Nicola Carthy – Editor

I am a picture-book editor based in the UK with over ten years’ experience shaping commercially successful children’s lists for leading UK publishers, including Puffin, HarperCollins, Hachette and Walker Books. My experience is wide-ranging – I am a picture book specialist but have also worked across pre-school board books and novelty books, non-fiction and young fiction. I would love to work together to help you realise your vision and hone your text to perfection!

I am passionate about nurturing talent and playing a part in creating beautiful books that will stand out in the market, spark wonder in the reader and be treasured for a lifetime. I am obsessed with picture books of every kind, from the hilarious to the heartwarming, in rhyme or prose! I can help you refine your writing style, story ideas and character development, as well as giving you helpful tips on pacing, imagining how your words will work with illustrations, picture-book layouts and market research. I can advise on your manuscript's commercial potential and next steps towards getting published, and I am always happy to answer any questions you might have about the publishing process along the way.

I hope to be the perfect partner to you in your writing journey, and to help you take your stories to the next level. I love nothing more than working with authors and helping them to see their work with fresh eyes. Your authorial voice is your most important asset - so I will likely ask you a lot of questions about your story and characters in the editorial process that will hopefully help you to delve deeper and express what you want to say in your own unique way. I value human voices and personal stories – I do not work on texts developed using AI, nor do I use AI in the editing process.