Overview
In recent years, most of my work has been proofreading and copy editing food and wine books, largely because of my contacts and also because of my knowledge of the subject; in addition to having commissioned and edited many wine titles, I've passed the Wine & Spirit Education Trust Higher and Certificate Grades. I've also worked on design titles; I have an MA in Art History and am interested generally in art, architecture and design. As a volunteer guide at Chelsea Physic Garden, and a keen gardener, I also have a great knowledge of gardening and plants, and have worked on books in this area.
I regard myself as calm, flexible, experienced and reliable, and I'm very happy to take on any size of project, from copy-editing a 500-page illustrated book to proofreading a small leaflet!
Services
Non-Fiction
Languages
Certifications
- MA Hons Art History
- Wine & Spirit Education Trust Higher and Certificate grades
Work experience
Self-employed
I'm a freelance editor, copy editor, writer and proofreader specialising in food and drink titles, but with experience across other subjects including art, design and gardening. My background is in both magazine journalism and book publishing. Employers have included Quadrille, Ebury, Pavilion, DK, BBC Books, Headline, Yellow Kite, Hachette, Ryland Peters & Small and many others.
WINE magazine
Mitchell Beazley
Responsible for commissioning new titles and overseeing their development from presentations for a book fair to publication. I was also responsible for maintaining the backlist, including the hugely successful Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book and his World Atlas of Wine. I worked with a team of in-house editors and designers, and freelancers. I also worked closely with the production and marketing teams, foreign co-publishers and, of course, the authors.
Wilmington
I did a bit of everything here; wrote news articles and features, commissioned other writers, edited copy, controlled budgets, ensured the magazine came out on time and on budget each month. I was also involved in setting up monthly wine tastings, and editing magazine supplements.
Wilmington
I wrote and commissioned features for this monthly trade magazine.
Wilmington
Quantum
This weekly publication for the licensed trade was voted Media Week Business Magazine of the Year in 1991. During this time I was also a contributing editor to The Restaurant Magazine (see below)
Quantum
This was a new monthly trade magazine for top end restaurateurs. Responsibilities included news and feature writing, commissioning, copy editing, liaising with the production team and the typesetters.
Benn Publications