Hugh Barker

Hugh Barker – Editor

I'm an enthusiastic, honest writer/editor/publisher with decades of experience. I love editing all kinds of non-fiction, fiction and memoir.

Overview

I'm an editor and writer, with many years of experience as a commissioning editor and publishing director at companies including Constable & Robinson, Michael O'Mara and (as author) Faber, W.W. Norton, Bloomsbury, Ebury and Atlantic. I have worked on a wide variety of subjects including art, history, mathematics, science, philosophy and most other areas, as well as fiction, memoir, crime, humour and gift books. I also have experience in the sales & marketing departments of several publishers, so understand their mindset, and have worked as an author and ghostwriter, having written over 20 books (under my own name and pseudonyms). I do my best to take every manuscript and improve it as much as I can, in whatever way I think is necessary. I will always go the extra mile to deliver a great job.

I understand where you are coming from as a writer; I will be direct and honest with you, and aim to deliver the best result I can.
Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Business & Management Health & Wellbeing Humanities & Social Sciences Math & Science
Fiction
Literary Fiction Mystery & Crime Romance
Languages
English (UK) English (US)

Work experience

Self-employed

Apr, 2016 — Present

I write books for several major publishers including Penguin and Hachette. My past publishers have included Constable, Faber, Bloomsbury and W.W.Norton. I also work regularly as a freelancer for publishers around the UK and the US, as well as taking on a wide variety of jobs via Reedsy, which I find endlessly enjoyable and fascinating. In addition, I contribute book reviews to a UK magazine.

Michael O'Mara

Apr, 2014 — Aug, 2016 (over 2 years)

As publishing director, I oversaw all the firm's editors and was fully responsible for the non-fiction lists. This deepened my knowledge of how the editing process works, at all levels, and how to make a book successful.

Constable & Robinson

Jan, 2004 — Apr, 2014 (about 10 years)

I had a variety of roles, starting in the sales department, then commissioning and acquiring hundreds of books, including both fiction and non-fiction, and ending up as a commissioning editor. I had numerous bestsellers, and brought in successful authors in numerous genres.

Quarto

Jan, 2001 — Jan, 2004 (about 3 years)

This was my first job in publishing, although I previously worked as a proof-reader and in bookshops for several years. It was useful as a starter experience in understanding how publishing works, and what readers and publishers are looking for.

Portfolio

If you have ever wanted to create a comic, graphic novel, animation, film, television series, or even a book, then Create Your Own Universe is here to help you get started. A fun, imaginative and interactive guide to creating your own characters and worlds, th... read more
Bookshop That Floated Away
We're going on a bar hunt.We're going to find a cool one.The babysitter's booked.We're not old!Bestselling authors Emlyn Rees and Josie Lloyd also happen to be parents, so they understand the complications of organising a rare night out. In this parody of the ... read more
'Can books conduct electricity?''My children are just climbing your bookshelves: that's ok... isn't it?' A John Cleese Twitter question ['What is your pet peeve?'], first sparked the "Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops" blog, which grew over three years i... read more
The world of business books is a curious place where one can find everyone from great businesspeople like Warren Buffett, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk, to the most spectacular business failures such as Enron and the sub-prime business market. There are geniuses, h... read more
Musicians strive to “keep it real”; listeners condemn “fakes”; ... but does great music really need to be authentic? Did Elvis sing from the heart, or was he just acting? Were the Sex Pistols more real than disco? Why do so many musicians base their approach o... read more
This is the story of how Britishhedgerows contribute to our national identity and our wildlife. Overthe centuries we have proved ourselves to be a nation of hedge growers,marking boundaries or trimming them into fantastical creations. Fromformal garden feature... read more

Hugh has 261 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Joseph Z.

Joseph Z.

Mar, 2024

Hugh was very great to work with. As a first time author, he provided me with all the direction needed. I appreciated how polite he was in his critiques, understanding this being my first time writing a book. I loved his insights and look forward to working with him again.
S.J. H.

S.J. H.

Mar, 2024

Hugh is a brilliant editor. He set a high bar for what to expect if I worked with any other editor in future. His work exceeded my expectations. My limited interaction with literary professionals made this a learning experience. In particular I enjoyed his breakdown of my indirect sentences, clarifications on colons used to separate independent and dependent clauses, and a host of other gram...
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Cody S.

Cody S.

Mar, 2024

Hugh was fantastic to work with. He was a professional through and through, and I can't say enough about how positive my experience was. If you have the opportunity to collaborate with Hugh rest assured that you will not be disappointed.
Tim G.

Tim G.

Mar, 2024

Second time around working with Hugh and once again an superb job. Hugh provides an excellent all round balanced edit with out distorting the writers voice, blunting the ideas or diluting the content. Look forward to the next book and working with Hugh again 👍👍👍
Dean J.

Dean J.

Mar, 2024

Hugh Barker is a fantastic editor. Not only is he professional and efficient, he far exceeded my expectations. I was very impressed with the way he was able to implement improvements without changing or intruding on the story (or voice) of my manuscript. I am more than pleased with the edits and I would definitely like to work / collaborate with Hugh again in the future.

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