Jason Cooper - Editor
A publisher with best-sellers and award-winning titles to my name. Experience in right sales, author representation and marketing.
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Overview
I have broad editorial and commercial experience that includes commissioning, editing, creative writing tuition, author management/representation, self-publishing, sub-rights, sales, marketing and distribution. I'm qualified to help you with any aspect of your writing.
I started my career working for the major literary agencies Peters, Fraser & Dunlop, AM Heath and the Wylie Agency. I was for a time Senior Commissioning Editor at Pan Macmillan where I published several best-sellers, award winners and critically acclaimed titles for the Macmillan and Picador lists. I ran the Rights Department at legendary independent publishing house Faber & Faber where I also set up and ran their creative writing programme (Faber Academy) which launched the careers of several major writers, such as S. J. Watson, Laline Paul. I also lead Faber’s digital division for several years, before helping to set up Unbound, the innovative, crowdfunding publisher dedicated to bringing new writing to market. I have had the good fortune to work with many significant and highly successful authors in a variety of different ways often from the very early stages of their career.
Some highlights of my editorial work includes: 2666 by Roberto Bolaño (Picador), a New York Times and Sunday Times Bestseller and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction; The Places In Between by Rory Stewart (Picador), a New York Times Bestseller, shortlisted for the Guardian Fiction Prize and winner of the RSL Ondaatjee Prize; Mobius Dick by Andrew Crumey (Picador), awarded the Northern Rock Foundation Writer's Award; The Google Story by David A. Vise a New York Times Bestseller and first book published on Google. I also launched the writing career of the eminent historian, Peter Heather, whose The Fall of The Roman Empire by was described as 'magisterial' by the Guardian, and that of the UK's leading drink and food writers, Pete Brown. In both cases, I worked very closely with them to create proposals of sufficient quality to be commissioned and then substantively on their first works.
I'd be very happy to work with you to help you get your manuscript ready for submission or publication. I can offer an editorial review, a full structural edit, a critique of your cover letter and synopsis, or simply offer advice as a publishing professional. I have especially good form in the construction of winning non-fiction proposals for submission to agencies or publishers. I can, however, work in most areas.
Feel free to get in touch. I am very happy to offer a free telephone consultation to discuss your needs and offer advice.
Languages
English (AUS)
English (CAN)
English (NZ)
English (SA)
English (UK)
English (US)
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Business & Management
History
Travel
Fiction
Historical Fiction
Literary Fiction
Mystery & Crime
Thriller & Suspense
Awards
- MBA
Work experience
Chief Commercial Officer
Unbound.com
October, 2014
–
December, 2018
(about 4 years)
Unbound is an innovative, award-winning publisher that blends crowdfunding, online pre-orders and data science with the production values and distribution of traditional consumer publishing. I was in charge of many aspects of the business including growing our publishing programme and trade distribution channels.
Rights and Business Development Director
Faber and Faber
November, 2006
–
April, 2009
(over 2 years)
I ran a rights department that marketed and negotiated sales in Faber's frontlist and the estates of T.S. Eliot, William Golding, Sylvia Plath, W.H Auden etc.
I also set up several innovative new business units including Faber Digital and Faber's prestigious creative writing programme, Faber Academy.
Senior Commissioning Editor
Pan Macmillan
June, 2000
–
November, 2006
(over 6 years)
I acquired fiction, history, memoir and pop-culture titles for Macmillan and Picador imprints.
Portfolio (13 selected works)
2666: A Novel
Roberto Bolaño
A NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNERNew York Times Book Review 10 Best Books of 2008 Time Magazine's Best Book of 2008 Los Angeles Times Best Books of 2008 San Francisco Chronicle's 50 Best Fiction Books of 2008 Seattle Times Best Books of 2008 New York Magazine Top Ten Books of 2008 Three academics on the trail of a reclusive German author; a New York reporter on his first Mexican assi... read more
The Places In Between
Rory Stewart
In January 2002 Rory Stewart walked across Afghanistan-surviving by his wits, his knowledge of Persian dialects and Muslim customs, and the kindness of strangers. By day he passed through mountains covered in nine feet of snow, hamlets burned and emptied by the Taliban, and communities thriving amid the remains of medieval civilizations. By night he slept on villagers' floors, shared their mea... read more
The Google Story (2018 Updated Edition): Inside the Hottest Business, Media, and Technology Success of Our Time
David A. Vise, Mark Malseed
The definitive, bestselling account of the company that changed the way we work and live, updated for the twentieth anniversary of Google’s founding with analysis of its most recent bold moves to redefine the world—and its even more ambitious plans for the future.Moscow-born Sergey Brin and Midwest-born Larry Page dropped out of graduate school at Stanford University to, as they said, “change ... read more
The death of the Roman Empire is one of the perennial mysteries of world history. Now, in this groundbreaking book, Peter Heather proposes a stunning new solution: Centuries of imperialism turned the neighbors Rome called barbarians into an enemy capable of dismantling an Empire that had dominated their lives for so long. A leading authority on the late Roman Empire and on the barbarians, Heat... read more
In Man Walks into a Pub, Pete Brown takes us on a journey through the amazing history of beer, from the first sacred sip of ancient Egyptian bouza to the last pint of lager on a Friday night. It’s an extraordinary tale of yeast-obsessed monks and teetotaling prime ministers; of exploding breweries, a bear in a yellow nylon jacket, and a Canadian who changed the drinking habits of a nation. It’... read more
Mobius Dick
Andrew Crumey
Already the world is becoming a very different place: amnesia, telepathy, false memory and inexplicable coincidences all seem to be occurring more frequently with humorous, brain teasing results. Could quantum experiments have cuased the collapse of our univere's space-time continuum?
The Way We Wore: A Life In Threads
Robert Elms
The Way We Wore is a passionate and personal account of the dazzling array of street styles and trouser tribes Britain produced from the 1950s to 1990s. Robert Elms' memoir takes us from Teddy Boys to Acid house, from Notting Hill to Soho. A love letter to London Town and the overdressed, undervalued youth who made this city such a hotbed of cool. This is the story of a life's obsession. From ... read more
Meet Pete Brown—beer journalist, beer drinker, and author of an irreverent book about British beer, Man Walks Into A Pub. One day, Pete's world is rocked when he discovers several countries produce, consume, and celebrate beer far more than the British do. The Germans claim they make the best beer in the world, the Australians consider its consumption a patriotic duty, the Spanish regard lager... read more
In August 2003, at the age of thirty, Rory Stewart took a taxi from Jordan to Baghdad. A Farsi-speaking British diplomat who had recently completed an epic walk from Turkey to Bangladesh, he was soon appointed deputy governor of Amarah and then Nasiriyah, provinces in the remote, impoverished marsh regions of southern Iraq. He spent the next eleven months negotiating hostage releases, holding ... read more
The Guardian’s "Best Books on Drink” Pick Most people know that wine is created by fermenting pressed grape juice and cider by pressing apples. But although it’s the most popular alcoholic drink on the planet, few people know what beer is made of. In lively and witty fashion, Miracle Brew dives into traditional beer’s four natural ingredients: malted barley, hops, yeast, and water, each of whi... read more
Unusual book
Quirkology: How We Discover the Big Truths in Small Things
Richard Wiseman
For over twenty years, psychologist Richard Wiseman has examined the quirky science of everyday life. In Quirkology, he navigates the oddities of human behavior, explaining the tell-tale signs that give away a liar, the secret science behind speed-dating and personal ads, and what a person's sense of humor reveals about the innermost workings of his or her mind—all along paying tribute to othe... read more
Jason has 2 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
An amazing assessment! Great insights that I'm sure will improve my writing!
larry center, December 2019
Read more
Reply from Jason Cooper
It was great to work with Jason. I appreciated the perspective of such an experienced publishing professional. He a gave a great structural overview of my novel and his constructive honesty made it easy to discuss the improvement that I could make, which we did at length.
Melany Markham, October 2019
Reply from Jason Cooper
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