Louise Walters

Louise Walters – Editor

Indie publisher and freelance editor of literary, contemporary, and women's fiction, along with character-led urban fantasy.

Overview

I set up my indie press in 2017. I have edited, proof-read, and published fifteen books by eight authors at my press. I also work as a freelance editor, and I'm a writer too. My work has been both trade and independently published. My passion is literary fiction; I also enjoy working on women's fiction, contemporary fiction, romance, psychological thrillers, character-led urban fantasy, and narrative non-fiction.


I am a hard marker, but my philosophy is that it's only tough but constructive criticism that helps a writer. If something isn't working, I will always point that out, alongside providing specific and actionable ideas to help fix the issue. I also love to point out what is working.


My approach to editing is to start from the ground and work up: I'm a structure nerd, so if your structure is wobbly, we will start there. Solid structure is essential because it enables many other story-telling elements to fall into place. I look for a clear protagonist with a clear goal. Having said that, I do love experimental fiction, and I'm always supportive of a writer who is trying to do something different in their work.


Having our writing critiqued or edited can be daunting. I understand all the feelings an edit can unleash... everything from elation to despair. Anger is common! But it's usually fleeting, and along with my reports I always provide advice on how to respond to an edit or critique. The feelings can be surprising, so do be prepared for that.


I love editing fiction and narrative non-fiction, and I'll be able to help you wherever you are in your writing career. There is nothing more satisfying than working on a first draft, helping to set a writer on the path to a more polished piece of work. Equally I love working on those more polished pieces, perhaps providing a final edit before the work is submitted to agents.



"Louise is a first-rate editor, passionate and professional, ensuring that the books she edits end up the best they can be. We've had some lively debates... but Louise's suggested changes are always logical and clear. I have worked with her throughout my Wilde Investigations series and I trust her implicitly. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her editorial services."​

Laura Laakso, author of Fallible Justice, published in the UK by Bloodhound Books in 2024.


"Louise has been my editor since I wrote my first book. Four of my books became Amazon bestsellers and have thousands of five-star reviews. I could never have achieved this without Louise’s exceptional input. The key to finding the perfect editor boils down to trust. I have complete faith in Louise to help me make my stories the best they can be. I will be forever grateful our paths crossed.​"

A J Campbell, Bookoutre author and self-publisher of psychological thrillers.


Services
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction Contemporary Romance Historical Romance Literary Fiction Psychological Thriller Urban Fantasy Women's Fiction
Languages
English (AUS) English (CAN) English (NZ) English (UK) English (US)
Certifications
  • BA Hons (Open) Literature

Work experience

Self-employed

Jan, 2017 — Present
I have so far edited, proof-read, and published fifteen books at my indie press which I set up in 2017. I publish mainly literary fiction. I was the original publisher of Laura Laakso's urban fantasy series Wilde Investigations, and I continue to work with Laura as her editor. The series is now published by Bloodhound Books. I've worked editorially with authors A J Campbell, Victoria Scott, and L M West, and mentored Louise Jensen at the start of her career.

Portfolio

Don't Think a Single Thought

Cambridge, Diana

Louise Walters Books

Developmental Editing
Fallible Justice (Wilde Investigations)

Laakso, Laura

Bloodhound Books

Developmental Editing
Patience

Scott, Victoria

Head of Zeus

Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Mrs. Sinclair's Suitcase

Walters, Louise

G.P. Putnam's Sons

Developmental Editing
Book Coaching
We Are Family

Walters, Louise

Louise Walters Books

The Road to California

Walters, Louise

Louise Walters Books

The Hermit

Walters, Louise

Louise Walters Books

A Life Between Us

Walters, Louise

Louise Walters Books

Developmental Editing
Roots of Corruption (Wilde Investigations)

Laakso, Laura

Bloodhound Books

Developmental Editing
Echo Murder (Wilde Investigations)

Laakso, Laura

Bloodhound Books

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Editorial Assessment

Louise has 22 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Si L.

Si L.

Jun, 2025

Louise provided a developmental edit of my story. The brief of what she could provided was clear, as was what she needed from me. She completed the work on time and to a really high standard. Louise has provided me with really good feedback that is honest and effective, giving me lots to think ab...
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Louise W.
Thank you, Si. It was a pleasure to work on your charming story. Very good luck with it!
Sarah L.

Sarah L.

May, 2025

Louise understood my writing and was very insightful. It was useful to have a professional editor's honest opinion about where my stories could be polished, as well as what was good about them. Any changes Louise suggested were optional. I appreciate this. Louise has a writer's eye which is inval...
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Louise W.
Thank you, Sarah. It's been a pleasure to work on your stories. (And I'm definitely on your side!) I wish you every success with your powerful and moving writing.
Nicholas B.

Nicholas B.

Mar, 2025

I am blown away by Louise’s work on my novel All Writers Are Liars. It’s clear that she put a lot of thought and effort into her detailed report, and the report itself reflects a deep understanding of my purpose and my style, which has its quirks. I am very grateful to Louise for her insights, an...
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Louise W.
Brilliant, Nick, thank you. I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent on your manuscript. Your novel is original and stylish, and while it's serious in many ways, it's also funny. Always a treat to find s...
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David B.

David B.

Feb, 2025

Louise in three words: Direct, Thorough, Proactive. After reading Louise’s edit notes, I had to give myself several days of recovery before I could read her detailed edit of the MS itself. The feedback was hard-hitting, but oh so useful; just what I needed. Louise put her finger on two issues whi...
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Louise W.
Thank you, David. I'm pleased to hear my work has helped you. Once the fundamentals are clear in your mind, they will also be clear for the reader, and that's half the battle, really. It sounds lik...
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Logan M.

Logan M.

Jan, 2025

It was very hard for me to get a good perspective on my writing before encountering Louise. She was able to address everything that was wrong very concisely and with a purely neutral voice. It was exactly the thing I needed for my work. She was even able to give me highlights of the good without ...
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Louise W.
Thank you, Logan. It was a pleasure to read your novel. Amsa will stay with me. I wish you every success with your writing. All the best for 2025 x

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Most recent contributions

How do you discern what manuscripts have potential?

Potential is usually obvious in the first few sentences. The quality of the writing, pace and tone particularly, are evident from sentence one. But structure is important too, and if that's not in place, no amount of fine writing is going to fix it. So fine writing + tight structure (whatever the...
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Are you #TeamPrologue or #TeamNoPrologue and why?

Tricky one! But honestly, I'm #TeamNoPrologue 90% of the time. Why? Because most prologues don't do much in story terms. A prologue only really works (and is therefore needed) if by the end of the story the reader gets a "ker-ching!" realisation about the prologue... perhaps they race back to it,...
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