Katy Loftus

Katy Loftus – Editor

Editor, Writing Coach and Publishing Advisor. Editor of the Year 2021. 'Passionate, tireless, smart and kind'

Overview

***Please note I am nearly always booked two months in advance for development work.***


Do you need an expert editor who knows what the major publishers are looking for?


Do you want someone who can give your book that sparkle that will make it stand out from the rest?


Or do you need help getting a project off the ground, or need to build your writing confidence so you can finish it?


I am here to help you.


I have worked for over 15 years in trade publishing, mostly recently at Viking, Penguin, where I set up and ran a list of bestselling and award-winning books, and won Editor of the Year at the British Book Awards. My experience ranges from blockbuster crime bestsellers, to literary award-winners, to independently published essay collections. I also co-founded the writing mentoring scheme WriteNow and the monthly book event Feminist Book Society, and believe in doing everything I can to make publishing as inclusive as possible. Now working from home in Bristol, I focus on what I love: meeting and working with new authors to realise their book's potential, whether that's giving editorial notes, line editing or meeting online to coach them through the process of writing and being published. I am a writer too, which gives me insight to the particular challenges - and the joys - you experience. I want to help you make your writing dreams come true.


My fees are from £50-£120 per hour dependent on the service, but I am open to negotiation for special projects and those on low incomes.

Please say hello, tell me about your project and ask for a quote. I look forward to meeting you.


***

This is what some writers and industry stars have said about working with me:


‘Katy is an amazing editor because she is an amazing person. She is super caring, hard-working and has a brilliant sense of humour; it’s such a joy to work with her. As a debut author, Katy has made the publishing process a lot less scary...I really admire her transparency and honesty, as well as her buckets of is everything I wanted in an editor and more.’ LIZZIE DAMILOLA BLACKBURN


'Katy is a brilliant editor - smart, insightful, communicative and clever’. JULIET MUSHENS, literary agent


‘Katy is without a doubt, one of the shrewdest, trustworthy and most engaging editors I’ve ever encountered. She secures the deepest trust of her champions writers and stories that would have been overlooked by less dedicated editors.’ ROSIE BEAUMONT-THOMAS, former Women’s Prize Manager


Services
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction Cultural & Ethnic Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Mystery & Crime Short Story
Languages
English (UK)
Awards
  • Editor of the Year 2021
Certifications
  • BA English and Publishing (Hons)

Work experience

Penguin Random House

May, 2015 — Feb, 2022 (almost 7 years)
- Co-managed the Viking Fiction Editorial team. - Led an award-winning team to publish multiple bestselling, highly acclaimed books including Richard Osman’s crime classic The Thursday Murder Club. - Acquired and curated a boutique list of highly profitable commercial fiction, from acclaimed literary fiction like Tana French’s The Wych Elm and Costa award-winning The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins, to bestsellers like Josie Silver’s New York Times bestseller One Day in December and Jane Corry's Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller I Made a Mistake. - Co-founded industry-leading diverse writers’ mentorship scheme, WriteNow. - Launched the commercial fiction team, a small team of publishing professionals dedicated to this area.

Avon, HarperCollins

May, 2014 — May, 2015 (about 1 year)
Publishing a list of commercial fiction titles in physical and ebook editions

Transworld

Jan, 2011 — May, 2014 (over 3 years)

Net-a-Porter, Oxford University Press and Wiley Blackwell

Apr, 2008 — Jan, 2011 (almost 3 years)

Portfolio

FIRST COMES LOVE. THEN COMES MARRIAGE. THEN COMES MURDER. THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLING THRILLER YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO PUT DOWN _________________ What if your life was built on a lie? When lawyer Lily marries Ed, she's determined to make a fresh start. To... read more
The Whole Truth

Cara Hunter

An attractive student. An older professor. Think you know the story? Think again.--------'Riveting' Shari Lapena 'So twisty, so timely, so terrific' Nicci French 'My new favourite crime series' Louise Candlish She has everything at stake; he has everything to ... read more
The Hiding Place

Simon Lelic

'A proper heartpounding thriller' Sun, Book of the Week'Compelling and infused with a simmering tension' Sarah Pearse, The Sanatorium 'A taut pacy murder mystery' Imran Mahmood, You Don't Know Me FOUR FRIENDS. ONE MURDER. A GAME THEY CAN'T ESCAPE----------'It ... read more
My Sister's Bones

Nuala Ellwood

***THE NO.1 EBOOK BESTSELLER ***'Couldn't put the lights out until I'd finished it! ' Emma Curtis, author of One Little Mistake'Rivals The Girl on the Train as a compulsive read' Guardian'Twists and turns until the last page' Tammy Cohen, author of When She wa... read more
Three Hours

Rosamund Lupton

'If you read only one thriller this year; make it this one' Daily Mail'Gob-smackingly, heart-stoppingly, breath-holdingly brilliant' Ruth Jones------------THREE HOURS TO SAVE THE PEOPLE YOU LOVEIn rural Somerset in the middle of a blizzard, the unthinkable hap... read more
Agency

William Gibson

THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN NOVEL FROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OFNEUROMANCER'Dazzling, astoundingly inventive' The Times'Wild, richly satisfying' Guardian'Terrific' Spectator_______________San Francisco, 2017. Clinton's in the White House, Brexit n... read more
The Wych Elm

Tana French

From the writer whose novels inspired the BBC's Dublin Murders TV series... 'One of the most compulsive psychological mysteries since Donna Tartt's The Secret History' THE TIMES 'An engrossing, unpredictable, beautifully written mystery' SOPHIE HANNAH 'Dark an... read more
Yinka, Where is Your Huzband?

Lizzie Damilola Blackburn

THE TIMES BESTSELLER AND MARIE CLAIRE 'BEST BOOKS OF 2022' 'Such a warm, funny and relatable book' Jendella Benson, Hope and Glory'Yinka is the most loveable character you'll meet' Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström, In Every Mirror She's Black--------Meet Yinka.And Yink... read more
'Deep-diving and elegant . . . Wide Sargasso Sea meets Beloved meets Alias Grace' Margaret Atwood'Takes the gothic genre by the scruff of the neck...a triumph of powerful characterisation melded with suspenseful plotting' Bernadine EvaristoWINNER OF THE COSTA ... read more
THE SECOND NOVEL IN THE RECORD-BREAKING, MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING THURSDAY MURDER CLUB SERIES BY RICHARD OSMAN ---------- 'Moving, hilarious, brilliantly suspenseful' Jeffery Deaver 'A thing of joy' Kate Atkinson 'The tonic we all need' Shari Lapena It's the f... read more
THE FIRST NOVEL IN THE RECORD-BREAKING, MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING THURSDAY MURDER CLUB SERIES BY RICHARD OSMAN----------'Smart, compassionate, warm, moving and so VERY funny' Marian Keyes'So smart and funny. Deplorably good' Ian Rankin'Thrilling, moving, laugh-... read more
IT STARTED WITH A KISS... AND ENDED WITH MURDER. The darkly addictive new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of I Looked Away, Blood Sisters and My Husband's Wife. --------------------------------------------------------In Poppy Page's mind, there ... read more
The Runaways

Fatima Bhutto

This compelling, breath-taking read for fans of AMERICAN DIRT will make you question everything you thought you knewOne of the 'most important and prescient' books - Dolly Alderton and Pandora Sykes, The High Low'Bhutto's new novel will move you' - Elif Shafak... read more
'The sweetest love story . . . you're going to LOVE it' Marian Keyes, Grown Ups 'You'll fall head over heels for this book' Reese Witherspoon A LOVE STORY FOR ANYONE WHO WATCHES LOVE ACTUALLY AND BRIDGET JONES' DIARY EVERY CHRISTMAS! This festive season get re... read more
Beach Read

Emily Henry

Two writes. One holiday. A romcom waiting to happen...-------'One of my favourite authors' Colleen Hoover, It Ends With Us 'A great love story' Jodi Picoult, Wish You Were Here 'The perfect escapist romp' Laura Jane Williams, One Night With You January is a ho... read more
'Fans of P.S. I Love You will adore this new romantic novel from Josie Silver' CosmopolitanWhat if you could live your great love story again?THE CAPTIVATING NEW NOVEL FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ONE DAY IN DECEMBER Lydia and Freddie. Freddie a... read more
The Searcher

Tana French

'Terrific - terrifying, amazing' STEPHEN KING'Completely, indescribably magnificent' MARIAN KEYES-----A DISAPPEARANCE. A SMALL TOWN. A QUESTION THAT NEEDS ANSWERING...Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a remote Irish village would be the perfect escape. After... read more

Katy has 10 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Gwen B.

Gwen B.

Apr, 2025

I am so grateful to Katy for her revision and editing suggestions to my querying package of my novel (letter, synopsis and first 10,000 words) - both thoughtful and enthusiastic, very much meeting my work in progress where it's at and thinking strategically about how to present the best querying ...
Read more
Katy L.
Thank you so much for this feedback Gwen, I really appreciate you taking the time to give such detail. I enjoyed working on your query package and am hopeful to see your novel in stores one day soo...
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Andi W.

Andi W.

Nov, 2024

Katy Loftus is absolutely brilliant, and I honestly can’t believe my good fortune in getting to work with her on my (raw and jumbled) manuscript. Katy stands apart with her background as editor and publisher at one of the most renowned publishing houses in the world, and it shows. She’s a true ...
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Katy L.
Thank you so much Andi for this review and feedback. I really appreciate you taking the time to do it. Working with you on your novel was an absolute pleasure in every way. You have a special talen...
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Howard L.

Howard L.

Jul, 2024

It was a pleasure to work with Katy. Her criticism was instructive, articulate, astute and spot on. I would work with her again in a heartbeat.
Smita B.

Smita B.

Jun, 2024

Katy is simply a brilliant editor. Hire her now. Her instincts and insights are already proving invaluable, enabling me to see my MS with a much more rigorous focus. Flaws that I hadn’t previously appreciated have come to the foreground with a fresh understanding of how to achieve good literary p...
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Katy L.
Thank you Smita, this is so kind of you. I am so grateful to you for taking the time, it honestly makes it all worth it. I really enjoyed our project together and I am glad your confidence is resto...
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Stephanie K.

Stephanie K.

May, 2024

Katy Loftus is an excellent editor, with a beautifully person-centred approach to editing. Katy was able to pinpoint the contradictions in my work with accuracy and delicacy, whilst offering a perspective on my writing I could never have reached on my own. She is also very conscious of the more p...
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Katy L.
This is incredibly kind Stephanie, thank you for taking the time to write these (beautifully written!) words. It was a pleasure to read your work and provide guidance. I am hoping and expecting to ...
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