Philip Parr

Philip Parr – Editor

Career professional editor and proofreader with over 25 years' experience working with award-winning authors

Overview

I started my publishing career in the 1990s with Macmillan's Dictionary of Art -- a mammoth encyclopedia with articles on just about everything that has ever been painted, sculpted or built. Since then, my editing experience has been similarly eclectic, ranging from comic novels to gritty crime fiction, and from popular biographies to in-depth historical studies. I have worked for most of the UK's major publishers (Hachette, Faber, HarperCollins, Routledge, etc.) on books by many best-selling authors, including Orhan Pamuk (Nobel laureate), DBC Pierre (Man Booker Prize), Tom Holland (Hessell-Tiltman Prize) and Mark Billingham (Crime Novel of the Year).
I also deal directly with writers who employ me to refine their articles and manuscripts prior to submission to agents, publishers and journals.
I have always been a freelancer, so I am acutely aware of the importance of building and maintaining close, collaborative relationships with clients. I see my role as entirely supportive, offering suggestions and a fresh perspective but never at the risk of jeopardizing the author's unique voice. It is, and always will be, your book. My job is simply to help you hone, polish and clarify the story you wish to tell.
Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs History Travel
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction Literary Fiction Mystery & Crime
Languages
English (UK) English (US)
Certifications
  • MA Hons Politics and Modern History

Work experience

Self-employed

Jul, 1992 — Present

Freelance editor and proofreader for publishers and individual clients

Self-employed

Jul, 1989 — Jul, 1993 (about 4 years)

Freelance arts journalist for The Stage, The List and Scotland on Sunday

Portfolio

Bloody Foreigners

Robert Winder

Immigration is one of the most important stories of modern British life, yet it has been happening since Caesar first landed in 53 BC. Ever since the first Roman, Saxon, Jute and Dane leaped o... read more
Copy Editing
Snow

Orhan Pamuk

Snow begins in the year 1992. Ka, a poet and political exile, returns to Turkey as a journalist, assigned to investigate troubling reports of suicide in the small and mysterious city of Kars o... read more
Copy Editing
Proofreading
This book examines the first thirty years of Elizabeth I’s reign from the perspective of the Valois kings, Charles IX and Henri III of France. Estelle Paranque sifts through hundreds of French... read more
Copy Editing
Big Snake

Robert Twigger

Robert Twigger goes to the Far East in search of the world's longest snake - 'echoes of Gerald Durrell's trips crossed with Redmond O'Hanlon's foray into the heart of Borneo . . . a fantastic ... read more
Copy Editing
Memoirs

Hurd, Douglas

Copy Editing
Persian Fire

Tom Holland

In 480 BC, Xerxes, the King of Persia, led an invasion of mainland Greece. Its success should have been a formality. For seventy years, victory - rapid, spectacular victory - had seemed the bi... read more
Copy Editing
Scaredy Cat

Mark Billingham

The second book in the Tom Thorne series from bestselling author Mark Billingham, Scaredy Cat is a gripping, chilling tour-de-force; a book to keep you reading until deep into the night.'Assur... read more
Copy Editing
When the body of Thomas Magner’s business partner is found dead in his car on the outskirts of Anstruther, all evidence points to suicide. And Magner himself, a wealthy property developer, is ... read more
Copy Editing
When DCI Andy Gilchrist is called to a crime scene to find an amputated hand clutching a note addressed to him, a note that contains only one word, murder, he is pulled into an investigation t... read more
Copy Editing
The Rich

John Kampfner

From the Orwell Prize shortlisted author of Freedom for Sale, The Rich is the fascinating history of how economic elites from ancient Egypt to the present day have gained and spent their money... read more
Copy Editing
There has been a revolution. The God who ruled over us for five hundred years has been overthrown. The soul of England has been transformed, almost without anybody noticing. Gone are the share... read more
Copy Editing
Few images are as evocative as the silhouette of the Arab dhow as, under full sail, it tacks to windward on glittering waters of Red Sea before moving across the face of the rising or setting ... read more
Copy Editing
'Why did you go into politics in the first place?'A question that former Cabinet minister has found himself asked, and indeed asking himself, over the years, Lord Waldegrave's is a life lived ... read more
Copy Editing
Superconnect

Richard Koch

Networks rule the world. Take any organization: a corner shop, a new venture, a gang of drug traffickers, the United Nations, Google, the place you work. They are all networks, with their own ... read more
Copy Editing
Lazybones

Mark Billingham

Winner of the Crime Novel of the Year, Lazybones is the third novel in the bestselling Tom Thorne series, a shocking, unputdownable novel from the master of psychological thrills.'Never loosen... read more
Copy Editing
Rubicon

Tom Holland

'The Book that really held me, in fact, obsessed me, was Rubicon . . . This is narrative history at its best. Bloody and labyrinthine political intrigue and struggle, brilliant oratory, amazin... read more
Copy Editing
WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2003WINNER OF THE WHITBREAD FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2003'Startling . . . explosive and extravagantly satisfying.' Guardian'Dangerous, smart, ridiculous and very funny.... read more
Proofreading

Philip has 9 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Jil O.

Jil O.

Jul, 2024

I was very satisfied with the help I received and wish that I had been able to continue. Family ill health, our house being sold etc distracted me from my writing which I trust in future Philip Parr will still be able to edit for me.
Philip P.
It would be a pleasure to work with you again, Jil. Many thanks for the review.
Melissa K.

Melissa K.

Jul, 2024

Philip's work was fantastic. He took time to understand the characters on a deep level, and to offer suggestions based on his understanding. He clarified language with apt and fun suggestions that delighted us (a co-authored book), and he consolidated event sequences where we were sometimes a bit wordy. His insights and suggestions for handling a somewhat tricky character trait that required sp...
Read more
Philip P.
Many thanks for taking the time to write such a thoughtful and generous review, Melissa Kate and Beth. In addition, equal thanks for writing The Portmanteau. It provided one of the most enjoyable m...
Read more
Jil O.

Jil O.

Feb, 2024

I have only had two chapters of a book edited by Philip Parr who has contributed an exceptional development to my written text. He seems to have a vivid overview of a writers intention and introduces descriptive vocabulary that highlights situations.
Philip P.
Thank you so much, Jil. As you know, I'm looking forward to the next instalment!
Hurol I.

Hurol I.

Feb, 2024

It was a pleasure to collaborate with Philip on my book project. He is well experienced, guides you through the entire process. He is brilliant at managing your expectations, highly responsive and truly professional. Finally, he is respectful of the work and his edits are thoughtful and augment the work. I would work with him again and highly recommend him. Thanks Philip.
Philip P.
Thank you, Hurol. It was a true pleasure working with you, too. Please pass on my warmest regards to Metin; I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that his novel reaches the audience it deserves. It wi...
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Holy Impact P.

Holy Impact P.

Feb, 2023

Philip is an incredible editor! He's professional, efficient, prompt, and thorough, with a GREAT turn around time Philip, I appreciate you. I look forward to us working together again
Philip P.
Thank you! It was a pleasure to work with you again.

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