Overview
I have done ghostwriting, for everyone from Prince Charles and Paul McCartney to a champion TT racer and a celebrity Thai Chef. I'm not a bad mimic, which comes in handy in this arena. I am also a trained Copy-editor.
Before becoming a full time author, I was a freelance journalist. One regular gig was writing obituaries for The Times, the 'newspaper of record' (I also wrote interviews and travel features for the same paper). Prominent subjects included George Best, Quentin Crisp, Clarissa Dickson Wright and the Duke of Westminster. This was an excellent training in accuracy and capturing the essence of people's characters and life stories as concisely as possible. I had regular columns in Penthouse UK (!) and the pioneering 90s foodie 'lads' mag' EatSoup. I have also had articles appear in publications including The Economist, The Daily Telegraph and the Literary Review. Having written for such diverse audiences, I am well accustomed to adapting my tone to suit the targeted readership.
Away from the world of writing, my excursions have included spells as a restaurant entrepreneur and a hobby pig farmer. It is, however, people and the written word that really float my boat.
Services
Non-Fiction
Languages
Awards
- How to Watch the Olympics (2012, revised 2016) was selected by the Guardian, Independent and Observer as one of the sports books of the year.
Certifications
- Copy-Editing and Proofreading course at the Publishing Training Centre in London
- BA Philosophy and Theology, Oxford University
Work experience
Self-employed
GHOST WRITING
I am currently ghost writing for a web-based company offering a biography service (loyalty to Reedsy prevents me from divulging its name). Two autobiographies written to date for private clients.
I have recently been commissioned to write a history of metal furniture by the Chelsea-based designer Tom Faulkner.
I have frequently been employed by the food/lifestyle publishers Kyle Cathie Ltd to ghost write books or sections of books written by non-authors, including:
The Shed: The Cookbook (2014) – Gregory, Oliver and Richard Gladwin
Meat Free Monday Cookbook (2011) – Sir Paul, Stella and Mary McCartney
The Big Book of Thai Curries (2007) – Vatcherin Bhumichitr
Fish Tales (2009) – Tom Kime and Bart Van Olphen
I also wrote an introduction to my own book The Duchy Originals Cookbook on behalf of HRH The Prince of Wales.
COPY-EDITING
Recent projects have included:
• Copy-editing Built for Speed, the autobiography of the TT racer John McGuinness (best-selling sports biography on Amazon at the time of writing)
• Copy-editing China’s Media, a survey of that country’s media scene by the head of the University of Westminster’s China Media Centre.
• Proofreading The Moth - All These Wonders, published by Serpent’s Tale, April 2017
In 2013, I spent several months editing Chinese students’ applications to Western Universities for the web service MyDocumate.
Self-employed
My books cover a wide range of subjects but can be grouped as follows:
BIOGRAPHY
The Man Who Touched the Sky (Hodder, 2002)
- The story of test pilot and super high altitude balloonist Joe Kittinger, a key but forgotten figure in the early days of the Space Race.
SPORT
How to Watch the Olympics (Profile 2012, revised edition 2016)
- A comprehensive guide to the Olympic sports and the history of the Games.
The Football Book (Dorling Kindersley, 2010)
- An illustrated volume covering all aspects of the sport.
I was also chief researcher for three editions of the encyclopaedic World Football Yearbook (DK, 2002, 03 and 04).
POPULAR HISTORY
The Time Travel Handbook (Profile, 2015)
- A cross between a conventional travel guide and a history book. It whisks you back in time to the beheading of Charles I and the Rumble in the Jungle while telling you where to eat and spend the night.
The West You Really Don’t Know (China Central Television, 2013)
- Companion volume to a pioneering Chinese documentary series about the problems facing the West.
The Origin of Everyday Things (Think Books, 2006)
- The stories behind the invention of everything from bubblewrap to roller skates.
FOOD
The Sausage Book (Kyle Cathie, 2010)
- How to make all kinds of sausages and cook delicious things with them.
The Branded Cookbook (Kyle Cathie, 2008)
- The history and culinary uses of the world's most iconic food brands.
The Duchy Originals Cookbook (Kyle Cathie, 2006)
- I co-wrote this to promote Prince Charles’s Organic Food business. I also ghost-wrote the foreword for him.
Preserved (Kyle Cathie, 2004)
- A guide to pickling, fermenting, smoking and so on.
Mushroom (Kyle Cathie, 2001)
- A book all about the culinary and other uses of fungi.
Soup (Kyle Cathie, 1999)
- Written to promote the chain of gourmet soup restaurants I co-founded in 1998.
TRIVIA
The Little Book of Big Expenses (A & C Black, 2009)
- An irreverent look at the MPs' expenses scandal.
Minted (Think Publishing, 2007)
- A perky little illustrated book about money
Kings of Comedy (Think Publishing, 2005)
- Facts and anecdotes about comedians.
The Ideas Companion (Think Publishing, 2005)
- An offbeat look at inventions and Intellectual Property.
EDUCATIONAL
Economy (DK Eyewitness Books, 2010)
- An illustrated book written to help out parents beleaguered by nine year olds asking “Mum, what’s a credit crunch?”
Soup Works Plc
This was a chain of frankly rather groovy gourmet soup bars in the West End of London.
Self-employed
Regular gigs included:
The Times - Obituary and feature writer. Accuracy, speed of turn-around and concision particularly important in the former. Subjects included George Best, Brian Clough, Quentin Crisp and The Duke of Westminster.
EatSoup - Staff writer and columnist for this influential mid-90s foodie magazine.
IP Review - Web and hard copy columnist for this intellectual property title.
Fortnum & Mason Magazine – Feature writer.
Penthouse UK – Columnist and Interviewer.
I have also written articles for numerous publications including The Economist, The Daily Telegraph, The New Statesman and The Literary Review.
Littlemore Hospital, Oxford
Working in an NHS therapeutic community for young adults with psychotic illnesses.
Camden Central Cars
Conscious exercise in gaining experience of the 'real world' through being shut in a metal box for several hours a day with random members of the public.
Various
Researching documentary ideas for various producers at the BBC. Developing programme ideas for the acclaimed Channel 4 discussion programme After Dark.
Portfolio
Johnny has 4 reviews
Professionalism
Quality
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Responsiveness
Linda J.
May, 2022
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Garvey P.
Mar, 2021
Seb G.
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