meets Eddie Fabian. Fabian confesses that he is considering suicide, and that the reason for his depression was the abuse that he suffered as a child. M... read more
Edmund has 85 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
This is my second time working with Edmund, and it was another great experience. He has provided me with valuable guidance, as he continues to help me refine my writing. We've had differences of opinion, but I've agreed with his suggestions more than I've disagreed. Edmund always balances criticism with compliments, and points you in the direction that you need to go. Re-reading his analysi...
Read more
Mike Campbell, January 2022
Edmund is a fantastic developmental editor. He doesn't sugar coat things, so when he does complement your work, it means that much more. I plan on using him for any future books I publish. Beyond pleased with his work. A perfect fit for any first time author in the thriller/espionage space.
Joseph Warren, January 2022
Edmund is a fantastic developmental editor. He has the keen eye of an avid reader and is very easy to work with. As a first time writer, I needed someone I could count on to tell the truth, and he did just that. He offered some sharp critiques about the ending of my novel, and, after sitting with them for a few days, I determined they were valid and worth considering. I plan on working with him...
Read more
Joseph Warren, December 2021
Edmund provides a raw and 'straight to the point' service. He will not let anything slide, which is a good thing because you will receive all the necessary feedback in order to help perfect your manuscript and bring it to its purest form.
If you're telling, he'll let you know. If you have filler, he'll point it out. If police protocols and procedures are off entirely, he will guide you in the ...
Read more
Markus Chambers, December 2021
Edmund delivered a developmental edit that was detailed and identified weaknesses in my manuscript I hadn’t seen. He pointed out the good, the bad and the ugly. He made it possible to see where my plot fell apart, and how my main character didn’t measure up. I got what I paid for.
Where I think he could have done better was his delivery. Others have called his feedback brutal. I don’t agree. ...
Read more
Jonathan Bundick, November 2021
Explore the Reedsy Community
Reedsy is a community of top publishing professionals. Join Reedsy today to browse 1000+ profiles.
Sandra Haven
I have 25 years experience assisting bestsellers and award-winners, traditional and self-published. Focus: mysteries, thrillers and series.
Port Hadlock, WA, United States
Jennifer Huston Schaeffer
Former senior editor for Capstone with 19+ years experience in biography, memoir, history, creative fiction and NF for adults and children.
Chicago, IL, USA
