Lauren Finger - Editor
Editor and proofreader, 19 yrs. Bookouture, Atlantic Books, Allen & Unwin. Commercial fiction and memoir. Spaces from November.
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Overview
I'm a very experienced editor with a great reputation in trade publishing, including digital publishing. I most recently worked for digital publisher Bookouture on commercial fiction (crime, thrillers, romance and women's fiction), and before that the more traditional and literary houses, Atlantic Books and Allen & Unwin (literary and commercial fiction, histories, biographies, memoirs, true crime). I am available for developmental editing, copyediting and proofreading. I'm experienced in both fiction and non-fiction, and have worked with first-time authors through to academics, journalists, high-profile writers and celebrities.
My job is to make your manuscript the best manuscript it can be. I love what I do, and I'm good at it! I'm scarily organised, communicative and have a dry sense of humour. I have empathy and imagination, and will work with you to help you take your manuscript where you want it to go; whether that is to a small group of people, or the world.
My job is to make your manuscript the best manuscript it can be. I love what I do, and I'm good at it! I'm scarily organised, communicative and have a dry sense of humour. I have empathy and imagination, and will work with you to help you take your manuscript where you want it to go; whether that is to a small group of people, or the world.
Languages
English (AUS)
English (UK)
English (US)
Fiction
Action & Adventure
Mystery & Crime
Psychological Thriller
Romantic Comedy
Women's Fiction
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Self-help & Self-improvement
Travel
Work experience
Managing Editor
Bookouture
October, 2016
–
August, 2018
(almost 2 years)
Bookouture is a very successful digital publisher of commercial fiction.
• Project managing all titles from manuscript to finished product (and across very short schedules)
• Liaising with freelance contributors, allocating jobs and fees, checking their work etc.
• Briefing copyeditors, proofreaders, typesetters
• Editing, proofreading, proof checking
• Overseeing and maintaining schedules for all titles in production
• Overseeing corrections and distribution processes
• Liaising with authors
• Mentoring and supervising editorial staff and checking their work
Freelance - Copyeditor, Proofreader
Self-employed
September, 2018
–
Present
(almost 2 years)
Copyediting and proofreading for indie writers, book publishers, magazines, universities, think tanks, charities and individual writers. Mentoring writers pursuing completed manuscripts, publication etc.
Clients include: Aspiring authors, established indie (self-published), Bookouture, Penguin Random House Australia, Allen & Unwin, Brio Books, Canelo, Hera Books, Hardie Grant, Simon & Schuster Australia
Managing Editor
Atlantic Books
January, 2012
–
September, 2016
(over 4 years)
Atlantic Books and its imprints publish literary and commercial fiction and non-fiction
• Editing, proofreading, proof checking
• Reading and reporting on submissions
• Liaising with authors
• Project managing all titles and other special projects in-house from manuscript to finished product
• Liaising with all freelance contributors, allocating jobs and fees, checking their work etc.
• Briefing designers, copyeditors, proofreaders, illustrators, typesetters
• Overseeing and maintaining budgets and schedules for all titles in production
• Mentoring and supervising editorial staff and checking their work
Proofreader
London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games
August, 2011
–
December, 2011
(4 months)
Working in a small team to produce hundreds of publications for the large volunteer force, and helping inexperienced writers to communicate effectively
• Copyediting and proofreading training documents for the London 2012 volunteers
• Liaising with printers, designers and contributors
Senior Editor and Editor
Allen & Unwin
September, 2005
–
April, 2011
(over 5 years)
Subjects worked on include: fiction (commercial and literary), memoir, biography, history, politics, current affairs, travel writing, psychology, education, cultural studies, humour, anthologies, military history, self-help, sport, true crime.
Roles and Responsibilities:
• Project managing several titles at once—overseeing production from manuscript to book
• Copyediting and proofreading manuscripts, checking proofs
• Collaborating and working with authors
• Briefing covers, illustrations and internal designs
• Commissioning, working with, and checking work from freelancers, typesetters, printers and pre-press houses
• Managing schedules and budgets
• Training and mentoring new staff
Portfolio (32 selected works)
‘Wow… I laughed out loud, I cried, I stayed up well into the night reading just a little bit more. I just loved this book so much… I really really loved this book… An absolute joy to read.’ Goodreads ReviewerSometimes it takes losing something to see where you truly belong. For the past twenty-nine years, Kay Bright’s days have had a familiar rhythm: she works in her husband’s stationery shop ... read more
‘I absolutely loved this book, it was a beautiful story about love, loss and family. The characters were so well drawn I felt I knew them, and I didn't want to finish the book because that would mean saying goodbye to these wonderful characters.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐When you lose the love of your life, how do you find yourself again?For Tabitha, the day that changed everything started lik... read more
The face of the woman in the photograph was tilted upwards, as if enjoying the sunshine just for a moment, even as the wreckage of the bombed-out street lay behind her… 1944, Cornwall: Blinded by love, Vivienne Hamilton eloped to Paris with a Nazi prisoner-of-war, never to be seen again. A disgrace to her family, her name would not be mentioned by any of her relatives for over 75 years.Present... read more
Savage Gods (John Savage Action Thriller Book 4)
Boland, Peter
A Memoir. The extraordinary true story of a boy's journey from starvation at sea to becoming one of Australia's best-loved comedians. A story of true inspiration.
The Roving Party
Rohan Wilson
Raw and hauntingly beautiful, a vivid reimagining of John Batman's infamous roving party that set out to hunt and kill the Aborigines of Tasmania. Winner of the 2011 Australian/Vogel's award.1829, Tasmania...John Batman, ruthless, singleminded; four convicts, the youngest still only a stripling; Gould, a downtrodden farmhand; two free black trackers; and powerful, educated Black Bill, brought ... read more
A fascinating exploration of the women who love the baddest of the bad boys, including the wife of Mark "Chopper" ReadWhat attracts women to dangerous men? For some, it is true love, while for others, it's the excitement, wealth, and glamour. What was it like for Mary-Ann Hodge to be married to Mark "Chopper" Read? How was Joe Korp's former girlfriend Tania Herman persuaded to try to kill his ... read more
Title: Tamil Tigress( My Story as a Child Soldier in Sri Lanka's Bloody Civil War) <>Binding: Paperback <>Author: iromiDeSoyza, <>Publisher: Allen&UnwinAustralia
‘This has probably reawakened my love for psychological thrillers!...I don’t think I’ll be able to recommend this one enough. It’s definitely a must read…my book of the year so far!’ Nemesis Book BlogNew beginnings. Old secrets.Theo and Pilar. The perfect couple.Successful, beautiful and very much in love. Until a year ago - and the tragedy that nearly tore them apart.When their baby died, a p... read more
The Ghost Mothers
Jackie McCarthy
Yasmin has just landed her dream job, the one she’s yearned for since childhood. But it’s all a sham, just like her resume. Will her ghost-mothers reveal her biggest lie of all?When Yasmin Taylor-Lee starts her first day at The Woman’s Standard magazine – after dropping some sizeable porkies to get the job - she learns that they have one shot at hitting record circulation, or the whole company... read more
‘Oh my god… This book is stunning and must be read by everyone… It made me blub like a baby and I met my grocery delivery man with tears streaming down my face! Five stars.’ Cappuccino and Chocolate, 5 starsHolly was overjoyed to discover she was pregnant. But the baby is unwell, and her relationship is fracturing under the stress. Just when she is at her lowest, she receives the worst news of... read more
The woman’s limbs were so thin; the skin on her arms as translucent as tracing paper. Around her neck lay a faint string of purple bruises. In one so frail, darker, angrier marks might be expected but Beth knew the bruising would have stopped the moment her heart stopped beating.When a walker finds the body of a woman by the shores of Lake Ullswater, the police are put on high alert. Felicia E... read more
‘Romantic, uplifting and full of heart’ Cathy Bramley, author of A Vintage SummerShe’s taking her life back, one step at a time…Grace thought she had it all. Living in the beautiful village of Little Ollington, along with head teacher husband Mark and gorgeous son, Archie, she devoted herself to being the perfect mum and the perfect wife, her little family giving her everything she ever wanted... read more
The must-read psychological thriller for 2019 from the million-copy-bestselling author of Silent Child.In one moment, Kat Cavanaugh’s perfect world is shattered into tiny fragments. The flash of her daughter’s torn yellow dress, the beautiful blonde hair hanging across her precious face. Her own heart-broken sob…Kat experiences every mother’s worst nightmare when her little girl is found dead.... read more
He looked down at the little girl, sleeping peacefully, her arms wrapped around a teddy bear. He knew he was the only one who could save her. He could let her sleep forever.An eight-year-old girl, Chelsea Compton, is missing in Pine Valley, California and for Detective Katie Scott it’s a cruel reminder of the friend who disappeared from summer camp twenty years ago. Unable to shake the memorie... read more
My hands are shaking as my fingers curl around the small, neatly wrapped box. There’s a tag dangling from the centre of the red bow which says Love from Kayla in her beautiful, swirly handwriting. I read over the three words countless times, tracing the letters with my fingertip. How is this possible?Heather’s beloved daughter, Kayla, is her world. She is fifteen, a brilliant basketball player... read more
Nine years ago her daughter was taken. And now she’s back.Two-and-a-half-year-old Holly is playing happily in a pink plastic playhouse, while her mother Rachel sips coffee and chats with a friend nearby. It should be an ordinary day for all of them. But, in the blink of an eye, it turns into every family’s worst nightmare.Holly is taken by a stranger and never found.Nine years later, Rachel is... read more
Hush Hush: (Harriet Blue 4) (Detective Harriet Blue Series)
James Patterson, Candice Fox
Harriet Blue used to be a detective. Now she's inmate 3329.Prison is a dangerous place for a former cop – as Harriet Blue is learning on a daily basis.So, following a fight for her life and a prison-wide lockdown, the last person she wants to see is Deputy Police Commissioner Joe Woods. The man who put her inside.But Woods is not there to gloat. His daughter Tonya and her two-year-old child ha... read more
‘I am in book love with this series!’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars Fortune tellers and mediums have descended on the Oyster Cove Guesthouse, determined to finally solve the mystery of local seafarer Jedediah Biddeford’s murder 300 years ago. New owner Josie Waters has suddenly got bigger problems than burning the breakfasts: she’s up to her elbows in tarot cards and tea leaves…When one of the m... read more
HER KIND OF LUCK
Michelle Balogh
A violin prodigy. A Guinness-World-Record Holder. A suspected spy. A grandmother ...In her mid-twenties, rudderless and unsure, Michelle Balogh moved into her great-grandmother Shan-Yi’s Sydney apartment just after her passing. Shan-Yi had been part of Michelle’s family since long before she was born and staying at the glamorous art deco apartment was meant to help Michelle back on her feet.Mo... read more
Paris, 1920s. Tatiana Vytenis has worked hard to leave her past behind. Once a ruined Russian princess in hiding, she is now a sought-after model and engaged to Gérard de Sainte-Vierge – a handsome, if occasionally overbearing, aristocrat. With the Sainte-Vierge heirloom ruby sparkling on her finger, Tatiana feels as though she should be happy. Not long ago she was penniless and now she’s abou... read more
The Devil Inside
D.L. Hicks
Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Revelation 2:10In a peaceful coastal town, a young woman is found brutally murdered, a piece of scripture held tightly in her hand. Local detective Charlotte Callaghan is put on the case, and she’s glad for the distraction – Gull Bay can be a hard place to keep a secret, and she’s holding on to a few.After Charlotte asks her brother, Father Joseph Call... read more
Black Bones, Red Earth
Lee Richie
Black Bones, Red Earth, is the harrowing, yet ultimately uplifting tale of a child’s search for happiness and a woman’s test of faith. Australian Southern Highlands author, Lee Richie, looked to his mother for inspiration for this heart-wrenching novel, but where the story eventually led, surprised even he. “It’s a shameful thread that runs throughout history; children are the ones to suffer a... read more
Why She Ran: A completely gripping heart-stopping crime thriller
Geraldine Hogan
‘Rachel. They must have made a mistake. A mother would know?’ She let her words pour into the emptiness of the kitchen. She began to shiver. ‘I can’t feel anything,’ she said softly and rocked back and forth, as if she was a huge child, seeking solace in the simple gesture.When young, pretty nurse Rachel McDermott is found murdered in the harsh lights of the hospital kitchen where she works, h... read more
The Lotus Eaters
Emily Clements
Since childhood, Emily Clements’ sense of self had always been shaped by the opinions of others and her need to be liked. When a stand-off with her best friend sees nineteen-year-old Emily stranded in Vietnam, she is alone for the first time and adrift in a new environment. With seemingly nothing to lose, she makes the biggest decision of her life – to stay. But Emily's attempts to bridge a ya... read more
Daisy Turner has worked at Buchanan’s Family Jewellers since the day she finally escaped her troubled home. With a unique talent for matching the perfect piece of jewellery to any romantic milestone, she painstakingly polishes each stunning creation every morning and safely locks them away each night, longing for the day she’ll have a love story to call her own…But everything changes one day i... read more
‘Sometimes we can’t see what’s right in front of us, Kat. Everyone has secrets, even the people we love, the people we live with…’Kat remembers the days when her only daughter Amy wouldn't leave her side. Amy was the baby who cried when you walked out of the room, the toddler who was too shy to speak to strangers, the small child who clung to Kat's legs in the school playground.But now Amy is ... read more
Her. Me. Handcuffs. You think you know what we’re up to, don’t you?I’m Archer.I’ve been in trouble plenty but I got these bad boys from home.Emily looks so good handcuffed to me.This is the only way I could think to stop her.She found out her mom was in danger and she ran away.She wants to save her, but we’re at war.Her brother, my best friend, told me I have to keep her safe.He trusts me.Unli... read more
Lauren has 3 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
Lauren is a pleasure to work with and an extremely thorough editor. She makes great suggestions and picks up on errors but always maintains the author's 'voice' while making changes. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her as an editor.
Sarah Dalton, June 2020
Reply from Lauren Finger
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Lauren, who is such a professional and a delight to work with. She is endlessly enthusiastic and very supportive of the projects she's helped me with, as well as being a genuinely nice person.
Lauren completed some editing work for me in early 2019. Her first task was to copyedit and proofread a short story prequel of around 8,000 words. Lauren returned the wor...
Read more
Jackie McCarthy, June 2019
Reply from Lauren Finger
Absolutely brilliant! So much work for so little money. If she had charged me double it would still be an absolute bargain. I shall be thanking her on the Acknowledgements page of my debut thriller, A Beautiful Way to Die, which is due for publication on 15th April 2019.
David M Hinds, November 2018
Reply from Lauren Finger
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