Rachel Rayner

Rachel Rayner – Editor

Crime thriller and historical fiction specialist with 10+ years' editing experience at Penguin Random House and HarperCollins

Overview

I’m an independent development editor having spent over ten years working in editorial at Penguin Random House and HarperCollins in London. I left London to move to Zürich, Switzerland, and now work as a freelance development editor for various publishing companies and literary agencies.

My most recent in-house role was Commissioning Editor for Crime Thrillers in the Transworld division of Penguin Random House. There I commissioned Ghostman, a debut novel by Roger Hobbs, which went on to win the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for Best Thriller in 2013. I was also lucky enough to edit and publish crime novels from Belinda Bauer, Sharon Bolton, RD Wingfield's DI Frost prequels and Cath Staincliffe's Scott & Bailey series as well as psychological fiction by Paula Daly.

My experience isn't limited to the crime and thriller genre. I currently work closely with a giant of historical adventure writing in a freelance capacity and during my time at HarperCollins I edited historical fiction by SJ Parris and James McGee.

I am passionate about discovering new voices and working alongside authors to realise their full potential. For those of you ready for an in-depth development edit, I am able to give technical and creative advice on all elements of your work. I will examine plot and continuity, characterisation, tension, suspense and pace, as well as your writing and dialogue. I also provide an editorial assessment service for those of you who are not quite ready for this stage but would like some honest, but gentle, feedback on their work.

I look forward to hearing from you!
Services
Fiction
Action & Adventure Historical Fiction Mystery & Crime Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction
Languages
English (UK)
Certifications
  • BA (Hons) English Language and Literature, King's College London
  • PgDip Publishing Studies, City University
  • Copyediting & Proofreading, The Publishing Training Centre London

Work experience

Self-employed

Mar, 2016 — Present

Transworld Publishers (Penguin Random House UK)

Sep, 2011 — Mar, 2015 (over 3 years)

HarperCollins Publishers UK

May, 2009 — Sep, 2011 (over 2 years)

The Book Club Boutique

Mar, 2009 — Mar, 2010 (about 1 year)

Fourth Estate (HarperCollins Publishers UK)

May, 2008 — May, 2009 (about 1 year)

Ebury Press (Penguin Random House UK)

Aug, 2004 — Apr, 2008 (over 3 years)

Portfolio

Rebellion

James McGee

Rebellion is brewing in Napoleonic Paris, in the action-packed novel from the author of the bestselling Ratcatcher.October 1812: Britain and France are still at war. France is engaged on two battle fronts - Spain and Russia - and her civilians are growing wear... read more
The Trinity Six

Charles Cumming

FROM THE WINNER OF THE CWA IAN FLEMING STEEL DAGGER 2012 FOR BEST THRILLER OF THE YEAR. Perfect for fans of John le Carré, a gripping and suspenseful spy thriller from ‘the master of the modern spy thriller’ (Mail on Sunday)Hard-up Russia expert Dr Sam Gaddis ... read more
Heresy

S. J. Parris

A vivid and gripping historical thriller set in Elizabethan England introducing Giordano Bruno - philosopher, spy and hero of the stunning new novel SACRILEGE - for all fans of C.J.Sansom and The Name of the Rose.In Elizabeth’s England, true faith can mean blo... read more
The bestselling book that changed the way we talk about sex...'They say men think about sex every eight seconds - I want to know what they think about for the other seven...'Abby Lee is smart, sassy, and perpetually single. Frustrated with her mediocre love-li... read more
A community on the brink.An abandoned chapel burns. In this part of Manchester, destruction is not unusual. But this time, the body of a man lies inside.And it’s down to Scott and Bailey to save them all...Detective Constable Rachel Bailey is struggling to com... read more
A family manThe bodies of a man, woman and child are found, lying in pools of blood. The owner of the inn where the bodies are discovered has fled. But he’s not alone – he’s taken his two young sons with him. No one knows what he’s going to do next...A profess... read more
A daughter’s deathA teenage girl is found brutally murdered in her squalid flat.A mother’s loveHer mother is devastated. She gave her child up to the care system, only to lose her again, and is convinced that the low-life boyfriend is to blame.Two ordinary wom... read more
The second in the prequel series to R D Wingfield's A TOUCH OF FROST, for fans of David Jason's Jack Frost and crime-fiction readers.May, 1982. Britain celebrates the sinking of the Belgrano, Princess Diana prepares for the birth of her first child and Denton ... read more
A gripping prequel to R. D. Wingfield's A TOUCH OF FROST, perfect for fans of David Jason's Jack Frost and readers who love Stuart MacBride, Peter James and Lynda La Plante.November 1982. It’s been one of the worst days of DS Jack Frost’s life. He has buried h... read more
'Nail-biting!' TESS GERRITSEN'Spine-tingling!' LISA GARDNERTwelve-year-old Barney Roberts is obsessed with a series of murders.He knows the victims are all boys, just like him.He knows the bodies were found on river banks.And he’s sure the killer will strike a... read more
Rubbernecker

Belinda Bauer

*Winner of the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award* 'Taking the psychological thriller into new territory' IndependentLife is strange for Patrick Fort - being a medical student with Asperger’s Syndrome doesn’t come without its challenges. And... read more
Ghostman

Roger Hobbs

'Fast, hard and knowing: this is an amazing debut full of intrigue, tradecraft and suspense. Read it immediately!' Lee Child (author of the Jack Reacher novels)I make things disappear. It’s what I do. This time I’m tidying up the loose ends after a casino heis... read more
'Fiendishly addictive' GUARDIANYour best friend isn’t who you think she is.You’ve been friends since university, when you became the people you are today.You don’t see each other enough but when you do it’s as if you’ve never been apart.She’s one of the family... read more
Your friend's child is missing. It's your fault.No family is perfect.A husband, three children and a full-time job, so many plates to keep spinning.No wonder you forgot you were supposed to be looking after your friend's daughter.But no one has seen her since ... read more

Rachel has 4 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

jeanie R.

jeanie R.

Jul, 2018

Rachel was helpful and has pointed me in the right direction for improvements and editing requirements. At the end of the time period I received a feedback report on my manuscript. A Skype call was also of use to discuss the report. There was no communication from the time I sent the manuscript until the final report, I found this a bit disconcerting.
Cara T.

Cara T.

Jan, 2018

As an editor, Rachel was amazing to work with . She provided excellent feedback and noticed parts about the manuscript I had never, ever, seen, even though I've read it a million times. We worked in two stages and she was flexible about this idea when I first broached her about the set-up. First she provided a editorial report letting me know loose ends or structure which wasn't working in the ...
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Katya K.

Katya K.

Jan, 2018

I’m very grateful to Rachel for her help with bringing my novel to life. Rachel came up with a lot of suggestions for scene setting and characters’ emotional responses to several dramatic events in the book. I was writing from an outline thus skipping what didn’t seem to contribute to unfolding the story, but Rachel pushed me to add color, texture, smells, sounds of music, and even some buzzing...
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Katya K.

Katya K.

Sep, 2017

I really enjoy working with Rachel on my novel opening. She provided many helpful suggestions in places where I struggled. In the course of our communication, Rachel responded promptly and to the point. As a debut writer, I feel like my novel is in good hands and I trust Rachel to help me further improve it as we keep working on the whole manuscript.

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