Overview
I have edited non-fiction books for adults and children on topics ranging from history to travel to photography. I have also been employed to write up numerous book proposals for publishers hoping to sell their ideas for the co-edition market.
I have worked as a commissioning editor, structural editor and copy editor, my clients including Harper Collins, Constable & Robinson, Omnibus Press, Elwin Street Productions and the United Nations Development Programme.
In addition, I have worked as a book publicist, getting coverage in the Guardian, Observer, Daily Mail, Daily Express and MailOnline, as well as monthly magazines and BBC Radio London.
From the other side, as a journalist, I worked for many years reading new non-fiction to find strong storylines – whether from celebrities or human interest stories – that could work as extracts for the Mail on Sunday and also the Daily Mail.
As an author, I have written popular history books, such as Dark History of Hollywood and Bloody History of America, as well as launching Amber Books' hugely popular Abandoned series, with Abandoned Places. For children, I have written books on mythology, such as World's Worst Monsters & Villains and Stories of the Constellations, as well as history, such as Disasters.
I have also written six humour books, including Pugs in Space, Fat Cats and Dogs Gone Bad.
Services
Non-Fiction
Languages
Work experience
Self-employed
As a freelance editor, I have worked for HarperCollins, Constable (Little, Brown), Omnibus Press Ltd, Elwin Street Productions and the United Nations Development Programme.
Across these my work has ranged from commissioning new authors to outlining new titles, from structural editing to copy-editing.
Weldon Owen International
I was responsible for editing children's illustrated non-fiction. Responsibilities included:
- Commissioning authors
- grading text for the correct language level
- rewriting text
- mapping out a choose-your-own-adventure book
- Briefing designers
- Picture research
Amber Books Ltd
At Amber Books Ltd, I edited a number of illustrated non-fiction books, as well as becoming the company's in-house publicist.
As an editor, I helped writers through the editorial process, from commissioning them to checking their drafts, from alerting them to inconsistencies to drawing their attention to where further clarification was needed and on to final layouts and proofreading. Through this, we always came out with a better book.
I was also responsible for devising books, writing hundreds of pitches for prospective titles, writing blurbs, conducting picture research, and writing quizzes on history and pop music for apps.
Topics ranged from travel, such as Coast or the Visual Explorer Guide: Canada, to illustrated history with Abandoned Sacred Places and Amazing Churches of the World to Tai Chi and the I Ching.
As the publisher's publicist, I placed features or extracts with the Guardian, Observer, Daily Mail, Daily Express and MailOnline, as well as reviews in monthly magazines.
Portfolio
