Overview
I am a freelance editor and writer with sixteen years' experience, both in and out of house, in journal and book publishing. Working across fiction, poetry and non-fiction, with an emphasis on literary writing, I am adept in structural and line editing as well as sharp-eyed proofreading; my copy-editing skills are second to none.
I run Offord Road Books, a small, boutique list publishing new and exciting work in poetry. I was previously (until 2021) the lead editor at Poetry London, the long-running international journal publishing established names alongside new and emerging voices, and I am a founding editor of multilingual, multinational arts zine La Errante. From late 2021 to 2024 I was an editor for CHEERIO Publishing, a production company and publishing house in association with the Estate of Francis Bacon. Before going freelance in 2016 I worked as an editor at Faber & Faber, helping bring landmark titles to publication from both front- and backlist.
In my freelance life I work for a number of publishers and arts organisations, including the Arvon Foundation, Bloomsbury, Canongate, the T. S. Eliot Estate, Faber, Granta, Oneworld, Pan Macmillan, 4th Estate, Persephone Books, The Poetry Review and many more. I offer manuscript assessment services and mentorship to writers hoping to brush up their book pre-submission, via the Literary Consultancy, the Rebecca Swift Foundation and Faber Academy.
I work closely with authors, both in prose and in poetry, to make sure their manuscript is as pin-sharp as it possibly can be, its images bright and clear, its dialogue fluid and convincing, its narrative arc strong and compelling. I'm a writer myself, and I know the value of intensive, rigorous editorial feedback to a work-in-progress, and the je ne sais quoi (except often we DO know what) it takes to bring that last polish to a promising draft.
Whether you're just getting going and need to check the bare bones of a piece, you've reached a first draft and need to put it through its paces, or else you're ready to start sending out to agents and publishers, I will ensure that your work sings.
Services
Non-Fiction
Fiction
Languages
Work experience
Offord Road Books
Boutique publishing list, founded in 2014. Our books have won the Ledbury Forte Prize, been shortlisted for the Forward Prize, the T.S. Eliot Prize, the Laurel Prize and the Michael Marks Award, and been named Recommendations by the Poetry Book Society. Authors include A. K. Blakemore, Will Burns, Helen Charman, Ella Frears, Melissa Lee-Houghton and Seán Hewitt.
CHEERIO Publishing
Responsible for a new poetry list whose first three titles were shortlisted for major awards and reviewed in the mainstream press.
Unbound
Maternity cover role working on a diverse list of books
Poetry London
I was the executive editor of this long-running international magazine. Published three times a year in February, May and September, each issue contains new poetry, incisive reviews and features, with established names rubbing shoulders with new voices.
Faber & Faber
Worked across poetry and non-fiction titles at this prestigious literary publishing house. I edited and project managed two rounds of the Faber New Poets scheme, and worked with some of the most exciting writers currently producing poetry in this country.
Portfolio
Martha has 56 reviews
Professionalism
Quality
Value
Responsiveness
Nebeyu S.
Dec, 2024
Oluchi N.
Nov, 2024
Julie F.
Aug, 2024
Deno G.
Jul, 2024
Ziad R.
Jun, 2024
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