Overview
The first questions most authors would like to ask a publisher – if they had the nerve – are “Do you have any idea of the effort I’ve put in to produce this manuscript?”and “Or any idea of what I’m trying to say in it?”
I’m one of the few who can answer “yes” and “yes”. Because, like President Bill Clinton, I share the pain … of anyone who’s toiled to produce a manuscript – as well as the sense of exhiliration when that manuscript emerges “hot off the press” and on bookstore shelves.
As a successful author (who's also earned his stripes as an editor!) I know what it takes to capture the attention of publishers and the reading public. I am an American who has lived in the UK for many years, forging links with publishers on both sides of the Atlantic. Curiosity and a love of variety have been watchwords over a long career that has seen me write or edit scores of books, in subjects ranging from politics and art history to science and children's jokes.
Services
Non-Fiction
Fiction
Languages
Awards
- The Book of Perfectly Perilous Math won the 2012 Eureka Award from the California Reading Association.
- The Book of Perfectly Perilous Math won the 2012 ForeWord INDIES Gold Medal for Children’s Non-fiction.
- The Book of Massively Epic Engineering Disasters won the 2018 Eureka Award from the California Reading Association.
Certifications
- Joint honors BA degree in History and Russian from Williams College
Work experience
Self-employed
For more than three decades I have enjoyed a fruitful career in publishing, never relinquishing the skills and experience arising from my years as an editor -- and continuing to copy-edit, proofread and Americanize books for a range of educational and academic publishers, notably Dorling Kindersley, Routledge and Cambridge University Press.
During that period I have also written more than 60 non-fiction books, mainly for young readers and young adults, for a number of publishers, including Salariya, Franklin Watts, Evans and Hodder Stoughton. I sometimes write under the pen name of Roger Canavan. My seven-title series of Irresponsible Science books for Workman (America's largest independent publisher) have sold more than 600,000 copies and won several important awards.
Fodor's Travel Publishing
I worked in Fodor's London office, which was responsible for producing all of the European titles until Random House bought Fodor's in 1989. I was responsible for editing two of their titles, Italy and the flagship Europe volume. The editing involved extensive rewriting and constant collaboration with writers, fellow editors and cartographers.
South Magazine
I gained valuable experience working at South, which was a news magazine focusing on the Developing World. The editorial team aimed to match the stylistic and production standards of Time or The Economist, which at times meant working flat out to meet print deadlines while following late-breaking and evolving news stories. Being able to "write to length" was a vital skill that I learned -- often in the last stages of "putting the magazine" to bed before the typesetting deadline
Portfolio
Sean has 6 reviews
Professionalism
Quality
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