Lydia Jennings – Editor

My freelance career began in October, allowing me the opportunity to apply my skills and experience to support publishers as needed.

I am able to provide support with copy editing and proofreading manuscripts, using track changes or BSI proofreading symbols as required. The majority of my experience is in commercial fiction, specifically crime and women’s fiction, but I am keen to work on a variety of fiction or non fiction titles.

I have copyedited various crime and thriller and women’s fiction titles published by Bloodhound, which involved checking characterisation, plot, voice/tense and setting, in addition to checking sentence structure, spelling, grammar, punctuation and consistency.

I liaised with authors when needed to clarify editor queries and points within their manuscript, to ensure timely delivery of the edited version for the publishing director.

I supported the Avon division with reading and proofreading manuscripts, and also worked in the Avon office for one month to cover annual leave as an editorial assistant.

My duties included reading and reporting on submissions; proofreading copy; assisting with social media posts and competitions; administrative tasks, such as keeping and updating minutes, managing meeting room and visitor bookings, and organising incoming and outgoing post; and updating and utilising the book titles database Plan G.

I demonstrated my passion for working with books in a busy, fast paced environment and my ability to work under pressure, while completing work accurately and efficiently.

My duties included copy editing a variety of materials, including manuscripts, PR articles, printed event materials, post event reports and infographics, across a range of therapy areas, including cardiovascular, rare diseases, oncology, anti infectives and women’s health. My role also involved administration tasks, including organising meetings and training sessions, styling and submitting manuscripts to journals, and liaising with freelancers to send and review work.

I was the lead editor for three major clients and managed several ongoing projects at one time, delegating where necessary to junior members within the team and peer reviewing work as needed. I liaised and worked closely with writer, design and account departments to keep up to date with each project and see it through from start to finish.

My duties with the editorial team involved reading manuscript submissions and completing a submissions report for each; proofreading copy; using the Biblio3 database to find information and check copy and jackets were up to date on Amazon; completing various administrative tasks, such as photocopying and organising outgoing post; conducting research for end matter; and logging submissions in Excel.

This experience enhanced my efficiency skills and keen eye for detail. It gave me valuable insight into the world of children’s fiction publishing via a highly successful and well established editorial team. I was able to demonstrate my organisational skills, as well as my strong IT skills by using Excel, Word and the in house book database to update information.