Graham Southorn - Editor
Bristol, UK
I edited the science magazines BBC Focus and BBC Sky at Night for over 10 years before moving to business title South West Business Insider.
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Overview
I've worked with words for over 20 years, most of which was spent as the editor of market-leading business-to-business and consumer magazines. They included South West Business Insider and the popular science magazines BBC Focus and BBC Sky at Night, which I launched in 2005.
If you have a non-fiction manuscript in the broad areas of business, science or technology, I'd love to hear from you. I can give you advice in the form of developmental editing - telling you which chapters are working and which aren't - or I can do an in-depth copy-edit or proof. I'm happy to work in the way that suits you.
What qualifies me to work on books? Being an editor of monthly magazines required me to commission multiple freelance feature writers, columnists and reviewers. When their copy arrived, I'd shape it, edit it, and send it back for queries. And since I was legally responsible for every page in every issue, I developed a keen eye when it came to proofreading.
I've always loved books, however, and in 2015 I achieved an ambition by writing one of my own. Physics Squared: 100 Concepts You Should Know is a popular science book published by Quarto, aimed at getting anyone up to speed with pivotal ideas. I'm currently in the middle of writing a second science title.
Whilst editor of BBC Focus, I was also the magazine's books editor, enabling me to keep tabs on the exciting non-fiction titles published every month. Most were great popular science books, and I particularly enjoyed those that crossed over into business and everyday life, such as Freakonomics and To Sell Is Human.
Having worked on a business magazine recently, I've interviewed many managing directors and CEOs. Many were bursting with great stories of how they achieved success, and ideas for how to change things for the better. Perhaps you're like them? If so, I'd love to work on your book.
As a journalist, I've contributed to The Royal Statistical Society's journal Significance, The Guardian, and special issues of Time. Now I'm taking my knowledge of structure, pace and language and applying it to books as well as long-form journalism. If you think I can help, do get in touch.
Languages
English (AUS)
English (CAN)
English (UK)
English (US)
Non-Fiction
Business & Management
Computers & Internet
Earth & Space & Environmental Sciences
Education & Reference
Engineering & Materials Science
Physics & Chemistry
Technology
Certifications
- PGDip in magazine journalism
Awards
- Digital Magazine Award (DMA) for BBC Focus
- CrimeFest Flashbang award for crime fiction
Work experience
Editor, BBC Sky at Night
BBC Magazines
June, 2005
–
June, 2011
(about 6 years)
I came up with the idea for a magazine based on the long-running BBC series The Sky At Night and launched it in 2005. TV programme presenters Sir Patrick Moore and Chris Lintott were regular contributors. As Editor, I worked with the Royal Observatory Greenwich to set up the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, for which I served on the judging panel.
Graham Southorn
Self-employed
September, 2017
–
Present
(over 1 year)
I combine book writing and editing with journalism, contributing to a range of publications and providing SEO-friendly copywriting for businesses, marketing and PR agencies.
Editor, South West Business Insider
Insider Media
April, 2016
–
September, 2017
(over 1 year)
I edited South West Business Insider, a monthly business-to-business magazine, for 18 months. The role involved writing and commissioning content for each issue, as well as facilitating business events across the South West region.
Editor, BBC Focus
Immediate Media
June, 2011
–
June, 2015
(about 4 years)
As Editor of the UK’s top-selling monthly science magazine, I oversaw a team producing content for print
and app editions, plus a podcast, website and social media. In 2012, I oversaw a redesign to refresh the
brand and provide an improved environment for advertisers. I added new writers including Dr Helen Czerski, who was shortlisted for Columnist of the Year at the 2014 PPA Awards.
● BBC Focus app won Digital Magazine Awards in 2011 and 2012 (Specialist/Science categories)
● Forged a media partnership with the University of the West of England for its Science Writing Competition 2015
● Member of judging panel for International Images for Science 2015 competition (Royal Photographic Society)
Portfolio (7 selected works)
Is personality genetic? Does playing the same lottery numbers increase your chances? Is tomato ketchup good for your health? Why do bees buzz? Do all planets spin the same way? How fast can a human safely travel? Do animals sweat? How high will skyscrapers go in the future? Do all planets spin the same way? Is every snowflake really unique? Do germs have germs? Find out the answers to these qu... read more
How do we know things about the world? How do we know what`s inside an atom, for example, or how old the Earth is? How do we know the speed of light or the fact that the Universe started with a Big Bang? - The theory of evolution - The dawn of the computer - Understanding the Big Bang - What killed the dinosaurs? - The structure of DNA - The formation of the continents - The meeting of Egyptia... read more
In 1968, the Apollo 8 astronauts became the first humans to see the Earth as a whole. Ever since, spacecraft and satellites have been delivering new perspectives on our planet. Today, Earth is constantly observed, and Earth From Space presents the most beautiful, poignant and revealing images of your home as you've never seen it before.
20 Big Ideas (BBC Focus Special Edition)
BBC Focus
All you need to know about the big ideas that have kept scientists busy for centuries. It explores how we came to know what we know and, crucially, asks what we don`t yet understand about topics such as human consciousness, chaos theory, nature vs nurture, quantum entanglement and much more...
Physics Squared: 100 Concepts You Should Know
Graham Southorn Giles Sparrow
Physics-Squared
Flat Out Wrong: The Overwhelming Evidence Against Flat Earth
Petri Launiainen
The Ancient Greeks figured out that our planet was round over 2,000 years ago. Columbus and Magellan launched their expeditions based on this knowledge. Millions of airline passengers are carried safely to their destinations daily, thanks to guidance from navigation systems that calculate routes with the assumption that we move over a spherical Earth.Despite this, there are now international c... read more
“Do you believe that future thinking machines are likely within our lifetimes?” After reading this book, the emphatic answer is, “Yes. Let’s get prepared!” Easy to read, well researched, provocative and written in layman’s language by Charles J. Simon, a uniquely qualified nationally-recognized computer software/hardware expert and neural network software pioneer. For those imagining the futur... read more
Graham has 4 reviews
Professionalism
Quality
Value
Communication
I was very happy with the work that Graham did for me to proofread my non-fiction business book. This is only my second book, and Graham was very friendly, helpful, and welcoming to a newcomer like me. He chose an appropriate style guide and gave me a very detailed PDF marked up with comments, and a Word document with further comments and an overall evaluation. He was rigorous and thorough! He...
Read moreIan Howlett, December 2018
Graham's technical background was spot on for my project. He didn't just fix my obvious non-native English errors: he also made some observations regarding the content, indicating sections that were obvious for me but not necessarily for future readers, prompting me to fix the storyline. I really felt that I got more out of this collaboration than I had expected. I can wholeheartedly recomm...
Read morePetri Launiainen, October 2018
Excellent editor and the perfect editor for a popular science book.
Read moreCharles Simon, September 2018
It was a pleasure to work with Charles, a computing expert who was able to explain the complex topic of AI in a clear, engaging manner.
Reply from Graham Southorn
When I originally published the book in 2011, it had not seen the eyes of an editor. Considering that I had not received any input from an experienced editor, I felt that I had done enough to woo the readers. Since becoming aware of Reedsy in 2018 and the team of professional editors offering their services here, I have started to see things differently. Graham has done his bit in helping me se...
Read moreIrfan Mirza, September 2018
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