Tom Witcomb - Editor
Editor and Literary Agent specialising in crime, thriller, historical and SFF, with 13+ years in international trade publishing.
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Overview
I read very broadly, and love working on all sorts of books with a particular fondness for crime, thriller and espionage fiction; historical fiction and sci-fi and fantasy.
I love the working with authors on bringing the best out of their writing and can work from the very wide-angle concept development to structural and developmental editing on a deeper level, and copy editing.
I've worked in the UK publishing industry for over ten years, and have worked with a range of authors, from debuts to bestsellers. The books I've represented have been published in the UK, US and in lots of international territories.
Drop me a message, and I really look forward to working with you.
Thanks,
Tom
I love the working with authors on bringing the best out of their writing and can work from the very wide-angle concept development to structural and developmental editing on a deeper level, and copy editing.
I've worked in the UK publishing industry for over ten years, and have worked with a range of authors, from debuts to bestsellers. The books I've represented have been published in the UK, US and in lots of international territories.
Drop me a message, and I really look forward to working with you.
Thanks,
Tom
Languages
English (UK)
English (US)
Fiction
Action & Adventure
Fantasy
Historical Fiction
Mystery & Crime
Science Fiction
Thriller & Suspense
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
True Crime
Work experience
Editorial Consultant
Self-employed
July, 2020
–
Present
(8 months)
After working in international publishing for over a decade as a literary agent at Blake Friedmann and then as a commissioning editor at Orion Publishing Group, Tom now works as an editorial consultant offering a range of services and helping writers across the world achieve their goals.
He loves every opportunity to work with new authors and cater to their individual needs and can tailor packages to fit everyone. His real passion is editorial and development work - helping workshop projects, but also working projects up from first draft or from the seed of an idea and helping authors achieve their goals, making their manuscripts the best they can be.
Commissioning Editor
Orion Publishing Group
January, 2020
–
July, 2020
(6 months)
I worked with a range of commercial crime, thriller and historical authors.
Agent
Blake Friedmann
May, 2009
–
December, 2019
(over 10 years)
I represented a range of authors, with a particular focus on upmarket and commercial crime/thriller fiction, as well s working with historical fiction and literary fiction authors.
I was deeply involved with editing each manuscript that I represented - at both developmental and copy-editing level. Some of these I took on as submission drafts and worked with the author to polish their prose ready for an editor to buy, and some I worked on from the outset - helping an author work up the seed of an idea to fully realised novel.
Portfolio (16 selected works)
Good Samaritans
Carver, Will
Nothing Important Happened Today
Carver, Will
February's Son
Parks, Alan
Bloody January (Harry Mccoy)
Parks, Alan
Fever City: A Thriller
Baker, Tim
The First Lie
Park, A. J.
The City of a Thousand Faces
Dryden, Walker
One Eye Open
Paul Finch
If the lies don't kill you, the truth will An electrifying, high-octane thrill ride; the new must-read standalone from a Sunday Times bestseller. Dark, gritty and always at the edge of your seat, this unforgettable new outing from master storyteller, Paul Finch, will appeal to fans of Peter James, Mark Billingham and Angela Marsons.**********************************Readers are already loving O... read more
Neon
G.S. Locke
A detective desperate for revenge. A hitwoman with one last job. A killer with both on his list.Detective Matt Jackson has reached the end. His beloved wife, Polly, is the latest victim of 'NEON' - a serial killer who displays his victims in snaking neon lights - and he can't go on without her.Unable to take his life, Jackson hires a hitwoman to finish the job. But on the night of his own murd... read more
Proof of Life
R.J. Ellory
Stroud's best years are behind him. A former war photographer, he's seen things no one should have to see. He left the front line before his luck ran out.His best friend and mentor, Vincent Raphael, was not so fortunate. His car ran over an explosive device and that was the last time anyone saw him.Until 2 months ago when he was photographed in Istanbul. Stroud doesn't believe it for a second.... read more
The Cold Dish
Craig Johnson
'The characters talk straight from the hip and the Wyoming landscape is its own kind of eloquence' New York TimesAfter 25 years as Sheriff of Absaroka County, Walt Longmire's hopes of ending his tenure in peace are dashed when Cody Pritchard is found dead near the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. Two years earlier, Cody was one of four high school boys given suspended sentences for raping a loca... read more
I Know Where She Is
S. B. Caves
'This explosive debut reels you in from the first page and never lets up. Sinister, unsettling and gripping.' The Sun A heart-stopping, gripping thriller for fans of C. L. Taylor, Karin Slaughter and Linwood BarclayOn the tenth anniversary of her daughter Autumn's abduction, Francine receives an anonymous note containing just five words: I KNOW WHERE SHE ISWhen a young woman approaches her the... read more
A Killer Came Knocking
S. B. Caves
Jack's wife is murdered. He has the chance to see justice done. But at what cost?Jack found the love of his life when he met Kate. But their happiness was shattered when she opened the door to a cold-blooded killer. He will never forget the face of the man who stole his future.The only person who loved Kate as much is Emily, her twin. So when Jack tells her that he’s found the man who murdered... read more
City Without Stars
Tim Baker
The only thing more dangerous than the cartels is the truth...In Ciudad Real, Mexico, a deadly war between rival cartels is erupting, and hundreds of female sweat-shop workers are being murdered. As his police superiors start shutting down his investigation, Fuentes suspects most of his colleagues are on the payroll of narco kingpin, El Santo.Meanwhile, despairing union activist, Pilar, decide... read more
White Butterfly
Walter Mosley
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 1993 GOLDEN DAGGER AWARD'In the crime field this is unquestionably the novel of the year' Literary Review'Perhaps the most important black literary figure to appear on the scene since James Baldwin's death' GuardianThe police don't show up on Easy Rawlins's doorstep until the third girl dies. It's Los Angeles, 1956, and it takes more than one murdered black girl before the ... read more
Tom has 2 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
Thus far my collaboration with Tom Witcomb has been outstanding. I hope the collaboration will continue.
I found his editorial analyses insightful and instructive and would recommend him without hesitation. I feel that a rewrite with his recommendations in mind will bring my manuscript one step closer to publication.
david carmichael, February 2021
Tom was amazing! Professional, diligent and super easy to work with. I contacted Tom to help review my query letter and submission docs and his experience as an agent was invaluable, insightful and very helpful. He provided great feedback and useful suggestions as to where I could improve, and even gave me some leads to query.
Highly recommend working with Tom, you'll be happy you did!
Than...
Read more
Lawrence Essex, January 2021
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