Cat London

Cat London – Editor

Developmental and copy editor with fifteen-plus years in the publishing industry; I specialize in literary fiction, mystery, and thrillers.

Overview

“Wow! Cat is a genius! Many, many thanks.”

Ross Pennie, award-winning author of (among many others) Tampered and Tainted


“[Senior Editor] Michael said he and the authors are over the moon with your copyedit; just an awesome, awesome job. So thank you!”

Crissy Boylan, managing editor, ECW Press


“Cat is a consummate professional and her work is top-notch. She has a remarkable eye for hard-to-spot details, and has snatched me from the jaws of embarrassment more times than I’d care to admit. She even sent little notes of encouragement as she worked her way through my books. I hope to work with her again.”

Randal Graham, author of Beforelife and Afterlife Crisis


In my decade and a half working with publishers and authors, I have honed my ability to provide thoughtful, thorough, and timely edits and to build strong and supportive relationships with authors. My goal is to amplify and polish an author's voice. to serve the reader, and to help create the best book possible. It is an honour to work with authors to shape their stories, find their voice, and make every word part of the spell they cast over their readers.


My passion for language, communication, and story runs deep, and I am proud to work with authors and publishers on each project to make the writing sing and to eliminate any errors. Publishers I have worked with include ECW Press, TouchWood Editions, and Biblioasis, and I worked in-house for Scholastic Canada, where my work included copyediting as well as evaluating unsolicited manuscripts. Books I have edited have won or been shortlisted for awards including the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence for Best Crime Novel, the Independent Publisher Book Award for Fiction, and the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction.


In terms of formal qualifications and training, I am a graduate of Centennial College’s Book and Magazine Publishing program, a certified copyeditor through Editors Canada, and an Advanced Professional Member of the UK’s Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading. I also have an honours bachelor of arts in English Language and Literature and Classics from Queen's University and have taught editing at various levels through Queen’s Professional Studies.


I am always excited to open a new book to start work. I look forward to opening yours.

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Music Nature Sports & Outdoors True Crime
Fiction
Cozy Mysteries Historical Mysteries Literary Fiction
Languages
English (CAN) English (US)
Certifications
  • Book and Magazine Publishing (Centennial College)
  • Copyediting (Editors Canada)
  • Advanced Professional Membership (Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading)

Work experience

Self-employed

Sep, 2006 — Present

I provide copyediting, proofreading, and substantive editing services to publishing companies and authors to ensure books are at their best and ready to be launched out to their readers.

Scholastic Canada

Jul, 2005 — Sep, 2006 (about 1 year)

I worked with both the art and editorial departments on books ranging from children's picture books to young adult fiction and nonfiction. My work included proofreading, copyediting, working on cover designs, fact checking, writing back cover and catalogue copy, photo research, and evaluating unsolicited manuscripts for the editorial department.

Self-employed

Sep, 2000 — Apr, 2003 (over 2 years)

I founded a successful independent essay and assignment editing business for Queen’s University students while completing my degree. I edited a wide range of projects, including documents for the Queen’s University Classics Department and doctoral English theses, and also coached students in writing skills.

Portfolio

Say Uncle!

Jake Shannon

Exploring the ancient Western martial art of catch-as-catch-can grappling, this definitive book covers the history, players, and strategies of the sport. Rich in history and full of painfully ... read more
Copy Editing
Tainted

Ross Pennie

In an affluent city perched on Ontario s Niagara Escarpment, residents begin turning up on the pathologist s autopsy table with what looks like epidemic mad cow disease. Zol Szabo, a public-he... read more
Developmental Editing
Clockwork Angels

Kevin J. Anderson

From a New York Times bestseller, “firmly planted in the steampunk genre, an epic-scale story . . . with beautiful illustrations” based on the album from Rush(Booklist). A remarkable collabora... read more
Proofreading
“Motörhead, remember me now, Motörhead, alright!”Lemmy, Phil, Fast Eddie and the Rise of Motörhead is the first book to celebrate the classic-era Motörhead lineup of Lemmy Kilmister, “Fast” Ed... read more
Copy Editing
Winner of the 2019 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime NovelAs 1995 dawns in the North of Ireland, Belfast is a city of army patrols, bombed-out buildings, and “peace walls” segregating one comm... read more
Developmental Editing
Ukrainian Scorpions

Grand Chief Ronald M. Derrickson

Award-winning author Grand Chief Ron Derrickson tells the story of his personal fight against Ukrainian political and economic forces alongside the larger story of the wider struggle for Ukrai... read more
Developmental Editing
Shortlisted for the 2023 Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for NonfictionA journalist and folklorist explores the truths that underlie the stories we imagine—and reveals the magic in the ever... read more
Copy Editing
Eat the Beetles!

David Waltner-Toews

“Provides a sturdy literary exoskeleton to the field of human insectivory . . . it entertains as it enlightens” (Daniella Martin, author of Edible). Meet the beetles: there are millions and millions of them and many fewer of the rest of us—mammals, birds, and ... read more
Of Moose and Men

Torry Martin

Torry Martin—a comedian, actor, and hippie—fled from California to the wilderness of Alaska, searching for answers to life's big questions. He found what he was looking for...and a lot more! A... read more
Copy Editing
In this thrilling memoir, the first son of wrestling steps out from behind the shadows of Calgary's fabled "Hart dungeon" to discuss his family and the cutthroat world of professional wrestlin... read more
Proofreading
Thirst for Justice

David R. Boyd

For readers of John Grisham and William Deverell comes a political thriller ripped from today’s headlines. Lawyer and environmental activist David R. Boyd writes a riveting thriller about the ... read more
Proofreading
Midnight Jesus

Jamie Blaine

It’s three a.m. in the side yard of a shack in the worst part of town. I’ve got a dirty-faced baby on my hip and there’s a pit bull standing on the septic tank in the next yard over barking hi... read more
Copy Editing
A smart and enchanting postwar mystery that will appeal to fans of the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear.It is 1946, and war-weary young ex-intelligence officer Lane Winslow leaves Lo... read more
Copy Editing
Beforelife

Randal N. M. Graham

ItÕs okay if you donÕt believe in the afterlife. The people who live there donÕt believe in you, either. What if you went to heaven and no one there believed in Earth? This is the question at ... read more
Copy Editing
Proofreading
Developmental Editing
Proofreading
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Proofreading
“For all animal lovers ... Few books ... approach the combination of fine writing, radical honesty, and endless optimism found [in these] veterinary tales.” (Booklist, starred review) With ins... read more
Developmental Editing

Cat has 1 review

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Ron S.

Ron S.

Jul, 2024

Cat is a responsive, careful, and diligent editor. She delivered her edits precisely on time and generated a comprehensive style sheet to memorialize all the editorial choices she made, as well as a list of open questions that only the author could answer. I would recommend her without hesitation to anyone needing an expert book editor.
Cat L.
Thanks so much Ron! I really enjoyed this project and I hope we have the opportunity to work together again.

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