Frances Moloney

Frances Moloney – Editor

Editor, writer & literary consultant with over ten years of experience, specialising in commercial and literary children’s fiction.

Overview

I'm a freelance editor, writer and literary consultant with a background in children's publishing. I have previously worked with a wide range of children’s publishers including Simon and Schuster, Hachette, Nosy Crow, Flying Eye, Pushkin and Tate. Most recently, I was Editorial Director at Catnip Books and love working with new authors. My debut novel, The Mystery of the Missing Mum was published by Pushkin Children's in August 2022.

My skills include proofreading, structural and copy editing, copy writing and literary consultancy.

My main areas of expertise are middle grade, young adult, teen, tween, series fiction and picture books.

I have previously worked on major brands such as Rainbow Magic, My Little Pony and Beast Quest, with authors Leo Hunt, Holly Webb, Berlie Doherty, Pippa Goodhart and Jonathan Meres, and on beautiful colour-fiction titles.

My strengths lie in being an excellent structural editor who can really get into the heart of a story and work out how to bring out the best in each novel I work on. During my freelance career I have worked with a variety of new authors and small businesses on new ventures, and am an experienced mentor for new authors.
Services
Fiction
Middle Grade Picture Books Young Adult
Languages
English (UK) English (US)
Certifications
  • English with Creative Writing (BA) Hons
  • Proofreading - Publishing Training Centre
  • Copywriting - Publishing Training Centre
  • Copyediting - Publishing Training Centre

Work experience

Various

Jan, 2016 — Present

Working with a variety of clients such as Hachette Children's Group, Simon and Schuster, Amazon, Scallywag, Imagine That and Cornerstones Literary Consultancy.
Offer a range of services: consultancy and editorial services including structural and copy editing, proofreading, manuscript review and copywriting.

Catnip Books

Jul, 2019 — May, 2020 (10 months)

Editorial director for independent children's publisher Catnip Books.
Working with established, prizewinning and debut authors on new publishing and classic titles.
Duties include assessing submissions, acquisitions of new titles and structural editing.

Bounce Sales & Marketing

Aug, 2017 — May, 2020 (over 2 years)

Working with a range of independent children's publishers to deliver the best books into the market.
Clients include Egmont, Scholastic, Nosy Crow, Flying Eye / No Brow, Pushkin Children's and Knights Of.
Duties include taking on new clients, meeting regularly with publishers to discuss forthcoming publication plans, organising sales conferences, managing sales projections and reprint schedules.

APA Publications

Apr, 2017 — Jul, 2017 (3 months)

Editing a range of travel guides.
Duties include structural and copy editing, checking proofs and writing photo captions.
Copywriting for the website and blog posts.

Novellix

Jul, 2016 — Present

Overseeing the English language publishing programme on a range of short stories.
Responsible for the English language market; expanding sales into these markets and building relationships with key customers and accounts.

Orchard Books

Sep, 2012 — Dec, 2015 (about 3 years)

Looking after a range of titles from picture books to YA fiction including brands such as My Little Pony and Beast Quest and authors Leo Hunt, James Mayhew and Holly Webb.
Duties included proofreading, copy and structural editing, copywriting and briefing jacket design.

Portfolio

SweetFreak

McKenzie, Sophie

A magical murder mystery set in a fantastical city fuelled by spell power. Isaveth Breck is brave, loyal, and zealous in the pursuit of justice, especially after her father is wrongfully arrested. Quiz, the eccentric eye patch-wearing street boy who befriends ... read more
Stargirl: Pink

Jerry Spinelli

She's as magical as the desert sky. As mysterious as her own name. Nobody knows who she is or where she's from. But everyone loves her for being different. And she captures Leo's heart with just one smile. STARGIRL is a classic of our time that celebrates bein... read more
Mia is cousin to Olivia, the duchess of Venice; a ruler loved by her subjects for her command of magic and for saving the city from the flood. But Mia harbors a secret hatred of Olivia - her brother and mother were banished by the princess years before, and Mi... read more
The NINTH hilarious title in this award-winning, laugh-out-loud series. For fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and David Walliams.Norm knew it was going to be one of those days when he was grounded before he'd even got up...But that's what happens when you run up a ... read more
A thrilling supernatural adventure: dark, funny, with twists at every turn. The sequel to Thirteen Days of Midnight, shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Prize 2016.Luke Manchett used to be one of the most popular boys at school.That was before his necro... read more

Frances has 11 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

natalie S.

natalie S.

Sep, 2023

This is the second time using Frances for her copy editing skills and yet again I'm very impressed with her attention to detail. She spots even the tiniest grammar error which is great. I would recommend her and look forward to working with her again on my next book. N.A Shaw, author, The Phantom Archer series.
Frances M.
Thanks Natalie! Always a pleasure to work with you!
Gabby G.

Gabby G.

Dec, 2022

Frances has been very professional and highly communicative, providing me with some excellent feedback on the picture book I had been developing. She made some excellent suggestions as to how I could improve the story and has been incredibly responsive. I would highly recommend working with Frances!
Frances M.
I had a very positive experience working with Gabby and look forward to working with her again in the future.
Annie B.

Annie B.

Sep, 2022

Frances was a pleasure to work with. She provided excellent feedback that really helped to improve the manuscript. She also has a very keen eye for detail that proved extremely useful. She was very professional and friendly, and delivered the finished work on time. I would definitely work with her again.
Frances M.
It was a real pleasure to work with Annie on her novel CAKE AND HAMSTER. She responded well to editorial feedback and paid promptly.
Ashleigh T.

Ashleigh T.

Jul, 2022

I found this collaboration to be extremely beneficial. I feel as though my manuscript has been worked on thoroughly and that Frances had taken a lot of time when giving feedback about it. I’m excited to take her recommendations on board and edit accordingly, and I hope that it will be the start of an exciting writing adventure for me! Thank you.
Frances M.
It was a real pleasure to work with Ashleigh on her picture book text. She responded well to feedback and I look forward to hopefully working together again in the future.
Kate O.

Kate O.

Mar, 2022

Frances gave me extremely helpful and professional feedback about my work. She was also very encouraging and supportive. Her critique was sensitive, perceptive, thoughtful and constructive. It was a pleasure to work with her. I would definitely like to work with Frances again.
Frances M.
It was a real pleasure to work with Kate on her wonderful novel and I wish her all the best with her writing endeavours.

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