Louis Archard - Editor
An experienced author, editor and proofreader with eclectic interests in history and transport.
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Overview
In ten years as an editor and project manager at a UK trade publisher, I've worked on a wide variety of different nonfiction books from image-based local and transport history books to long and heavily illustrated accounts of the Titanic and other famous ocean liners and more general text-based books on King Canute, the Second World War, the Habsburgs and Afghanistan.
Working as a freelancer, I've been lucky enough to work on a variety of interesting manuscripts, including a self-help title, a modern-day Western, a dystopian adventure and a murder mystery. Some of the generous feedback I've had from my clients includes: 'experienced and articulate', 'able to offer observations on a macro and micro level', 'his suggestions will assist me to write a better next draft and be a better writer', 'a professional, witty and astute reviewer of one's work' and 'a thoroughly enjoyable, excellent and insightful professional beta reader'.
As well as my editorial experience, I'm very widely read in history (especially medieval history - in which I have a degree - but also the history of the Second World War and various aspects of Asian history and of the history of the British Empire) and have excellent general knowledge (honed in the local quiz league!) should fact-checking be on your list of requirements.
Having also written several published works of nonfiction myself, I'm intimately familiar with the struggles that an author goes through!
Working as a freelancer, I've been lucky enough to work on a variety of interesting manuscripts, including a self-help title, a modern-day Western, a dystopian adventure and a murder mystery. Some of the generous feedback I've had from my clients includes: 'experienced and articulate', 'able to offer observations on a macro and micro level', 'his suggestions will assist me to write a better next draft and be a better writer', 'a professional, witty and astute reviewer of one's work' and 'a thoroughly enjoyable, excellent and insightful professional beta reader'.
As well as my editorial experience, I'm very widely read in history (especially medieval history - in which I have a degree - but also the history of the Second World War and various aspects of Asian history and of the history of the British Empire) and have excellent general knowledge (honed in the local quiz league!) should fact-checking be on your list of requirements.
Having also written several published works of nonfiction myself, I'm intimately familiar with the struggles that an author goes through!
Languages
English (UK)
English (US)
Fiction
Fantasy
Historical Fiction
Mystery & Crime
Non-Fiction
History
Political Science & Current Affairs
Transportation
Work experience
Freelance editor
n/a
July, 2020
–
Present
(8 months)
Carrying out development editing and copyediting on manuscripts on a freelance basis, including self-help titles and various genres of fiction.
Managing Editor
Amberley Publishing
January, 2016
–
September, 2020
(over 4 years)
Managing a team of editors reporting directly to me with the responsibility for publishing a list of 200 books each year. Engaging in the production process by editing, proofreading, tracking projects, managing suppliers and ensuring quality control.
Portfolio (11 selected works)
On a Sea of Glass: The Life & Loss of the RMS Titanic
Tad Fitch, J. Kent Layton, Bill Wormstedt
On the night of 14/15 April 1912, a brandnew, supposedly unsinkable ship, the largest and most luxurious vessel in the world at the time, collided with an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage. Of the 2,208 people on board, only 712 were saved. The rest either drowned or froze to death in the icy-cold waters of the North Atlantic. How could this ‘unsinkable’ vessel sink and why did so few of t... read more
King Cnut and the Viking Conquest of England
W. B. Bartlett
The Viking Conquest of England in 1016 saw two great warriors, the Danish prince Cnut and his equally ruthless English opponent King Edmund Ironside, fight an epic campaign that scarred much of England and ended with Cnut becoming the undisputed king of England. This book tells the extraordinary story of Cnut the Great’s life. Cnut was far removed from the archetypal pagan Viking, being a stau... read more
In 1939 and 1940, the Nazi blitzkrieg crushed Poland and the Low Countries and France. This was a new type of warfare, with air and ground forces sweeping away all resistance. In the air its symbol was the all-conquering Luftwaffe. When Hitler looked further east in 1941, the Luftwaffe spearheaded the largest invasion in world history, destroying thousands of Red Air Force planes. Yet less tha... read more
Rhondda Collieries Through Time
David Swidenbank, Alun Seward
Rhondda' - even now, the name evokes the turbulent times when Rhondda (actually two valleys, the Fawr and Fach) was synonymous with the deep-mining of steam coal. This is a story of pioneering deep-mining and unbridled capitalism: the prospecting of two valleys, unfettered by health and safety, amid divisive industrial relations and scarce health-care. The result fired railways, steam-powered ... read more
Coventry Buses 1914 - 1946
David Harvey
Although Coventry Corporation had been running a tram service since the 1880s, the Corporation's first bus services did not come into operation until 1914. The outbreak of the First World War that September, however, meant that the bus chassis built for Coventry by Maudslay were requisitioned by the War Office for Army use. When the war came to an end, new buses were ordered from Maudslay, and... read more
The Setting of the Rising Sun - Japanese Military Aviation 1877-1945
Terry C. Treadwell
On 4 July 1942, American airmen flew in US-built bombers against a German target for the first time. It was a small operation involving six US crews in Boston medium bombers, but was nonetheless a harbinger of things to come. The first heavy bombardment group of B-17s had crossed the Atlantic in June 1942, another arriving by 1 August, marking the first steps in the massive build-up of B-17s a... read more
The Edwardian Superliners: A Trio of Trios
J. Kent Layton, Mark Chirnside
As the twentieth century got underway, the competition between the three greatest passenger lines in the history of the North Atlantic produced three trios of wonder ships. From the Cunard Line came the Lusitania, Mauretania and Aquitania. From the White Star Line came the Olympic, the infamous Titanic, and the Britannic. From the Hamburg-Amerika Line came the Imperator, Vaterland and Bismarck... read more
Coventry Buses 1948-1974
David Harvey
Coventry’s buses had first entered service in 1914, supplementing the tram network. The city’s transport network was heavily damaged by bombing during the Second World War. After the end of the war and the end of austerity, new Daimler buses began to arrive in the city to replace the austerity and producer gas vehicles run during the war years, and those provided by other operators to cover th... read more
1939: The Second World War in the Air in Photographs
Archard, Louis
Louis has 1 review
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
I received very fair criticism as well as great encouragement from the feedback. Looking forward to working with him again!
Logan Willis, February 2021
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