Fiona Marshall - Editor
14 years experience on psychology, health and self-help titles at a top London publisher, with quality authors and award-winning books.
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Overview
Senior Commissioning Editor, Sheldon Press, 2004-2018
With around 200 titles on the list, I have commissioned and edited a wide range of topics, from personality disorder, depressive illness and anxiety, to arthritis, tinnitus and fibromyalgia. I have worked with doctors, nurses, medical journalists and those writing their first book. In all cases, development of an authorial voice is as important as presentation of clear information and sound advice.
The Sheldon Press books have frequently won awards at the BMA Medical Book Awards and are selected for the national Reading Well Books on Prescription scheme.
Titles include:
Depressive Illness, The Curse of the Strong, Dr Tim Cantopher
Toxic People: Coping with dysfunctional relationships, Dr Tim Cantopher (Highly Commended, BMA Medical Book Awards 2018)
Autism and Asperger Syndrome in Adults, Dr Luke Beardon
Therapy Pets, A Guide, Jill Eckersley (Highly Commended, BMA Medical Book Awards 2017)
Coping with Memory Problems, Dr Sallie Baxendale (a Books on Prescription title)
Taming the Beast Within: Shredding the stereotypes of personality disorder, Professor Peter Tyrer
Mental Health in Children and Young People: Spotting symptoms and seeking help early, Dr Sarah Vohra
Living with Tinnitus and Hyperacusis, Dr Laurence McKenna, Dr David Baguley, Dr Don McFerran
How to Stop Worrying, Dr Frank Tallis (A Books on Prescription title)
The Sheldon Short Guide to Phobias and Panic, Professor Kevin Gournay (a Books on Prescription title)
Coping with the Psychological Effects of Illness: Strategies to manage anxiety and depression, Dr Fran Smith, Dr Carina Eriksen, Professor Robert Bor (Highly Commended, BMA Medical Book Awards 2015)
I have also worked on a number of series, including:
The Dr Dawn Guides - a series of 10 health books by Dr Dawn Harper of the TV show Embarrassing Bodies
The Mindful Way, a series exploring how mindfulness can help with specific conditions and situations, such as Pain Management, Dr Cheryl Rezek, and Life Crisis, Catherine G. Lucas
The Drug-Free Way – a series explaining how complementary therapies may help certain conditions, such as Depression and Anxiety the Drug-Free Way, Mark Greener, and Menopause the Drug-Free Way, Dr Juliet Bressan
Sheldon Guides and Short Guides - shorter books of 20,000+ words
With around 200 titles on the list, I have commissioned and edited a wide range of topics, from personality disorder, depressive illness and anxiety, to arthritis, tinnitus and fibromyalgia. I have worked with doctors, nurses, medical journalists and those writing their first book. In all cases, development of an authorial voice is as important as presentation of clear information and sound advice.
The Sheldon Press books have frequently won awards at the BMA Medical Book Awards and are selected for the national Reading Well Books on Prescription scheme.
Titles include:
Depressive Illness, The Curse of the Strong, Dr Tim Cantopher
Toxic People: Coping with dysfunctional relationships, Dr Tim Cantopher (Highly Commended, BMA Medical Book Awards 2018)
Autism and Asperger Syndrome in Adults, Dr Luke Beardon
Therapy Pets, A Guide, Jill Eckersley (Highly Commended, BMA Medical Book Awards 2017)
Coping with Memory Problems, Dr Sallie Baxendale (a Books on Prescription title)
Taming the Beast Within: Shredding the stereotypes of personality disorder, Professor Peter Tyrer
Mental Health in Children and Young People: Spotting symptoms and seeking help early, Dr Sarah Vohra
Living with Tinnitus and Hyperacusis, Dr Laurence McKenna, Dr David Baguley, Dr Don McFerran
How to Stop Worrying, Dr Frank Tallis (A Books on Prescription title)
The Sheldon Short Guide to Phobias and Panic, Professor Kevin Gournay (a Books on Prescription title)
Coping with the Psychological Effects of Illness: Strategies to manage anxiety and depression, Dr Fran Smith, Dr Carina Eriksen, Professor Robert Bor (Highly Commended, BMA Medical Book Awards 2015)
I have also worked on a number of series, including:
The Dr Dawn Guides - a series of 10 health books by Dr Dawn Harper of the TV show Embarrassing Bodies
The Mindful Way, a series exploring how mindfulness can help with specific conditions and situations, such as Pain Management, Dr Cheryl Rezek, and Life Crisis, Catherine G. Lucas
The Drug-Free Way – a series explaining how complementary therapies may help certain conditions, such as Depression and Anxiety the Drug-Free Way, Mark Greener, and Menopause the Drug-Free Way, Dr Juliet Bressan
Sheldon Guides and Short Guides - shorter books of 20,000+ words
Services
Languages
English (UK)
Non-Fiction
Health & wellbeing
New Age
Parenting & Families
Psychology
Self-help & Self-improvement
Sex & Relationships
Work experience
Freelance Editor
Self-employed
September, 2004
–
September, 2018
(about 14 years)
A highly literate and experienced editor and writer, seeing books through from concept to publication.
Previous experience
Senior Commissioning Editor, Sheldon Press 2004-2018
Responsible for formulating and implementing the publishing strategy at Sheldon Press, a leading publisher of health and self-help books. Commissioning a portfolio of medical and psychological books, with around 200 titles, this involved day-to-day management of all aspects of the publishing business, working with sales and marketing, rights, design, and finance department to ensure targets are met for turnover, and to maintain Sheldon's identity as a comprehensive health and medical list within the book trade.
1998-2004
Freelance journalist and writer, Guardian, Sun, Sunday Telegraph, Mail on Sunday, Woman, Practical Parenting, Parents, Top Santé, Here’s Health, Best, Bella, The Lady, Channel 4, BBC Woman’s Hour.
Author of 10 non-fiction books:
Coping Successfully with Your Second Child, Sheldon Press
Coping with Postnatal Depression, Sheldon Press
Losing a Parent, Sheldon Press, Perseus Book Group, USA
Your Child: Epilepsy, Harper Collins
Epilepsy the Natural Way, Harper Collins
Coping with Epilepsy, with Prof. Pamela Crawford, Sheldon Press
Your Man’s Health, Sheldon Press
Seasonal Affective Disorder, Sheldon Press, Positive Options for Seasonal Affective Disorder Hunter House, USA
Living with Autism, Sheldon Press
Living with Down’s Syndrome, Sheldon Press,
Overcoming Tiredness and Exhaustion Sheldon Press
Portfolio (16 selected works)
This book has helped many thousands of those who have depression. This new edition, written by a leading consultant psychiatrist, explains that depression tests the strongest of us. Dr Cantopher guides the reader through the nature of depression, its history, symptoms, causes and treatments. He covers the latest information on medications, new guidelines as to the management of depression, and... read more
Toxic People: Dealing With Dysfunctional Relationships
Tim Cantopher
Some people are so stressful, they can actually make us ill. Gameplayers, bullies, users and abusers – all pose a risk to our health and welfare if we don’t take action. This book presents the tools we need to deal with the toxic people in our lives who drain our energy. It explains how to make healthy relationship choices, set proper boundaries and recognize the red flags that should alert us... read more
Autism and Asperger Syndrome in Adults
Luke Beardon
Estimated to affect just over 1 per cent of the adult population in the UK - some 700,000 individuals – autism is still persistently viewed as a disorder or impairment – but, this concept needs to be challenged. Written by a university lecturer with several years’ experience in the field, this book presents an up-to-date overview of autism and Asperger syndrome, and comments on the realities o... read more
Therapy Pets: A Guide (Sheldon Guides)
Jill Eckersley
Most people are aware of Guide Dogs for the Blind and Hearing Dogs for the Deaf. Over the last 50 years there has been an increasing realisation among health and therapy professionals that close contact with other living creatures can be therapeutic. All kinds of people can benefit - the young, the old, those with mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, those with dementia, stro... read more
Coping with Memory Problems (Overcoming Common Problems)
Sallie Baxendale
This book explores how memory may be affected by stress, anxiety and depression, and suggests practical ways of coping, as well as what to do if you are really concerned. Topics include: Different types of memory such as prospective , autobiographical, and procedural memory How does memory go wrong? - with checklist Why memory may go wrong - normal age related decline, physical illness, medica... read more
Foreword by Stephen FryControversy and confusion surround personality disorder (PD). Long dismissed as impossible to treat, PD has become a catch-all for various conditions, abounding with negative stereotypes and incorrect information.Now, revised and simpler classifications devised for the World Health Organization (WHO) should make diagnosis and treatment more straightforward. This book, by... read more
‘I’m worried that my child is depressed and anxious.’ ‘I’m worried that my child has an eating disorder.’ ‘I’m worried about drugs.’ Mental health difficulties affect about 1 in 10 children and young people, ranging from fears, phobias and panic attacks to obsessions, compulsions and even psychosis. Written by a specialist psychiatrist and packed with expert advice, this comprehensive book hig... read more
The Sheldon Short Guide to Phobias and Panic
Kevin Gournay
Sheldon Short Guide to Phobias and Panic
Sudden, severe ill health comes as a shock and presents several challenges, most notably, loss of confidence. Suddenly people are afraid to take exercise, have sex or even go to the shops. Their entire self-image takes a battering, and this roller-coaster of uncertainty often leads to anxiety and depression. This book looks at the learning curve involved in sudden and chronic illness, and expl... read more
Dr Dawn's Guide to Women's Health
Dawn Harper
First book in a comprehensive health series by this popular media doctor. This book covers key areas of women's health, notably breast and reproductive health, from the fertile years through to menopause. In addition to the normal menstrual cycle, it also looks at medical problems specific to women. Topics include: breast cancer - screening, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, genetics benign bre... read more
Dr Dawn's Guide to Your Baby's First Year
Dr Dawn Harper
Coping with Epilepsy: New Edition
Pamela M. Crawford
Losing a Parent: Coming Through a Special Loss
Fiona Marshall
Whether from a sudden accident or a slow, terminal illness, the death of a parent is devastating to adults and children alike. In "Losing a Parent," Fiona Marshall helps readers understand the process of coping with a parent's death, from preparing for death to recognizing the different stages of grief, from nurturing the relationship with the surviving parent to harnessing new strength to car... read more
Fiona has 3 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
I was very impressed with Fiona's work. She not only improved the flow of the narrative and the style, but went out of her way to check the scientific accuracy of many claims and kept me on track when my jokes went too far. She probably did more than was expected from her, but checking and re-checking some chapters several times. She responded quickly to all my requests and felt we were working...
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George Kirov, April 2020
I was delighted to have Fiona Marshall as a development editor to progress my manuscript. I found her to be very professional not only in editing the manuscript but in her communication with me – she gave a timescale, and she was able to complete the work within that timescale. I am a first-time writer, and Fiona was able to pull the book together but still maintain my voice and language.
Fi...
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Jean Bean, May 2019
Fiona surpassed my expectations, she really cleared my texts of its "seaweeds" and gave it lightness and fluency. English is not my fist language, and mastering a new language as an adult, at the level of sophistication necessary to publish, is a major struggle. I think she was able to steer my writing as close as possible to a native level - I can't thank her enough.
I will certainly se...
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Anita Blanchard, January 2019
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