Scott Pack

Scott Pack – Editor

A publisher and editor for over 20 years. I have worked on many award-winners and bestsellers. 150+ five-star reviews from Reedsy clients.

Overview

I am a publisher and editor. In the early 2000s I was Head of Buying for the Waterstones book chain, in charge of all the books they bought and sold. I then moved into publishing, working for big and small publishers including seven years running my own imprint of HarperCollins in the UK. These days I work in a number of roles – as a freelance editor, as a lecturer at Oxford Brookes University, a public speaker and I write questions for TV quiz shows. I am also an author myself, with seven books in print. So, basically, I understand most sides of the industry and how they work. I can use this knowledge to help you.


I have edited and published books that have been longlisted, shortlisted and won prizes including the Folio Prize, Wellcome Trust Book Prize, Portico Prize, DSA South East Asian Literary Prize, Gordon Burn Prize, Green Carnation Prize, Bisto Children's Book of the Year, Thurber Prize and the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize. Listed further down the page are just a small selection of the books I have commissioned and worked on over the years.


I wrote a popular column for The Bookseller magazine for several years and have had journalism published in The Times, The Observer, Private Eye and elsewhere. I regularly host a Masterclass for the Guardian newspaper in the UK on How to Perfect Your Submission, the content of which has been turned into a bestselling book.


My 2020 book, Tips From a Publisher: A Guide to Writing, Editing, Submitting and Publishing Your Book, is on the recommended reading lists of creative writing degrees across the UK, including Birkbeck, Reading and Canterbury Christ Church universities.


I can work with you in a number of ways. If you want a deep dive into your manuscript, then my developmental edit will provide line-by-line analysis. Or maybe you just want a publishing professional to read your book and offer feedback, in which case an editorial assessment might do the job. If you are happy with your manuscript but unsure how to navigate the submission process, then I can help you with your query, synopsis and submission package. Some authors hire me as a mentor over a period of time to help with various aspects of writing.


I have listed the genres that I have worked in most often but I can handle most areas. You will see from my feedback and reviews that I have a lot of very happy clients on Reedsy.


Feel free to get in touch if you want to discuss your needs.


Finally, here are some testimonials about my work:


'Shut up and listen to everything he has to say’ – Caimh McDonnell, bestselling author of The Dublin Trilogy


‘Scott knows the publishing industry inside-out and whenever I work with him, I know my authors are in good hands’ – Charlotte Seymour, literary agent


‘The best editor I've ever worked with’ – Ray Robinson, author of The Mating Habits of Stags

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction Fantasy Literary Fiction Mystery & Crime Science Fiction Women's Fiction Young Adult
Languages
English (AUS) English (CAN) English (NZ) English (SA) English (UK) English (US)

Work experience

Abandoned Bookshop

Dec, 2016 — Present

Abandoned Bookshop is a boutique publishing house that seeks out forgotten gems from the history of literature and reissues them for contemporary readers. Our titles include Appius and Virginia by G.E. Trevelyan ('Groundbreaking fiction' – Guardian), The Iron Chariot by Stein Riverton (voted the greatest Norwegian crime novel of all time) and Childless by Ignat Herrmann ('Beautiful. Wise. Utterly humane. Uplifting in the best sense.' Tim Murgatroyd, author of Taming Poison Dragons).

Oxford Brookes University

Nov, 2016 — Present

I teach on the Editorial Management module of their MA in Publishing, voted the #1 such university course in the UK. Essentially, I teach people how to become editors.

Eye Books & Lightning Books

Sep, 2016 — Jun, 2020 (over 3 years)

I acquired, edited and published fiction and non-fiction for Eye Books and Lightning Books, two sister imprints. Books include the #1 Amazon bestseller, The Cornershop in Cockleberry Bay by Nicola May, Sour Grapes by Dan Rhodes, The Exphoria Code by Antony Johnston (optioned for TV) and The Imaginary Lives of James Poneke by Tina Makereti (film rights bought by Taika Waititi's production company).

Unbound

Jan, 2015 — Apr, 2019 (about 4 years)

I worked with the world's first crowdfunding publisher for a number of years, acquiring and launching titles on their platform. These included books by Brian Bilston, Kristin Hersh, Natalie Fergie and many more.

The Friday Project, HarperCollins

Oct, 2006 — Dec, 2014 (about 8 years)

I joined The Friday Project as Commercial Director but was promoted to Publisher when the business was bought by HarperCollins in 2008. During my time there, books that I published were longlisted or shortlisted for the Wellcome Trust Book Prize, The Folio Prize, the DSA South East Asian Literary Prize, the Gordon Burn Prize and the Green Carnation Prize. I also published books that won the Bisto Children's Book of the Year, the Thurber Prize in the US, and twice won the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize. 'Blood, Sweat and Tea' by Tom Reynolds was turned into the Channel 4 television series, 'Sirens', which was then adapted into a US series by Denis Leary.

Authors I published include Brian Aldiss, Andrew Kaufman, Kristin Hersh, Stewart Copeland, Julie Schumacher, Niven Govinden, Nikesh Shukla, Dr Benjamin Daniels, Dr Nick Edwards, Tom Reynolds and John Lenahan.

Waterstones

May, 2000 — Sep, 2006 (over 6 years)

As Head of Buying for the Waterstones book chain I was in charge of the team that purchased new books for the 100+ bookshops across the UK and Europe and was responsible for delivering over £100m of sales every year.

Portfolio

The Stranger Times

C. K. McDonnell

'Wonderfully dark, extremely funny' proclaimed ADAM KAY, author of the No.1 bestselling This is Going to Hurt'A filmic romp with great characters, a jet-propelled plot, and a winning premise' ... read more
Developmental Editing
Finches of Mars

Aldiss, Brian W.

Developmental Editing
Rachel To The Rescue

Lipman, Elinor

Developmental Editing
The Exphoria Code

Antony Johnston

Developmental Editing
The Upper World

Fadugba, Femi

Query Letter Review
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Agrippina

Emma Southon

They said she was a tyrant, a murderer, and "the most wicked woman in history." She kicked her way into the male spaces of politics and demanded to be recognised as an equal and an leader. For... read more
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Oh I Do Like To Be

Phillips, Marie

Developmental Editing
Scottish Boy

de Campi, Alex

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
The Iron Chariot

Riverton, Stein

Editorial Assessment
The Forest Lake Mystery

Rosenkrantz, Palle

Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Valentina

David Gedge

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Pocket Cheerleader

Carey-Campbell, Bangs

Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Editorial Assessment
The Sewing Machine

Fergie, Natalie

Editorial Assessment
Decades of Lead

Fowler, Pete

Developmental Editing
Letters of Not

Shaw, Dale

Developmental Editing
The Sonnets

Collins, Warwick

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Wolf Country

Farrand, Tünde

Developmental Editing
The Outsiders

Corbett, James

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Sour Grapes

Rhodes, Dan

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing

Scott has 161 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Kacie Q.

Kacie Q.

Jul, 2024

Pinned
Scott is the ultimate professional of wisdom and guidance I needed for my novel. His feedback was on point and he undoubtedly helped me raise the bar on my story structure, and character development. His advice and input really helped me see the forest through the trees, and he provided a well structured map of the edits I need to make. I would hire Scott again and again to have in my corner!
Simon T.

Simon T.

Feb, 2024

Pinned
I had a great experience working with Scott as my developmental editor. His editorial report picked up on all the issues I need to address in my novel and provided excellent ideas to fix the weaknesses. I've worked with editors in the past who were far less clear in their communication so Scott's clarity and focus was much appreciated. I'll look forward to working with Scott again and can whole...
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Natalie O.

Natalie O.

Jan, 2024

Pinned
Can't say enough good things about my collaboration with Scott. He knows this industry, understood my project, and provided the clear, actionable editorial assessment that was needed to take my manuscript to the next level. Looking forward to working with him again!
James C.

James C.

Oct, 2024

Scott was very accommodating to my unreasonably tight schedule, and the advice that I received was exactly what I was hoping for and more. He was able to highlight key areas where my novel was lacking, and offered concrete solutions for how to fix the issues. My story is much improved as a result, but even more valuable to me is the fact that I learned a lot from the experience. Scott’s knowled...
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Cristina M.

Cristina M.

Oct, 2024

Scott is amazing! We worked together on reviewing my query letter and he provided me with in-depth feedback, plus a few possible angles from which to approach the query letter for an improved, more efficient version. He definitely went beyond my expectations in terms of communication, responsiveness, professionalism and the amount of energy he's put into the work. Highly recommend!

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