Overview

I am a publisher and editor. I have worked in book retail as well as for publishers big and small, so I have seen most sides of the industry.

I have edited and published books that have been longlisted, shortlisted and won prizes including the Folio Prize, Wellcome Trust Book 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 number of the books I have published over the years.

I have also written books myself as well as a range of journalism in newspapers and magazines. I am happy to work with you to help you get your manuscript ready for submission or publication. I can offer an editorial review, a full structural edit, a critique of your cover letter and synopsis, or simply offer advice as a publishing professional. Feel free to get in touch if you want to discuss your needs.

Services

Languages

Non-Fiction

Fiction

I have joined Oxford Brooks University as Associate Lecturer. I teach one day a week as part of the Editorial Management module of their MA in Publishing.

Unbound is the world's first crowdfunding publisher. Our authors pitch their books to readers who can then pledge to support them and help get them published. My role is to acquire new projects for the business and edit them for publication.

I was asked to help Gallic Books set up a new imprint called Aardvark Bureau. I built the initial list of titles, developed the publishing strategy and launched the list in September 2015. Authors I signed to Aardvark Bureau include Dan Rhodes, Fiona Kidman, Charles Lambert, Andrew Kaufman and Tracy Farr.

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.

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.

A Man With One of Those Faces (The Dublin Trilogy Book 1)

Caimh McDonnell

A Brilliant Comedic thriller - The Irish PostThe first time somebody tried to kill him was an accident. The second time was deliberate. Now Paul Mulchrone finds himself on the run with nobody to turn to except a nurse who has read one-too-many crime novels and a renegade copper with a penchant for violence. Together they must solve one of the most notorious crimes in Irish history . . . . . . ... read more

A Brilliant Comedic thriller - The Irish PostThe first time somebody tried to kill him was an accident. The second time was deliberate. Now Paul Mulchrone finds himself on the run with nobody to turn to except a nurse who has read one-too-many crime novels and a renegade copper with a penchant for violence. Together they must solve one of the most notorious crimes in Irish history . . . . . . ... read more

The Complete Short Stories: The 1950s

Brian Aldiss

In a major publishing project, all of Brian Aldiss’ 300+ short stories are being collected together for the first time.Volume one takes us from his very first story – A Book in Time, published in The Bookseller in 1954 and never seen again until now – right up to his establishment as a major new voice in science fiction by the end of that decade.As he enters his 89th year this is a long-overdu... read more

In a major publishing project, all of Brian Aldiss’ 300+ short stories are being collected together for the first time.Volume one takes us from his very first story – A Book in Time, published in The Bookseller in 1954 and never seen again until now – right up to his establishment as a major new voice in science fiction by the end of that decade.As he enters his 89th year this is a long-overdu... read more

Shadowmagic

John Lenahan

A Lord of the Rings for the 21st century. Only a lot shorter. And funnier. And completely different.Conor thought he was an average teenager. OK, so his father only had one hand, spoke to him in ancient languages and was a bit on the eccentric side but, other than that, life was fairly normal. Until, that is, two Celtic warriors on horseback and wearing full armour appear at his front door and... read more

A Lord of the Rings for the 21st century. Only a lot shorter. And funnier. And completely different.Conor thought he was an average teenager. OK, so his father only had one hand, spoke to him in ancient languages and was a bit on the eccentric side but, other than that, life was fairly normal. Until, that is, two Celtic warriors on horseback and wearing full armour appear at his front door and... read more

The Tiny Wife

Andrew Kaufman

A remarkable short novella, a modern fable that is weird, uplifting and romantic all at the same time.A robber charges into a bank with a loaded gun, but instead of taking any money he steals an item of sentimental value from each person. Once he has made his escape, strange things start to happen to the victims.A tattoo comes to life, a husband turns into a snowman, a baby starts to shit mone... read more

A remarkable short novella, a modern fable that is weird, uplifting and romantic all at the same time.A robber charges into a bank with a loaded gun, but instead of taking any money he steals an item of sentimental value from each person. Once he has made his escape, strange things start to happen to the victims.A tattoo comes to life, a husband turns into a snowman, a baby starts to shit mone... read more

The Pinocchio Brief: A gripping, thought-provoking courtroom thriller about Man vs Artificial Intelligence

Silver Abi

A schoolboy accused of a brutal murder. A retired lawyer with secrets to hide…“A taut thriller" - The Times; "First-rate" - Daily Mail; "The unexpected twist is a jaw-dropper" - Saga MagazineA 15-year-old schoolboy is accused of the murder of one of his teachers. His lawyers, the guarded veteran, Judith, and the energetic young solicitor, Constance, begin a desperate pursuit of the truth, reve... read more

A schoolboy accused of a brutal murder. A retired lawyer with secrets to hide…“A taut thriller" - The Times; "First-rate" - Daily Mail; "The unexpected twist is a jaw-dropper" - Saga MagazineA 15-year-old schoolboy is accused of the murder of one of his teachers. His lawyers, the guarded veteran, Judith, and the energetic young solicitor, Constance, begin a desperate pursuit of the truth, reve... read more

You Took the Last Bus Home: The Poems of Brian Bilston

Brian Bilston

You Took the Last Bus Home is the first and long-awaited collection of ingeniously hilarious and surprisingly touching poems from Brian Bilston, the mysterious ‘Poet Laureate of Twitter’.With endless wit, imaginative wordplay and underlying heartache, he offers profound insights into modern life, exploring themes as diverse as love, death, the inestimable value of a mobile phone charger, the u... read more

You Took the Last Bus Home is the first and long-awaited collection of ingeniously hilarious and surprisingly touching poems from Brian Bilston, the mysterious ‘Poet Laureate of Twitter’.With endless wit, imaginative wordplay and underlying heartache, he offers profound insights into modern life, exploring themes as diverse as love, death, the inestimable value of a mobile phone charger, the u... read more

When the Professor Got Stuck in the Snow

Dan Rhodes

Everybody at the Women’s Institute in the village of Upper Bottom is eagerly awaiting the arrival of a very special guest speaker: the world famous evolutionary biologist Professor Richard Dawkins. But with a blizzard setting in, their visitor finds himself trapped in the nearby town of Market Horten, with no choice but to take lodgings with the local Anglican vicar. Will the professor be able... read more

Everybody at the Women’s Institute in the village of Upper Bottom is eagerly awaiting the arrival of a very special guest speaker: the world famous evolutionary biologist Professor Richard Dawkins. But with a blizzard setting in, their visitor finds himself trapped in the nearby town of Market Horten, with no choice but to take lodgings with the local Anglican vicar. Will the professor be able... read more

Where the Devil Can’t Go (Kiszka & Kershaw, Book 1)

Anya Lipska

THE FIRST KISZKA AND KERSHAW MYSTERYA naked girl has washed up on the banks of the River Thames. The only clue to her identity is a heart-shaped tattoo encircling two foreign names. Who is she – and why did she die?Life’s already complicated enough for Janusz Kiszka, unofficial 'fixer' for East London’s Polish community: his priest has asked him to track down a young waitress who has gone miss... read more

THE FIRST KISZKA AND KERSHAW MYSTERYA naked girl has washed up on the banks of the River Thames. The only clue to her identity is a heart-shaped tattoo encircling two foreign names. Who is she – and why did she die?Life’s already complicated enough for Janusz Kiszka, unofficial 'fixer' for East London’s Polish community: his priest has asked him to track down a young waitress who has gone miss... read more

Self & I

Matthew De Abaitua

A unique, remarkable and hilarious portrait of one our most talked-about and controversial literary figures. 1994. Matthew De Abaitua, fresh out of university, is being interviewed for a job. The interview involves discussing literature, honking on a special cigarette and shooting at empty whisky bottles with an air rifle. The job in question is that of amanuensis, or live-in personal assistan... read more

A unique, remarkable and hilarious portrait of one our most talked-about and controversial literary figures. 1994. Matthew De Abaitua, fresh out of university, is being interviewed for a job. The interview involves discussing literature, honking on a special cigarette and shooting at empty whisky bottles with an air rifle. The job in question is that of amanuensis, or live-in personal assistan... read more

A Raindrop in the Ocean: The Life of a Global Adventurer

Michael Dobbs-Higginson

A unique memoir in which a young adventurer from colonial Rhodesia charms his way around the world, sleeping in stately homes and public toilets, smuggling drugs across several borders and losing a $50 million fortune to the CIA, before settling into a stellar banking career. Looking back on a life well lived as he faces terminal illness, the author swears that the key to his success was his g... read more

A unique memoir in which a young adventurer from colonial Rhodesia charms his way around the world, sleeping in stately homes and public toilets, smuggling drugs across several borders and losing a $50 million fortune to the CIA, before settling into a stellar banking career. Looking back on a life well lived as he faces terminal illness, the author swears that the key to his success was his g... read more

Mission: Possible: A Decade of Living Dangerously

Ash Dykes

At the age of 23, Ash Dykes became the first person to walk, solo and unsupported, across Mongolia. His journey took 78 days and saw him trek over the Altai Mountains, the Gobi Desert and the Mongolian Steppe. It was an expedition filled with danger and extreme conditions. He almost didn't make it.A year later, Ash spent more than five months traversing the length of Madagascar via its eight h... read more

At the age of 23, Ash Dykes became the first person to walk, solo and unsupported, across Mongolia. His journey took 78 days and saw him trek over the Altai Mountains, the Gobi Desert and the Mongolian Steppe. It was an expedition filled with danger and extreme conditions. He almost didn't make it.A year later, Ash spent more than five months traversing the length of Madagascar via its eight h... read more

The Hopkins Conundrum

Simon Edge

Tim Cleverley inherits a failing pub in Wales, which he plans to rescue by enlisting an American pulp novelist to concoct an entirely fabricated 'mystery' about the mysterious poet, Gerald Manley Hopkins, who composed 'The Wreck of the Deutschland' nearby. Blending the real stories of Hopkins and the shipwrecked nuns he wrote about with a contemporary love story, while casting a wry eye on the... read more

Tim Cleverley inherits a failing pub in Wales, which he plans to rescue by enlisting an American pulp novelist to concoct an entirely fabricated 'mystery' about the mysterious poet, Gerald Manley Hopkins, who composed 'The Wreck of the Deutschland' nearby. Blending the real stories of Hopkins and the shipwrecked nuns he wrote about with a contemporary love story, while casting a wry eye on the... read more

Facing the Other Way: The Story of 4AD

Martin Aston

The first official account of the iconic record label.An NME Book of the Year 2013A Rough Trade Book of the Year 2013A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year 2013This Mortal Coil, Birthday Party, Bauhaus, Cocteau Twins, Pixies, Throwing Muses, Breeders, Dead Can Dance, Lisa Germano, Kristin Hersh, Belly, Red House Painters.Just a handful of the bands and artists who started out recording f... read more

The first official account of the iconic record label.An NME Book of the Year 2013A Rough Trade Book of the Year 2013A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year 2013This Mortal Coil, Birthday Party, Bauhaus, Cocteau Twins, Pixies, Throwing Muses, Breeders, Dead Can Dance, Lisa Germano, Kristin Hersh, Belly, Red House Painters.Just a handful of the bands and artists who started out recording f... read more

Confessions of a GP (The Confessions Series)

Benjamin Daniels

THE UK’S BESTSELLING EBOOK OF 2011.Benjamin Daniels is angry. He is frustrated, confused, baffled and, quite frequently, very funny. He is also a GP. These are his confessions.A woman troubled by pornographic dreams about Tom Jones. An 80-year-old man who can't remember why he's come to see the doctor. A woman with a common cold demanding (but not receiving) antibiotics. A man with a sore knee... read more

THE UK’S BESTSELLING EBOOK OF 2011.Benjamin Daniels is angry. He is frustrated, confused, baffled and, quite frequently, very funny. He is also a GP. These are his confessions.A woman troubled by pornographic dreams about Tom Jones. An 80-year-old man who can't remember why he's come to see the doctor. A woman with a common cold demanding (but not receiving) antibiotics. A man with a sore knee... read more

Driving Jarvis Ham

Jim Bob

A brilliantly witty story of unconventional, unwavering, and regularly exasperating friendship.Meet Jarvis Ham: tea-room assistant, diarist, lift-cadger, Princess Di fan, secret alcoholic, and relentless seeker of fame. Jarvis may be an all-round irritant, but he’s harmless, and deep down, you know, he’s got a heart of gold. Hasn’t he?As his oldest (and only) friend reflects on his life with J... read more

A brilliantly witty story of unconventional, unwavering, and regularly exasperating friendship.Meet Jarvis Ham: tea-room assistant, diarist, lift-cadger, Princess Di fan, secret alcoholic, and relentless seeker of fame. Jarvis may be an all-round irritant, but he’s harmless, and deep down, you know, he’s got a heart of gold. Hasn’t he?As his oldest (and only) friend reflects on his life with J... read more

Bad Cook

Esther Walker

The ebook inspired by the hugely popular Recipe Rifle blog.One of the funniest cookbooks you are ever likely to read. And definitely the sweariest.For over three years now, Esther Walker has been entertaining foodies with her hilarious Recipe Rifle blog. Charting her progress from bad cook to, well, not-so-bad cook, she is blisteringly honest about what works, and what doesn’t, in the kitchen.... read more

The ebook inspired by the hugely popular Recipe Rifle blog.One of the funniest cookbooks you are ever likely to read. And definitely the sweariest.For over three years now, Esther Walker has been entertaining foodies with her hilarious Recipe Rifle blog. Charting her progress from bad cook to, well, not-so-bad cook, she is blisteringly honest about what works, and what doesn’t, in the kitchen.... read more

Meatspace

Nikesh Shukla

The second novel from Costa First Novel Award shortlisted author Nikesh Shukla.'The first and last thing I do every day is see what strangers are saying about me.'Kitab Balasubramanyam has had a rough few months. His girlfriend left him. He got fired from the job he hated for writing a novel on company time, but the novel didn’t sell and now he’s burning through his mum’s life insurance money.... read more

The second novel from Costa First Novel Award shortlisted author Nikesh Shukla.'The first and last thing I do every day is see what strangers are saying about me.'Kitab Balasubramanyam has had a rough few months. His girlfriend left him. He got fired from the job he hated for writing a novel on company time, but the novel didn’t sell and now he’s burning through his mum’s life insurance money.... read more

The Third Pig Detective Agency (Third Pig Detective Agency, Book 1)

Bob Burke

A rather silly detective story in the spirit of Jasper Fforde.Harry Pigg, the only surviving brother from the Big Bad Wolf attacks, has set up business as a private detective in Grimmtown, only things aren't going too well. Down on his luck, with bills to pay and no clients in sight the outlook is poor. But then in walks local businessman Aladdin who needs someone to help him track down an old... read more

A rather silly detective story in the spirit of Jasper Fforde.Harry Pigg, the only surviving brother from the Big Bad Wolf attacks, has set up business as a private detective in Grimmtown, only things aren't going too well. Down on his luck, with bills to pay and no clients in sight the outlook is poor. But then in walks local businessman Aladdin who needs someone to help him track down an old... read more

A History of Television in 100 Programmes

Phil Norman

An entertaining and illuminating celebration of televisual history by cultural historian Phil NormanFor decades, television occupied a unique position in the national imagination. By today’s standards the ‘box’ was tiny, but it dominated the living room in a way its technically superior descendants never quite manage. Has the television lost its power in the internet age? Cultural historian Ph... read more

An entertaining and illuminating celebration of televisual history by cultural historian Phil NormanFor decades, television occupied a unique position in the national imagination. By today’s standards the ‘box’ was tiny, but it dominated the living room in a way its technically superior descendants never quite manage. Has the television lost its power in the internet age? Cultural historian Ph... read more

Rise of The Super Furry Animals

Ric Rawlins

Rise of the Super Furry Animals tells the story of the greatest psychedelic pop band of our time.Welsh speakers with a lust for global communication, the Super Furry Animals shot to fame on Creation Records and found that, thanks to the record sales of label-mates Oasis, they suddenly had a vast budget to play with. Wasting no time, they bought an army tank and equipped it with a techno sound-... read more

Rise of the Super Furry Animals tells the story of the greatest psychedelic pop band of our time.Welsh speakers with a lust for global communication, the Super Furry Animals shot to fame on Creation Records and found that, thanks to the record sales of label-mates Oasis, they suddenly had a vast budget to play with. Wasting no time, they bought an army tank and equipped it with a techno sound-... read more

Where’s Your Caravan?: My Life on Football’s B-Roads

Chris Hargreaves

Forget Torres, Rooney, Beckham and the like. This is what football is really about. One man’s story of a career in the lower leagues.Chris Hargreaves has been a professional footballer for twenty years. Having started out as a youth team player at Everton he made his debut for Grimsby Town in 1989 and was earmarked as their first million pound sale.It never happened.Instead he went on to play ... read more

Forget Torres, Rooney, Beckham and the like. This is what football is really about. One man’s story of a career in the lower leagues.Chris Hargreaves has been a professional footballer for twenty years. Having started out as a youth team player at Everton he made his debut for Grimsby Town in 1989 and was earmarked as their first million pound sale.It never happened.Instead he went on to play ... read more

A Model for Living

Julian Short

A practical guide to modern life and relationships as endorsed by the Premier and Storm model agencies.A Model for Living is a practical guide to modern life and relationships. Julian Short draws upon over 30 years’ experience as a psychiatrist to offer hints, tips and guidelines for coping with many of the problems we face every day.In a simple, no-nonsense style he shows you how to:COPE WITH... read more

A practical guide to modern life and relationships as endorsed by the Premier and Storm model agencies.A Model for Living is a practical guide to modern life and relationships. Julian Short draws upon over 30 years’ experience as a psychiatrist to offer hints, tips and guidelines for coping with many of the problems we face every day.In a simple, no-nonsense style he shows you how to:COPE WITH... read more

The Sonnets

Warwick Collins

Shakespeare in Love for the sonnets: a fictional tale of how Shakespeare wrote his most famous poems.No one knows for sure precisely when and where Shakespeare wrote his sonnets or, more intriguingly, who he wrote them for. In this wonderfully entertaining novel acclaimed author Warwick Collins imagines the circumstances that inspired 30 of the Bard's most popular sonnets.The young Will Shakes... read more

Shakespeare in Love for the sonnets: a fictional tale of how Shakespeare wrote his most famous poems.No one knows for sure precisely when and where Shakespeare wrote his sonnets or, more intriguingly, who he wrote them for. In this wonderfully entertaining novel acclaimed author Warwick Collins imagines the circumstances that inspired 30 of the Bard's most popular sonnets.The young Will Shakes... read more

Georgie and Elsa: Jorge Luis Borges and His Wife: The Untold Story

Norman Thomas di Giovanni

A biography of Borges, by his translator.Jorge Luis Borges, known as Georgie to his friends, married Elsa Astete Millán in 1967. Borges was sixty-eight years old at the time of the wedding; Elsa, a widow,with a son in his twenties, was eleven years younger.It proved to be a tempestuous and eventful marriage that would leave an indelible mark on the remainder of Borges’ life, but their relation... read more

A biography of Borges, by his translator.Jorge Luis Borges, known as Georgie to his friends, married Elsa Astete Millán in 1967. Borges was sixty-eight years old at the time of the wedding; Elsa, a widow,with a son in his twenties, was eleven years younger.It proved to be a tempestuous and eventful marriage that would leave an indelible mark on the remainder of Borges’ life, but their relation... read more

The Iron Chariot: Voted The Greatest Norwegian Crime Novel of All Time

Stein Riverton

‘The founder of the modern Norwegian crime novel’ – Jo NesboOn a blazing hot summer’s day, holidaymakers at a guesthouse on a Norwegian island are shocked to discover a fellow guest has been found murdered out on a desolate plain. The nameless narrator, an author, was the last person to see the victim alive; shortly afterwards, he was disturbed by a noise like ‘a rattling of chains’. A local t... read more

‘The founder of the modern Norwegian crime novel’ – Jo NesboOn a blazing hot summer’s day, holidaymakers at a guesthouse on a Norwegian island are shocked to discover a fellow guest has been found murdered out on a desolate plain. The nameless narrator, an author, was the last person to see the victim alive; shortly afterwards, he was disturbed by a noise like ‘a rattling of chains’. A local t... read more