James Robinson-Prior – Editor

I commission books, videos and digital resources for tech professionals and managers in the areas of Open Source and Web Development.

I work closely with authors, content creators and other tech professionals to refine and actualize their ideas into real and tangible learning resources.

I edit everything from books, monographs, textbooks and journal articles for academic and trade, mainly in STEM areas.

I also have a keen interest in editing scripts for stage and screen as well as fantasy and science fiction books, particularly contemporary fantasy and dystopian fiction.

I also undertake copywriting, long or short, for print and digital. Whether that’s for websites, catalogues, advertisements or marketing copy, I am interested.

I produced and edited market leading books for software developers and IT professionals.

I managed a portfolio of original and licensed content worth £1.75m focusing on Microsoft products Azure, PowerShell and Power Platform as well as broader areas like AI, Business Intelligence and Data Analytics. I worked closely with my clients and authors from initial proposal and vision, development, publication and further marketing and publicity.

I sat on the company's editorial board where I provided monthly reports and presentations to the senior management team as well as attend meetings concerning finance, content and market development strategy.

I edited, wrote and published long form copy for the prestigious Whitaker’s Almanack, the annual publication all about British public life, first published in 1868.

I was in charge of large and diverse sections of the yearbook including UK and European politics, religion, conservation and heritage, education, arts and media as well as current affairs. I collaborated and worked very closely with an array of companies and institutions like the Times, the Guardian, BBC, the Church of England, Houses of Parliament and related government departments. I would research, edit and publish content online on a weekly basis as well as typeset copy for the printed book. I also wrote Whitaker’s weekly quizzes online as well as the much loved annual £500 quiz and the Christmas quiz which was published in the Independent and the i newspapers.

During my time, I also designed and edited all infographics, charts and country maps for the publication.

During my time here, working in the Computer Science team, I worked on over 400 books, monographs and textbooks ranging from 100 pages to over 1,000 pages.

I was the main point of contact for authors, working with them to prepare their manuscripts for publication. I focused in areas like Hacking and Cybersecurity, Human-Computer Interaction, Interactive Environments, Touch and Haptics, Software Engineering, Digital Cultures and Industrial Design. I undertook in-depth development and copy editing for every book, as well as working on legal issues like permissions and rights (even the odd patent) to ensure all content was ready to be published. I was also the proof editor during the production process.

During this time I managed the NASA Monographs in Software Engineering series and worked very closely with NASA, the wider US Government and aeronautical engineers and scientists.

I was a member of this ensemble theatre company based at the Lakeside Theatre in Colchester, UK, which had a focus on new and innovative writing.

The play's I've written and staged include 'Sid and Ruby', 'A Time Like This', 'Boxes' and '24 Hours Until Curtains'. I also acted in 'Leading Lady', 'Three Bagels and Boy George' and was stage manager for the play's 'Brace' and 'The Sausage Play'.
We held a residency at the Lakeside Theatre, performed at local theatre festivals like ROAR and Cliffs Pavilion Theatre Festival in Clacton-on-Sea and collaborated with the University of Essex and East 15 Acting School.