Gareth Watkins - Editor
Copy-editor and proofreader with over 10 years' experience working with traditional publishers and indie authors.
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Overview
I'm an editor and proofreader based in the UK. I have an MA in Publishing and over 9 years' experience in the industry. I worked for a major academic publisher and have undertaken freelance work for both traditional publishers and self-publishing authors.
I completed an MA in Publishing in 2007 and have worked in the industry ever since. I also undertook additional training with the Publishing Training Centre before embarking on freelance work. Since then, I've been fortunate to have worked with authors of both fiction and non-fiction across a range of areas, most notably computer gaming, science fiction, fantasy and crime fiction.
I love what I do, and I love being able to play a part in helping authors get their words out into the world.
I completed an MA in Publishing in 2007 and have worked in the industry ever since. I also undertook additional training with the Publishing Training Centre before embarking on freelance work. Since then, I've been fortunate to have worked with authors of both fiction and non-fiction across a range of areas, most notably computer gaming, science fiction, fantasy and crime fiction.
I love what I do, and I love being able to play a part in helping authors get their words out into the world.
Services
Languages
English (UK)
English (US)
Non-Fiction
Computers & Internet
Writing & Publishing
Fiction
Fantasy
Horror
Mystery & Crime
Psychological Thriller
Science Fiction
Young Adult
Work experience
Freelance proofreader
Unbound
October, 2017
–
Present
(over 3 years)
I am a regular freelance proofreader for Unbound, the crowdfunding publisher.
Editor/Proofreader
Self-employed
January, 2017
–
Present
(about 4 years)
Managing Editor
Wiley
January, 2014
–
October, 2018
(over 4 years)
I work on a number of academic journals, commissioning and editing articles in collaboration with expert academic editors. I also write and edit online content.
Portfolio (18 selected works)
Fuck Yeah, Video Games: The Life and Extra Lives of a Professional Nerd
Daniel Hardcastle
As Daniel Hardcastle careers towards thirty, he looks back on what has really made him happy in life: the friends, the romances… the video games. Told through encounters with the most remarkable – and the most mind-boggling – games of the last thirty-odd years, Fuck Yeah, Video Games is also a love letter to the greatest hobby in the world.From God of War to Tomb Raider, Pokémon to The Sims, D... read more
Plagues that ravaged the world’s population are over. Civilization is dying, and brutality is a survival trait.A year after fleeing her home in search of peace and safety, Lena and her friends face a violent enemy who wants to control their small part of the world. They won’t survive alone, but they have nothing to offer to make alliances. Can an old enemy help? Can the past be forgotten to en... read more
The Secret History of Mac Gaming
Richard Moss
The Macintosh challenged games to be more than child’s play and quick reflexes. It made human–computer interaction friendly, inviting and intuitive.Mac gaming led to much that is now taken for granted by PC gamers and spawned some of the biggest franchises in video game history. It allowed anyone to create games and playful software with ease, and gave indie developers a home for their product... read more
The Deceased
Francis Morrow
The tail end of the 21st century, the century of the mind.Renaissance: a sprawling city on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. A city renewed after a devastating attack by domestic terrorists. Home to 45 million souls, the greatest concentration of human potential in all of history.Surveillance extends into every aspect of Renaissance life: your workplace, your home, your relationships ... read more
Collision: A Near Future Thriller
Morrow, Francis
Paint It Blackmail (John Kite Book 2)
Doughty, Stuart
Riot Tour: Stories
Morrow, Francis
Blood Magic Blues: HOP-D Case 1
P. A. Wilson
There’s magic . . . and murder . . . in the air.When Fernlight, a Sprite, and Bramble, who’s a fairy, open their private detection agency, they dream of bridging the gap between humans and magical beings. Since the prophesy was fulfilled five years prior that allowed humans to see magical beings, relations have been a little . . . tense. They didn’t count on Mamoru, an investigator with the sl... read more
The Electric
Andrew David Barker
In the summer of 1985, fifteen-year-old Sam Crowhurst discovers an old abandoned cinema that screens movies made by ghosts, for ghosts. Sam, along with his friends, Emma and David, find themselves drawn into a world where the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Lon Chaney and Theda Bara are still making pictures; where Harold Lloyd and John Belushi team up for roustabout comedies, and Karloff and Lugosi... read more
Monsters of Elsewhere
Matthew Waldram
There is a land – let's call it Elsewhere – that is in no small amount of trouble. Giant wolves are tearing villages apart, a monster king is bringing his army across the sea to capture the legendary Hall of Glass, and the High Lord has completely disappeared.Henry Whistler was eight when he got lost at a bus station in Hounslow. There his adventure began. For that was when he met the exiled i... read more
The Fallow Field
Leigh Dovey
“The Fallow Field grips tight and refuses to let go, winding down an unpredictable path of classical Hammer-esque sensbilities and existential mind games. Here we have an extremely strong debut.”Dreadcentral.com“An unsettling piece of character horror that gets under your skin. A very promising debut.”ScifiNow Magazine“If The Fallow Field is the future of British horror then I can’t wait to se... read more
Ten To The Power
M.P. Adams
Dr Felicity Orden is an engineer for TENeleven, a machine that can simulate historical events at stunning levels of detail. During a routine run of the machine the operators discover Felicity’s life is at risk from a secret organisation with more than a vested interest in TENeleven. Felicity begins an investigation into the threat - an investigation that takes her deep into the past, far into ... read more
Majeena
M.P. Adams
In a world of dark creatures and monsters, Majeena is a forgotten island, lost to the shadows.A young orphaned creature called Aeroin Swift has lived on Majeena all his life. When the King of Majeena is attacked by a mysterious Beast who lives in the northern forest, Aeroin and his friends go on a journey to meet the Beast for themselves.But the King's fiendish advisor, Rektor, has other plans... read more
North Atlantic Drift
Kerry O'Grady
Clare has fallen in love with an impossible boy. Nobody, not even her best friend Cait understands why she is spending more and more time out on the island with the strange young man. They don’t realise that the wild rocky shores of Carrig na Ron, with its seal beach and fisherman’s cottage is the place Clare belongs. Her mother is away in Dublin and her father, obsessed with studying the migr... read more
Learn ‘How to Meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0′I wrote this book to help you learn how to meet these important guidelines. You’ll find out how an accessible website can still be beautiful, successful and fun for your users.Taking each guideline in turn, you'll learn why it's important for users, the best way to comply, plus any tips and tricks to make your life easier.Web acce... read more
Christmas Horror Shorts
Graham M Hodge
Whether you feel joy and peace or Bah humbug towards Christmas, why not put on the fire, pour yourself a nice glass of your favourite tipple and sit right down and enjoy Christmas Horror Shorts by British horror writer Graham M Hodge. Four chilling Christmas tales to entertain you on a cold winter’s night.A young girl on the way home from church on Christmas Eve, spots Santa in the park, the i... read more
Dragon Kindred: And The Gyr Worshipers
Marshall Drews
The Dark Armored Knight, the Armor Burnt Knight, the Knight of Fire, the Knight of Fury and the Knight of Ash -- Venneith Cornease was a knight recognised by many names, whispered of in many stories and told of as ruthless, deadly knight sworn to serve and protect the people of Carthol. Those who dealt with him would say he was merciless in combat, remorseless, vicious and even sadistic. Regar... read more
Japan has produced thousands of intriguing video games. But not all of them were released outside of the country, especially not in the 1980s and 90s. While a few of these titles have since been documented by the English-speaking video game community, a huge proportion of this output is unknown beyond Japan (and even, in some cases, within it).Hardcore Gaming 101 Presents: Japanese Video Game ... read more
Gareth has 8 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
It was a pleasure to work with Gareth on this copy editing project. He met all of his deadlines with no fuss. Whenever I had queries on his edits, he responded quickly and efficiently. During the project, Gareth spotted a number of logical flaws and highlighted sections that lacked clarity. Gareth's deep knowledge of the speculative fiction genre also shone through. At the end of the project, I...
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Francis Morrow, November 2020
No problems. All fine.
Stuart Doughty, September 2020
It was a pleasure to work with Gareth on this project. His edit was extremely thorough and all deadlines were met in a timely manner. Gareth has a great eye for detail and picked out numerous inconsistencies that I'd missed. Throughout the project, he was always quick to respond to any clarification messages. The end result was a streamlined manuscript that I could be confident in. I look forwa...
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Francis Morrow, August 2020
Gareth was a pleasure to work with. He was highly professional and met all deadlines with no fuss. His edit was extremely thorough and exceeded my original expectations. Whenever I had questions on his edits Gareth responded quickly and thoughtfully. He also demonstrated a deep knowledge of the genre, sci-fi in this case. I look forward to working with him in the future.
Francis Morrow, December 2019
There's not much to say other then the fact that this guy puts top notch work into editing. I can tell the things he pointed out and changes he recommended did my story a service. 10/10 I look forward to working with him again with the next book.
Marshall Drews, June 2018
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