Overview
I'm a freelance UK-based editor and writer with more than two decades' experience working for some of the biggest publishers in the industry, such as A&C Black/Bloomsbury and imprints in the Quarto group. As an editor I have worked across the arts and humanities on some fiction but hundreds of non-fiction books, including a number of US titles. I have developed particular specialisms in art history, history and memoir, though I'm comfortable working across a much wider spread of genres in the arts and humanities, as my portfolio of edited titles bears out.
After a short editors' correspondence course, my real editorial training was the two years I spent studying for postgraduate diplomas in translation from the Institute of Linguists in London, first from French into English and then from Spanish into English; there is nothing like trying to render the idioms of another language in those of your own to sharpen your awareness of what clear, idiomatic English prose should look like and sound like. But editing is a two-way process that I see from both sides. As a writer and as a cultural storyteller, over more than a decade I have produced blog series and other materials for museums and galleries in the UK and Europe, and arts or travel journalism (features and reviews) for legacy media brands including the Economist and the Guardian. One highlight: a seven-week journey across Canada in 2011, blogging about Canadian art for Dulwich Picture Gallery in London and the Groninger Museum in the Netherlands, as well as writing travel and culture features on the same subject for the Guardian and the London Magazine, both of whom I have written for since.
Over the past seven years, I have also written 10 narrative non-fiction titles of my own, mostly on art (again, see my portfolio for some of these). In early 2020, I was awarded a PhD in Creative and Critical Writing by the University of Sussex; my thesis examined the place of the nation state in a globalised world and included a novella of my own. All of which means I bring a wealth of experience, subject knowledge, editorial sensitivity, intellectual rigour and instinctual storytelling flair to any text I work on, either as an editor in serving the writer or as a writer in serving the idea. At its best, the editorial process is a conversation between writer and editor, with the editor's role to help the writer articulate that idea in the best way possible; to say exactly what they mean. Any client will find me diligent, punctual and responsive in pursuit of that goal.
After a short editors' correspondence course, my real editorial training was the two years I spent studying for postgraduate diplomas in translation from the Institute of Linguists in London, first from French into English and then from Spanish into English; there is nothing like trying to render the idioms of another language in those of your own to sharpen your awareness of what clear, idiomatic English prose should look like and sound like. But editing is a two-way process that I see from both sides. As a writer and as a cultural storyteller, over more than a decade I have produced blog series and other materials for museums and galleries in the UK and Europe, and arts or travel journalism (features and reviews) for legacy media brands including the Economist and the Guardian. One highlight: a seven-week journey across Canada in 2011, blogging about Canadian art for Dulwich Picture Gallery in London and the Groninger Museum in the Netherlands, as well as writing travel and culture features on the same subject for the Guardian and the London Magazine, both of whom I have written for since.
Over the past seven years, I have also written 10 narrative non-fiction titles of my own, mostly on art (again, see my portfolio for some of these). In early 2020, I was awarded a PhD in Creative and Critical Writing by the University of Sussex; my thesis examined the place of the nation state in a globalised world and included a novella of my own. All of which means I bring a wealth of experience, subject knowledge, editorial sensitivity, intellectual rigour and instinctual storytelling flair to any text I work on, either as an editor in serving the writer or as a writer in serving the idea. At its best, the editorial process is a conversation between writer and editor, with the editor's role to help the writer articulate that idea in the best way possible; to say exactly what they mean. Any client will find me diligent, punctual and responsive in pursuit of that goal.
Services
Non-Fiction
Art
Biographies & Memoirs
History
Music
Political Science & Current Affairs
Travel
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction
Historical Fiction
Languages
English (UK)
English (US)
Certifications
- July 1992: Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London, UK) Graduate (degree-equivalent) Diploma in Music: Starred first.
- December 2000: Institute of Linguists (London, UK) Postgraduate Diploma in Translation from French into English: Letter of Credit for technical translation.
- December 2001: Institute of Linguists (London, UK) Postgraduate Diploma in Translation from Spanish into English: Letter of Credit for technical translation.
- December 2019: University of Sussex PhD in Creative and Critical Writing.
Work experience
Self-employed
Sep, 2002 —
Present
I have been a full-time editor and writer since 2002. For a decade from 2004, my main client was A&C Black (latterly Bloomsbury) Visual Arts, for whom I copy-edited hundreds of titles on the widest possible range of mediums within the visual arts. During the same period and since, I have edited books in various genres including popular history, memoir and fiction, for numeorus other clients including Sutton Publishing (now The History Press), Ivy Press (and other Quarto imprints), She Writes Press and Summersdale Publishers. I have also written 10 non-fiction titles for Flame Tree Publishing and for Summersdale Publishers, mostly on art and culture.
Portfolio
Ancient civilisations in Vietnam, the lost cities of the Amazon, the cities and towns of humankind have fought for space against the overwhelming power of nature. We think we’ve mastered it, but discoveries across the world show abandoned cities, their proud b... read more
A gorgeous new edition with the cover printed on silver. Towards the end of his life and much inspired by Japanese water gardens, Monet spent a great deal of time in his beloved Giverny. Adorned with poppies, blue sage, dahlias and irises, the waters were dist... read more
The painful, exquisite art of Mexico’s favourite artist was a product of immense physical pain, and an emotional tumultuous life. The new book features the range and power of her heavily autobiographical work, from the early, disturbing explorations of persona... read more
Art has been used in the service of social and political movements, for good and evil, from ancient times to the present day, and this unique book explores the history, cultural diversity, and artistic legacy of art works that have had far greater impact than ... read more
From the magnificence of a towering redwood to the simple elegance of a tiny dandelion, seed-bearing plants abound on planet Earth. The sheer diversity of plants thriving today is largely thanks to the evolution of the seed, as this made plants resilient to en... read more
A contemporary look at both traditional clothing and street styles from 38countries around the world and the influence these two very different kinds of dress are having on fashionand designers today. Traditional dress from around the globe inspiredthe early d... read more
The music world has seen some of the most iconic partnerships of all time: Sonny and Cher, Mick and Marianne, Elvis and Priscilla, Ike and Tina.... Rock 'n' Roll Love Stories looks at 14 of the best, taking us from the 1950s all the way up to the early 2000s. ... read more
Printmaking at the Edge explores the innovative techniques printmakers are using today. The topics covered range from the challenges of new technology and materials (for example, the latest high-tech plates and speciality papers and inks) to the persistence of... read more
John and Erica Mason-Grey are hard-working artists and loving parents―but when John dies, their teenage daughter Mona’s casual drug use spirals into heroin addiction. She and her mother soon begin an anguished game of hide-and-seek leading to countless argumen... read more
Lavishly illustrated with works by acclaimed artists as diverse as Henry Moore, Paula Rego, David Hockney, Ken Kiff, Elisabeth Frink, Barbara Hepworth, Ceri Richards and Man Ray, this book tells the story of the establishment of the Curwen Studio and the devel... read more
In Sydney, Australia, in 1908 the brash and talented black fighter Jack Johnson won the heavyweight championship of the world from the Canadian Tommy Burns. There was an immediate storm of protest. Writers, including Jack London, and politicians feared the acc... read more
As Judy Gruen walked down the aisle and into her Orthodox Jewish future, her bouquet quivered in her shaky hand. Having grown up in the zeitgeist that proclaimed, “If it feels good, do it,” was she really ready to live the life of “rituals, rules, and restrain... read more
The Second World War played havoc with millions of lives, and all over the world lovers were pulled apart, often just as their stories together were beginning. World War II Love Stories tells the tales of 14 very different couples.- Moving, real-life love stor... read more
You might run for fitness. You might run for speed. But ultimately, running is about much more than the physical act itself. It is about the challenges we face in life, and how we measure up to them. It is about companionship, endurance, ambition, hope, convic... read more
Julian has 19 reviews
Professionalism
Quality
Value
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WIlliam Y.
Oct, 2022
mark M.
Aug, 2022
Fran W.
Apr, 2022
Heidi B.
Mar, 2022
S B.
Feb, 2022
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