Roisin Dunnett - Editor
Practised and perceptive editor, specialising in literary, sci-fi, LGBTQ+ fiction, crime and short stories.
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Overview
I'm a publishing professional with years of editorial experience. I have overseen the development of writing projects of all genres from first drafts through rounds of edits to print ready. I'm an enthusiastic reader with a nuanced and sensitive approach to editorial work. I read very widely but especially love literary fiction, science fiction, LGBTQI writing and quest narratives.
After years as a bookseller in Daunt and Waterstones I began writing reports for Literary Scouting company Dialogue Scouting. I began working at independent press Penned in the Margins as a Publishing Coordinator, and am now the Assistant Editor and Sales Manager. I manage publishing projects, commission fiction and edit manuscripts. I was granted a place on the competitive Editing Training Scheme run by the Publishing Training Centre and The Literary Consultancy, where I subsequently completed courses in Editing Fiction, Copy Editing and Substantive Editing.
I have worked on a vast range of manuscripts from commercial thrillers to experimental prose. I will approach your writing project with sensitivity and insight aiming to bring out the best in style and story.
-Editorial Assessment
-Developmental Editing
-Copy Editing
After years as a bookseller in Daunt and Waterstones I began writing reports for Literary Scouting company Dialogue Scouting. I began working at independent press Penned in the Margins as a Publishing Coordinator, and am now the Assistant Editor and Sales Manager. I manage publishing projects, commission fiction and edit manuscripts. I was granted a place on the competitive Editing Training Scheme run by the Publishing Training Centre and The Literary Consultancy, where I subsequently completed courses in Editing Fiction, Copy Editing and Substantive Editing.
I have worked on a vast range of manuscripts from commercial thrillers to experimental prose. I will approach your writing project with sensitivity and insight aiming to bring out the best in style and story.
-Editorial Assessment
-Developmental Editing
-Copy Editing
Languages
English (UK)
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Fiction
Coming of Age
Contemporary Fiction
LGBTQ Fiction
Magical Realism
Mystery & Crime
Science Fiction
Short Story
Certifications
- Publishing Training Centre Editorial Training Scheme
- Publishing Training Centre: Editing Fiction
- Publishing Training Centre: Copy Editing
- Publishing Training Centre: Substantive Editing
Work experience
Assistant Editor and Sales Manager
Penned in the Margins
May, 2019
–
Present
(over 3 years)
-Reading and commissioning fiction.
-Editing manuscripts.
-Proofreading manuscripts.
-Supporting the director across all publication projects.
-Liaising with authors, agents designers and others involved in publication.
-Managing rights and contracts.
-Attending conferences and sales meetings.
-Managing and timelining publishing projects, from contracting, through editorial and cover design, to print and publication.
-Publicity and marketing, specialising in relationships with bookshops. .
Report Writer
Dialogue Scouting
January, 2017
–
August, 2018
(over 1 year)
-Producing thorough and fluent reports on books from a broad spectrum of genres, to tight deadlines.
-Providing detailed plot summary and a context conscious commentary
-Assesment with regard to manuscript's suitability for television or film adaptation.
Portfolio (16 selected works)
Unbury Carol: A Novel
Josh Malerman
The New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box returns with a supernatural thriller of love, redemption, and murder.NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NEWSWEEK“This one haunts you for reasons you can’t quite put your finger on. . . . [Josh Malerman] defies categories and comparisons with other writers.”—Kirkus ReviewsCarol Evers is a woman with a dark secret. She has died many times... read more
The Easy Way Out
Steven Amsterdam
EVAN IS A SUICIDE ASSISTANT. HIS JOB IS LEGAL - JUST.'A poignant, sharply funny story that raises questions about life, death, and love' Louise O'Neill'You might just want to find and hug a nurse after finishing this thoughtful and ethically nuanced novel' GuardianEvan is the one at the hospital who hands out the last drink to those who ask for it. Evan's friends don't know what he does during... read more
The Killer You Know
S. R. Masters
I'll murder three strangers. And you'll know it was me . . . 'A blinder of a read' SUN'A scary, compelling and a completely original page-turner' IRISH INDEPENDENT'An original and gripping thriller' LAURA MARSHALLSummer 1997. When Will jokes about becoming a serial killer, his friends just laugh it off. But Adeline can't help but feel there's something darker lurking behind his words.Winter 20... read more
Exquisite
Sarah Stovell
She loves me. She loves me not.Bo Luxton has it all – a loving family, a beautiful home in the Lake District, and a clutch of bestselling books to her name.Enter Alice Dark, an aspiring writer who is drifting through life, with a series of dead-end jobs and a freeloading boyfriend.When they meet at a writers’ retreat, the chemistry is instant, and a sinister relationship develops...Or does it?... read more
In The Dark
Cara Hunter
'Your next riveting, twisty read!' SHARI LAPENA'Reminded me of Hitchcock at his finest, where twist follows twist at a breath-taking pace' Daily Mail___________________________________DO YOU KNOW WHAT THEY'RE HIDING IN THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR? ___________________________________A woman and child are found locked in a basement room, barely alive.No one knows who they are - the woman can't speak, an... read more
The Water Cure
Sophie Mackintosh
*This ebook edition includes an exclusive extract from Sophie Mackintosh's hotly anticipated second novel, Blue Ticket*British Vogue 'Star of the Future' for 2020Independent Best Books of the Decade 'A gripping, sinister fable' Margaret Atwood (via Twitter)'An extraordinary debut - otherworldly, luminous, precise' Guardian'Bold, inventive, haunting... With shades of Margaret Atwood and Eimear ... read more
Amnesia
Michael Ridpath
What if you woke up to discover that you'd killed the only woman you had ever loved?Alastair Cunningham wakes up in hospital with almost total amnesia. But he knows that something terrible happened in his past, something that haunts him still. A young family friend, Clémence, is called in to help rekindle his memory. Retreating with Alastair to his remote cottage by a Scottish loch, Clémence f... read more
Devil's Day
Andrew Michael Hurley
BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES, FT, METRO AND MAIL ON SUNDAY'The new master of menace' Sunday TimesAfter the blizzard of a century ago, it was weeks before anyone got in or out. By that time, what had happened there, what the Devil had done, was already fable.Devil's Day is a day for children now, of course. A tradition it's easy to mock, from the outside. But it's important to re... read more
Then She Was Gone
Lisa Jewell
BESTSELLING PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE, AND A TOP RICHARD & JUDY SELECTIONOVER 1,000 5* REVIEWS – this is why readers love this book: 'Grips to the point of OBSESSION''My life STOPPED while I read this book''My heart was THUMPING in my chest''This is EDGE OF YOUR SEAT reading''This book left me BREATHLESS''Cancel all plans and BUY THIS BOOK'************************She was fifteen, her mother's gol... read more
House of Beauty
Melba Escobar
A thought-provoking Colombian crime novel set in and around a beauty salon in Bogota ‘This delicate, merciless filleting of race and gender politics is highly recommended’ Guardian ‘A revelation. A rewarding read and an unexpected insight into a foreign society not often documented in novels. Treat yourself’ Crime Time ‘We thought we were bored of thrillers, but then we found House of Beauty .... read more
Before She Sleeps
Bina Shah
“A haunting dystopian thriller” from the acclaimed author of A Season for Martyrs— “Fans of The Handmaid’s Tale won’t want to miss this one” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). In modern, beautiful Green City, the capital of Southwest Asia, gender selection, war, and disease have brought the ratio of men to women to alarmingly low levels. The government uses terror and technology to control i... read more
The Glass Woman: A Novel
Caroline Lea
Shortlisted for the Historical Writers Association Debut Crown AwardIn the tradition of Jane Eyre and Rebecca—The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea in which a young woman follows her new husband to his remote home on the Icelandic coast in the 1680s, where she faces dark secrets surrounding the death of his first wife amidst a foreboding landscape and the superstitions of the local villagers.“Grippe... read more
An Archive of Happiness
Reeder, Elizabeth
Heavy Time
Overall, Sonia
His WildFlower
Grey S, L
Feral Borough
Pugh, Meryl
Roisin has 5 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
Roisin was clear in her choice of edits and in charge of her knowledge of my story. Her perspective on my story was extremely useful. As writers we tend to get wrapped up in our tales. Knowing what is working and what isn't can be difficult to acknowledge but Roisin you can trust has an eagle eye view. In terms of her choice of edits Roisin tended to go for clarity rather than flowery language,...
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David Sparling, August 2022
Roisin was superb to work with and I was glad that she agreed to take on the work of a novice writer like myself. Choosing Roisin was an easy decision because she was the only one who took interest in understanding me and highlighting what I had said in my request. Roisin's excitement for my story was the seal of the deal.
I wanted to work with a quirky creative editor for my first book. When...
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L Grey S, October 2021
Roisin was perceptive, thorough and generous with her advice. I am really pleased with the outcome. I have lots of concrete action points and a much better understanding of what a reader may want from my book. She was kind but critical, exactly what I was hoping for. Thanks Roisin!
Richard Harper, January 2021
After working on my story for many months I was keen to obtain a professional analysis of what I had written. In addition to providing a detailed edit of my text which included suggested changes to both text and structure Roisin also provided many useful comments which have made me read my work in a new light as I started on a new draft.
She also provided a detailed report of nearly seven pag...
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Tim Jarvis, September 2020
Highly recommend! I loved working with Roisin, and look forward to doing so again.
Her developmental and line edits for my two stories were extremely helpful. Both were challenging and encouraging. She is genuinely interested in helping bring out the best in the story, and very clear and professional and engaged. Her edits offered substantial and helpful feedback, with concrete criticism and...
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Chip Rich, June 2020
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