Hannah Close

Hannah Close – Editor

Experienced editor specialising in developmental editing and editorial assessments for fantasy and romance novels.

Overview

If you want your story to be the best that it can be, then I can help you. As a writer myself, I understand just how much time, energy and feeling you have put into your book. I will treat your words with the utmost respect and strive to help you tell your story as clearly as possible.Always an avid reader (yes, I was one of those kids who read with a torch under the covers in bed, when I was supposed to be asleep!), I particularly enjoy fantasy, classic literature and romance. I have two degrees in literature and have read many books on creative writing, so I know exactly what makes a good story, what the 'rules' are for each genre – and when and how they can be broken.All of this knowledge allows me to ensure that each sentence of dialogue is in-character and moves the plot along, to pick up on any elements of inconsistency such as a character's hair or eye colour – or name! – changing part way through, and to help make the reading experience as smooth as possible with no errors in grammar or spelling to trip your readers up. (Well, as few as possible. Perfection is not humanly possible, unfortunately!) This will ensure your text is in the best shape for publication, whether that be with a traditional publishing house or down a self-publishing route.I have been freelance since 2016 and have worked with a wide range of both academic and independent authors. Before freelancing, I worked in-house for seven years with roles in three academic publishing houses in both editorial and production departments, which gave me a thorough understanding of how a book transforms from manuscript into printed product. Let me help you realise your dream of seeing your published book on a bookshelf, whether that's a physical or virtual shelf!
Services
Non-Fiction
Education & Reference Psychology Writing & Publishing
Fiction
Epic Fantasy Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Romantic Fantasy Young Adult Fantasy
Languages
English (UK) English (US)
Certifications
  • BA in English and Related Literature
  • MA in Nineteenth Century Literature and Culture
  • Basic Proofreading by Distance Learning
  • Proofreading Progress
  • Proofreading Mentoring
  • Introduction to Copy-editing
  • Essential Copy-Editing, Merit
  • Developmental Editing: Fiction Theory
  • Developmental Editing: In Practice

Work experience

Cengage

Sep, 2014 — Jul, 2019 (almost 5 years)
Initially a maternity cover position, I was required to adapt quickly and help out as needed with on-going projects. In December 2014 I secured the position permanently and was given my own projects to manage. This involved organising reviews, commissioning new content for both print and digital resources, preparing manuscripts for production, checking proofs and proofing and editing online content. Following my promotion in March 2015, I took on greater responsibility across more projects including commissioning a new author for a first edition adaptation, which required an overseas visit and negotiation of the contract terms.

Taylor & Francis

Nov, 2013 — Jun, 2014 (7 months)
As Production Editor I learnt how to carry a title through from handover to publication, managing a high number of projects simultaneously. I briefed each title for project managers, checked proofs and final files, organised covers and the printing and binding of the final product. I worked on both UK and US titles with separate styles, spelling and grammar.

McGraw-Hill

Jun, 2012 — Nov, 2013 (over 1 year)
In this role I quickly learnt how to build relationships with authors and reviewers, conduct market research and prepare manuscripts for handover. The biggest challenge of the role was working across two very different lists and having to balance sometimes conflicting deadlines, but this developed my organisation and prioritisation skills to an extremely high level.

Portfolio

The Place of Her Name (Fires of Irkalla)

Makepeace, S.C.

S.C. Makepeace

Copy Editing
Garden of Silver (Leaves of Holly Book 2)

Hobler, Arnella

Books on Demand

Copy Editing
Leaves of Holly (Leaves of Holly Book 1)

Hobler, Arnella

BoD - Books on Demand

Proofreading
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
The Role of Education in Enabling the Sustainable Development Agenda explores the relationship between education and other key sectors of development in the context of the new global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda. While it is widely understood tha... read more
Becoming a Choral Music Teacher

Patrice Madura Ward-Steinman

Field Theory is a powerful and growing paradigm within psychoanalysis, but has previously been split between various schools of thought with little overlap. In this book, a distinguished group of contributors from across all perspectives on Field Theory examin... read more
The SEND Code of Practice (2015) reinforced the requirement that all teachers must meet the needs of all learners. This topical book provides practical, tried and tested strategies and resources that will support teachers in making maths lessons accessible and... read more
Michael Forester’s award winning short stories and flash fiction range from fantasy to young love and old fear, Gay & Lesbian to spirituality & religion, metaphor to morals to literary fiction. Always these powerful, highly original tales are gripping and read... read more

Hannah has 39 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Sher H.

Sher H.

Dec, 2025

Working with Hannah was an absolute pleasure. She communicated clearly and consistently throughout the process, and her feedback was incredibly thorough—she helped me spot gaps, refine ideas, and see opportunities I hadn’t noticed on my own. While the timeline stretched a little longer than expec...
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Nicole B.

Nicole B.

Oct, 2025

The last time I had my creative writing evaluated was in my high school English class, and I’m very happy to report that Hannah’s feedback didn’t make me feel like a student being graded. It was such a breath of relief to feel like a true partner in the process. Her insights were thoughtful, enco...
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James L.

James L.

Sep, 2025

Working with Hannah is a dream come true, i feel a lot closer to my goal of publishing. I know the areas I need to improve, she has been extremely helpful and i hope to work with her as the project continues.
Hazel W.

Hazel W.

Aug, 2025

Hannah has been a delight to work with. She's provided me with a thorough editorial assessment of a manuscript that I've been working on for a while, and which is very important to me. She's taken the time to understand what I was trying to achieve, and it shows in her very detailed feedback, mak...
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Ryan C.

Ryan C.

Jul, 2025

As can be understood, I was hesitant going into the editing of my first manuscript but Hannah did an amazing job and helped share her wisdom and thoughts to truly make it a better read.

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