Ian Hough

Ian Hough – Editor

Your expert editor for challenging tech, science, and other non-fiction manuscripts. PhD-level insight, publisher quality.

Overview

It's rare to find a developmental editor who speaks the language of science and technology from the inside. As an editor with a PhD in Ecohydraulics, I specialize in helping technical experts bridge the gap between complex subject matter and a compelling reader experience. I partner with authors to transform their manuscripts into books that are not only accurate and authoritative but also engaging and marketable.

How I Will Elevate Your Book

I approach every manuscript from multiple altitudes, ensuring every element serves the reader and strengthens your book's position in the market. We will work together to:

- Clarify and strengthen your core message and teaching points.

- Optimize the structure and logical flow of the manuscript as a whole.

- Refine sentence-level and paragraph-level prose for clarity, impact, and a smooth reading experience.

- Align the content and tone with your target audience's needs and expectations.

My Experience

I am an active Development Editor for two respected publishers in the technical and scientific fields: Manning Publications (computing/technology) and the American Chemical Society (science).

I have seen more than 40 books through to physical print, with several more currently going through Production. My background includes a PhD in Ecohydraulics, which led to two of my own peer-reviewed academic publications, so I have firsthand experience of being on the author's side of the editorial process.

Subject Matter Expertise

While I work across a wide spectrum of non-fiction, my core experience lies in technical and academic topics. My portfolio includes:

- Technology: Artificial Intelligence, programming languages, cybersecurity, etc.

- Hard Sciences: The full spectrum of the chemical sciences, from organic synthesis to environmental toxicity.

- General Non-Fiction: I have also edited successful memoirs, industry exposés, and specialist guides on topics from wine tasting to business leadership.

Let's Collaborate

My 5-star Reedsy reviews reflect my commitment to a flexible, collaborative partnership. I am here to provide excellent service and make your authoring journey as smooth and productive as possible.

If you have a non-fiction manuscript and are looking for a dedicated editorial partner, please send me a message with details about your project. I look forward to discussing how we can bring out the best in your work.

Services
Non-Fiction
Christian Non-Fiction Computers & Internet Earth, Space, & Environmental Sciences Physics & Chemistry Technology
Languages
English (UK) English (US)
Certifications
  • BSc in Natural Sciences
  • MSc in Sustainable Water Sciences
  • PhD in Environmental Sciences (Riverine Ecohydraulics)

Work experience

American Chemical Society

Feb, 2022 — Present
At ACS I have worked with academic authors across various fields of Chemistry to produce high-quality e-book Primers aimed at emerging scientists (senior students or those transitioning from other fields). These Primers aim to teach the fundamentals in an approachable manner, acting as a stepping stone for the reader to begin to engage with more advanced literature within the field. A central part of my editing in this role involves helping academics, who are accustomed to highly technical publications, communicate their expertise in a manner that is clear, provides appropriate context ("why am I learning this?"), and sticks to the essentials, resulting in a tight and easy-to-follow primer. Publications with ACS thus far include "Python for Chemists," "Molecular Representations for Machine Learning," and "Toxicity of Atmospheric Aerosols."

Manning Publications

Apr, 2020 — Present
Manning Publications is a tech publisher known for its high-quality books, and Development Editors play a central role in achieving this reputation. Much of this comes from having an effective book and chapter structure that makes the most of the brain's mental resources, using teaching methods that are effective at reducing extrinsic cognitive load. This basically means that I help authors to let their readers focus on the complexity of the topic, rather than struggling with unclear structure or communication external to the topic itself. This philosophy has became central to my editing approach over the last few years. I have been involved with a number of books that have been well-received since their publication, including "Privacy Engineering," "Data for All," and "Grokking Continuous Delivery" - with several other books already available in Manning's Early Access Program before their full publication, including "Platform Engineering on Kubernetes" and "Grokking Concurrency".

Packt Publishing

Jul, 2019 — Apr, 2020 (9 months)
Working as part of the Packt Expert Network (PEN), dealing with high-profile authors. PEN Development Editors are tasked with giving special attention to promising titles in order to produce high-impact books, ensurign that the structure and writing are clear and provide teaching at an appropriate level for the target audience. I was involved with a number of best-selling titles for Packt including "C# 8.0 and .NET Core 3.0 4th Edition," "The Infinite Retina," "Deep Learning with TensorFlow 2 and Keras", and one of the most memorable, IBM Vice President of AI Robert Sutor's "Dancing with Qubits" 1st Edition. Copy editing was also involved in this work, as DEs were expected to improve overall clarity and catch the bulk of the grammar issues so that only a light proofing was required upon completion of the manuscript.

University of Sheffield

Oct, 2015 — Jan, 2020 (over 4 years)
Undertook a PhD in Ecohydraulics with the University of Sheffield, sponsored by the water utility company United Utilities. Research aims were two-fold: 1) Identify general relationships between ecological activity and river flow characteristics within the region of North West England, 2) Develop a predictive model at a specific site and identify optimum river flows within that system to promote ecological health. The research led to a paper published by Elsevier's Ecological Indicators Journal in 2019, titled "Designing an environmental flow framework for impounded river systems through modelling of invertebrate habitat quality" Another paper published in Wiley's Water and Environment Journal in 2021, titled "Regional flow–ecology relationships in small, temperate rivers" My thesis was successfully defended on October 2019, and the thesis was fully accepted following corrections in February 2020.

Portfolio

Made with Reedsy
Evolution Confusion: The Logic of Origins

Birchfield, Stan

Gatekeeper Press

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
Behind the Glass: The Chemical and Sensorial Terroir of Wine Tasting

Zhu MW, Gus

Academie Du Vin Library Ltd

Developmental Editing Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
Hey AI, Let's Talk!: Foundations of Prompt Engineering for Teenagers

Ng, Frank

Independently published

Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
The Unsightly Truth of Laser Vision Correction: LASIK Surgery Makes Healthy Eyes Sick

Waxler PhD, Morris

Authorit Services Ltd.

Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
Making the Cut: The Extraordinary True Story of a Woman in a Man's World

MacKay MD, Dr Cynthia J

Authorit Services Ltd

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Insights into the true history of cyber warfare, and the strategies, tactics, and cybersecurity tools that can be used to better defend yourself and your organization against cyber threat.Key ... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
This primer helps the reader understand the basic categories of molecular representations and provides computational tools to generate molecular descriptors in each of these categories. After ... read more
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Explore the principles and practicalities of quantum computingKey FeaturesDiscover how quantum computing works and delve into the math behind itLearn how it may become the most important new c... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Developmental Editing
Quantum Computing for Quantum Chemistry

Philipp Schleich

American Chemical Society

Quantum computing is expected to advance research in quantum chemistry by enabling more accurate simulations of molecules and chemical reactions. By solving complex problems faster than classi... read more
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
The AI Pocketbook

Maggiori, Emmanuel

Manning

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Industrial Crystallization

Gerard Capellades

American Chemical Society

The goal of this primer is to introduce crystallization to newcomers in the field, with three primary readers in mind: (1) new graduate students starting a crystallization project; (2) scienti... read more
Developmental Editing
Molecular Dynamics

Jianing Li

American Chemical Society

Although we often say, “seeing is believing”, it is not easy to observe many chemical or biological molecules in motion under various conditions and in real time. Molecular dynamics (MD) is a ... read more
Developmental Editing
Structured Electrolytes for Energy Storage

Burcu Gurkan

American Chemical Society

Structured Electrolytes for Energy Storage provides a clear and straightforward introduction to structured electrolytes, their properties, and their applications in various energy storage syst... read more
Developmental Editing
Data Storytelling with Altair and AI

Lo Duca, Angelica

Manning

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Cyber Threat Hunting

AlFardan, Nadhem

Manning

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Neural Networks for Chemists

Qingyang Xiao

American Chemical Society

In recent years, breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) have dramatically transformed many fields. Developments in neural networks primarily drive the advances. These powerful models ha... read more
Developmental Editing
Learn the fundamentals, practical applications, and latest features of C# 8.0 and .NET Core 3.0 from expert teacher Mark J. Price. Key Features Build modern, cross-platform applications with .... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Machine Learning for Polymer Informatics

Ying Li

American Chemical Society

Machine learning has significantly accelerated the development of new polymer materials. Machine Learning for Polymer Informatics introduces the reader to the most popular ways of applying mac... read more
Developmental Editing
Electrochemical Imaging

Todd H. Lewis

American Chemical Society

ACS In Focus Electrochemical Imaging introduces some of the most exciting and important imaging techniques in electrochemistry. This digital primer, targeted at senior undergraduate students a... read more
Developmental Editing
The Versatile Organic Chemistry of Sulfur(IV)

Vincent Porte

American Chemical Society

In the vast landscape of organic chemistry, sulfur-containing compounds play a pivotal role in pharmaceuticals, industrial processes, and a wide range of chemical transformations, where they o... read more
Developmental Editing
Dynamics of a Liquid Droplet

Prashant Khare

American Chemical Society

Multiphase flows and droplet dynamics play a vital role in the industry. Mineral ore (i.e., iron, aluminum, and copper mined in huge quantities yearly) must flow at some stage during extractio... read more
Developmental Editing
Force-Responsive Networks

K. P. Sonu

American Chemical Society

This primer provides a precise, high‐level overview of force-responsive networks with practical examples and well-crafted diagrams, fostering a deeper understanding of the subject matter. Forc... read more
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Spectroscopic and chemometric methods have become routinely applied tools in pharmaceutical industries because they reduce the analysis time and minimize the use of chemicals. The contents of ... read more
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Build machine and deep learning systems with the newly released TensorFlow 2 and Keras for the lab, production, and mobile devicesKey FeaturesIntroduces and then uses TensorFlow 2 and Keras ri... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Python for Chemists

Kiyoto Aramis Tanemura

Programming in Python empowers chemists to apply their domain knowledge to scales unreachable by manual effort. Learning Python is easy, but contextualizing chemical problems in Python is not ... read more
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Grokking Concurrency

Bobrov, Kirill

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Hydrothermal chemistry has become a hot topic of research and discussion in recent decades because water at higher temperatures and pressures possesses unique properties that can promote inter... read more
Developmental Editing
Data for All

Thompson, John K.

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Data Mesh in Action

Majchrzak, Jacek

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Atmospheric aerosols, or particulate matter (PM), are liquid or solid particles suspended in the air. Exposure to ambient PM is associated with multiple diseases and accounts for millions of p... read more
Developmental Editing
The objective of this primer is to discuss the chemistry of self-assembly. It introduces some of the common reactions you need to know to prepare a desired molecule that can self-assemble (or ... read more
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Updated and revised second edition of the bestselling guide to advanced deep learning with TensorFlow 2 and KerasKey FeaturesExplore the most advanced deep learning techniques that drive moder... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Understand the fundamentals and develop your own AI solutions in this updated edition packed with many new examplesKey FeaturesAI-based examples to guide you in designing and implementing mach... read more
Developmental Editing
New edition of the bestselling guide to mastering Python Networking, updated to Python 3 and including the latest on network data analysis, Cloud Networking, Ansible 2.8, and new librariesKey ... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
New edition of the bestselling guide to artificial intelligence with Python, updated to Python 3.x and TensorFlow 2, with seven new chapters that cover RNNs, AI & Big Data, fundamental use cas... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Updated and revised edition of the bestselling guide to developing defense strategies against the latest threats to cybersecurityKey FeaturesCovers the latest security threats and defense stra... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Push the limits of what C - and you - can do, with this high-intensity guide to the most advanced capabilities of CKey FeaturesMake the most of C’s low-level control, flexibility, and high per... read more
Developmental Editing

Ian has 15 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Robert P.

Robert P.

Oct, 2024

Pinned
I immensely enjoyed working with Ian on the developmental edit of my manuscript. He does an excellent job of making suggestions that guide the reader to the destination intended by the author. This requires a deft hand to balance the flow of the manuscript through complex topics and details with...
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Frank N.

Frank N.

Aug, 2024

Pinned
Ian did a superb job as our editor, especially considering it was our first time writing a book. He was incredibly helpful throughout the entire process, guiding us with his expertise and making what could have been a daunting task feel manageable. Ian was not only responsive and provided a wealt...
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Jordan S.

Jordan S.

May, 2024

Pinned
I had the immense pleasure of working with Ian Hough as my development and copy editor for my debut book. This was my first venture into writing a book, transitioning from my usual shorter formats, and I couldn't have asked for a better guide through this journey. Ian’s expertise was instrumenta...
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Damon E.

Damon E.

Oct, 2025

Very collaborative and cooperative and an excellent communicator with a tremendous amount of knowledge and skill. I couldn’t be happier.
Damon E.

Damon E.

Aug, 2025

Ian has provided far more than I had a right to expect. A seasoned and skilled editor. I would even call a producer. He’s taught me a lot, and I couldn’t be happier.

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Most recent contributions

What, in your opinion, is the most important job of a developmental editor?

The single most important job of a developmental editor (DE) is to serve as the first and most critical advocate for the reader. An author is, by necessity, too close to the material. My role is to step in as a proxy for the target audience and ask the questions or issues that readers will likel...
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What is the biggest difference between a developmental edit and an editorial assessment?

I'm coming at this question as a non-fiction editor. An Editorial Assessment is, in a way, a partial Developmental Edit, suitable if your manuscript is still pretty rough and likely in need of a restructure. The Assessment delivers feedback as a report, without inline comments. As you might imagi...
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What do you include in your offers to clients?

When I provide an offer to a client, I try to make sure that everything is as transparent and upfront as possible. First, I will briefly comment on the brief that the client sent to me, and tell them the relevant experience I have in that area. Next, I will explain the offer fee to the client...
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