Martin Toseland - Ghostwriter
I am an award-winning ghostwriter and author with over 35 titles published in the UK and internationally (both as author and ghost).
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Overview
I am an award-winning author, ghost writer and editor. My publishing career spanned fifteen years working at a senior editorial level at Penguin and HarperCollins since when I have written or over 35 books.
I work on a wide range of subjects and genres – from sports and traditional games to food and drink, humour, language, celebrity biography, adventure and business writing.
I respond quickly to new requests and will always give a realistic assessment of timescales, the kind of work I can do and the cost.
Whenever I take on new work, I like to establish communication quickly with the client and then keep them informed of progress on a regular basis. In ghosting, communication and understanding are absolutely vital so establishing a good rapport is an essential first step. If a client and I can't quite make the chemistry work then I do advise honestly that they should try others. Ghostwriting is a very intimate experience and the trust required to make that relationship work is built on empathy and understanding.
‘I’d recommend Martin to anyone thinking of writing a book. Get him to do it instead – it’s easier.’ – James May, Top Gear presenter
“I’ve worked with Martin, on a variety of projects, since the mid-90s. He’s been my first port-of-call whenever I need editorial advice on a new project, and I’ve no hesitation in recommending anyone else in need of an editor to do the same.”
Professor David Crystal, best-selling author of over 100 books including Spell It Out
‘Martin captured my haphazard life and work and put it beautifully into my book: he has a gift.’ Tony Fernandes, owner of AirAsia, QPR football club and Caterham Cars.
“Martin has proven himself to be excellent in my experience at taking the loose threads of a proposal or idea and shaping it into something intelligent, commercial and exciting. He understands what is needed from the publisher’s perspective, being able to position a book successfully, as well as having the sensitivity and tenacity to help focus authors, whether that means re-working text or coming up with a sound structural framework for them to work to.”
Denise Bates, Group Publishing Director, Conran Octopus
“Martin is a wonderful editor and I always consult him on my drafts. With both fiction and non-fiction his judgement is clear-sighted and precise. He has a fine sense of structure and can point to exactly where a work has gone lopsided or pull out the elements that are working well and put them in the right place.”
Julia Rochester, author of The House at the Edge of the World Longlisted for the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction 2016 and shortlisted for the Desmond Eliot Prize 2016
“Martin has fantastic insight that improves any project at any stage.”
Myles Archibald, Publishing Director, William Collins/HarperCollins
I work on a wide range of subjects and genres – from sports and traditional games to food and drink, humour, language, celebrity biography, adventure and business writing.
I respond quickly to new requests and will always give a realistic assessment of timescales, the kind of work I can do and the cost.
Whenever I take on new work, I like to establish communication quickly with the client and then keep them informed of progress on a regular basis. In ghosting, communication and understanding are absolutely vital so establishing a good rapport is an essential first step. If a client and I can't quite make the chemistry work then I do advise honestly that they should try others. Ghostwriting is a very intimate experience and the trust required to make that relationship work is built on empathy and understanding.
‘I’d recommend Martin to anyone thinking of writing a book. Get him to do it instead – it’s easier.’ – James May, Top Gear presenter
“I’ve worked with Martin, on a variety of projects, since the mid-90s. He’s been my first port-of-call whenever I need editorial advice on a new project, and I’ve no hesitation in recommending anyone else in need of an editor to do the same.”
Professor David Crystal, best-selling author of over 100 books including Spell It Out
‘Martin captured my haphazard life and work and put it beautifully into my book: he has a gift.’ Tony Fernandes, owner of AirAsia, QPR football club and Caterham Cars.
“Martin has proven himself to be excellent in my experience at taking the loose threads of a proposal or idea and shaping it into something intelligent, commercial and exciting. He understands what is needed from the publisher’s perspective, being able to position a book successfully, as well as having the sensitivity and tenacity to help focus authors, whether that means re-working text or coming up with a sound structural framework for them to work to.”
Denise Bates, Group Publishing Director, Conran Octopus
“Martin is a wonderful editor and I always consult him on my drafts. With both fiction and non-fiction his judgement is clear-sighted and precise. He has a fine sense of structure and can point to exactly where a work has gone lopsided or pull out the elements that are working well and put them in the right place.”
Julia Rochester, author of The House at the Edge of the World Longlisted for the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction 2016 and shortlisted for the Desmond Eliot Prize 2016
“Martin has fantastic insight that improves any project at any stage.”
Myles Archibald, Publishing Director, William Collins/HarperCollins
Services
Languages
English (UK)
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Business & Management
Education & Reference
Entertainment
Health & Wellbeing
Sports & Outdoors
Travel
Fiction
Humor & Comedy
Work experience
Author, ghostwriter, editor
Self-employed
October, 2006
–
Present
(over 16 years)
I am a freelance author, ghost writer and editor. I write and edit fiction and non-fiction offering services from brainstorming ideas to writing the whole book.
Publishing Director
HarperCollins
June, 2004
–
September, 2006
(over 2 years)
Commissioning books and running a division that published 100 new books per year.
Editorial Director
Penguin Books
March, 1990
–
May, 2004
(about 14 years)
Commissioning, editing and publishing 30+ non-fiction titles per year.
Portfolio (11 selected works)
Flying High: My Story: From AirAsia to QPR
Tony Fernandes
'What a life. Tony Fernandes has accomplished amazing things - and who's to say what he can go on to achieve?' Sir Richard BransonThe inspiring story of business hero and Apprentice Asia star Tony FernandesAs a boy, Tony Fernandes wanted to be a pilot, a footballer or a racing driver. By 2011 he'd gone one better: founding his own airline and his own formula one team, and becoming Chairman of ... read more
The Movie Doctors
Simon Mayo, Mark Kermode
The surgery is now open . . . For over a decade, Simon Mayo and Mark Kermode have been sharing their film expertise with each other (and occasionally the odd listener) on the airwaves. Now they are donning their surgical scrubs and bringing their unique blend of deep movie knowledge and medical ignorance to their new guise as the Movie Doctors. Mayo and Kermode are armed and ready to offer imp... read more
Single-Minded: My Life in Business
Claude Littner
Linguistic mistakes. We all make them. And if your name is George W Bush or Jade Goody, you might make them more often than others. In "The Ants are My Friends" (delightfully misheard from Bob Dylan's "Blowing in the Wind") Martin Toseland has collected the very best (and very worst) linguistic gifts of the gaffe. The catergories features include: Malapropisms (named after Mrs Malaprop in Sher... read more
Approximately Right is a business book but it's not at all about money and numbers. It's a book about building successful businesses through having and using a set of core values, through focusing on continuous improvement, through creating an empowered organization and through keeping the numbers simple enough for everyone to understand. Whatever your business and whatever your job, Approxima... read more
Help Your Child Love Reading
Alison David
Help Your Child Love Reading
Walking the Amazon
Out of the Ashes Seven years ago, in a country which does not have a real cricket pitch, there was no national team. But a group of young Afghan men, exiled by war, learnt to play in the smashed concrete of refugee camps, and have risen from obscurity to the groomed grass pitches of international cricket. This is the true story of the Afghanistan cricket team. Full description
Boulle's Jewels: The Business of Life
Francis Boulle
'Business is a jungle. But I love animals.' Francis Boulle. Venture Capitalist and CEO Francis Boulle has set out to conquer the world. Armed with strategies not seen since Sun Tzu, philosophies to rival Aristotle, a business head that makes Alan Sugar look like an amateur and thoughts about life that even Confucius would have found enlightening, Francis is king of the new life-gurus. In this ... read more
Oz and James Drink to Britain
Oz Clarke, James May
Small rip to jacket front, represented in price. The superb accompaniment to the BBC TV series,'Oz And Jame Big Wine Adventure' as Oz and james travel around Britain researching Britain's best beer's, ciders'' perry's, Gin's and more. (cook)
Infographica: The World as You Have Never Seen it Before
Martin Toseland, Simon Toseland
Title: Infographica <>Binding: Paperback <>Author: Martin & Simon Toseland <>Publisher: Quercus Publishing
Martin has 1 review
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
Very professional and easy to get on with
frank taylor, November 2021
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