Scott Pack – Editor

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