Tim Major - Editor
York, United Kingdom
Experienced editor specialising in science fiction, horror and YA fiction – offering MS assessment, structural editing and copyediting.
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Overview
I have 15 years of publishing experience in senior editorial roles, having commissioned and edited content for Scholastic, Pearson, CGP and Oxford University Press. I'm now a freelance editor, specialising in science fiction, horror, mysteries and YA fiction. I work with publishers, literary agencies and emerging authors, offering manuscript assessment, structural editing and copyediting.
I'm also co-editor of BFS Horizons, the fiction journal of the British Fantasy Society. Previously, I edited the SF magazine, The Singularity.
In summer 2019 my SF novel SNAKESKINS will be published by Titan Books and my short story collection AND THE HOUSE LIGHTS DIM will be published by Luna Press. Previous books include YA novel MACHINERIES OF MERCY (ChiZine), time-travel thriller YOU DON'T BELONG HERE (Snowbooks) and novellas BLIGHTERS (Abaddon) and CARUS & MITCH (Omnium Gatherum), as well as a monograph about the silent crime film, LES VAMPIRES (Electric Dreamhouse Press). My short stories have appeared in Interzone, Not One of Us, Shoreline of Infinity and numerous anthologies, including Best of British Science Fiction 2017 and Best Horror of the Year #10, edited by Ellen Datlow.
I'm also co-editor of BFS Horizons, the fiction journal of the British Fantasy Society. Previously, I edited the SF magazine, The Singularity.
In summer 2019 my SF novel SNAKESKINS will be published by Titan Books and my short story collection AND THE HOUSE LIGHTS DIM will be published by Luna Press. Previous books include YA novel MACHINERIES OF MERCY (ChiZine), time-travel thriller YOU DON'T BELONG HERE (Snowbooks) and novellas BLIGHTERS (Abaddon) and CARUS & MITCH (Omnium Gatherum), as well as a monograph about the silent crime film, LES VAMPIRES (Electric Dreamhouse Press). My short stories have appeared in Interzone, Not One of Us, Shoreline of Infinity and numerous anthologies, including Best of British Science Fiction 2017 and Best Horror of the Year #10, edited by Ellen Datlow.
Languages
English (UK)
English (US)
Fiction
Crime & Mystery
Fantasy
Horror
Science Fiction
Short Story
Thriller
Young Adult & Teen
Non-Fiction
Education & Reference
Work experience
Co-editor: BFS Horizons
British Fantasy Society
October, 2017
–
Present
(over 1 year)
Commissioning, story selection, structural editing and copyediting.
Freelance Editor
Self-employed
December, 2015
–
Present
(over 3 years)
Editorial services include structural editing, copyediting, proofreading and MS reports, as well as development editing and project management for non-fiction. Clients include Scholastic, HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Oxford University Press.
Director of Online Resources
Scholastic
February, 2010
–
October, 2015
(over 5 years)
As Editor-in-Chief of Scholastic’s magazine for primary school teachers, Child Education PLUS, I commissioned articles and resources across all curriculum subjects. I led a team of editors, design staff and digital developers to provide high-quality print and interactive resources. I ran the Online Resources department, including the Early Years and Primary Resource Bank subscription websites. I maintained the website and subscriber base and managed the web advertising department.
Senior Editor / Commissioning Editor
Pearson
September, 2007
–
January, 2010
(over 2 years)
I led an editorial team and worked closely with production, design and marketing departments. I published a successful Key Stage 2 maths intervention programme, Rapid Maths, and developed the Scottish primary maths programme, Heinemann Active Maths. As Senior Editor I edited Key Stage 3 Level Up Maths, including interactive content.
Editor / Commissioning Editor
CGP
July, 2001
–
August, 2007
(about 6 years)
I commissioned revision guides and workbooks from Key Stage 1 up to A-level, in all subjects including maths, science and literacy, including Shakespeare text notes. I was solely responsible for running the USA editorial department.
Portfolio (18 selected works)
You Don't Belong Here
Tim Major
Daniel Faint is on the run with a stolen time machine. As the house-sitter of a remote Cumbrian mansion, he hopes to hide and experiment with the machine. But is the Manor being watched by locals, his twin brother or even himself? Daniel is terrified about what the future may hold but, as he discovers, there can be no going back.
Invaders from Beyond: First Wave
Colin Sinclair, Tim Major, Julian Benson
Machineries of Mercy
Tim Major
Best of British Science Fiction 2017
Ken MacLeod, Lavie Tidhar
Les Vampires (Midnight Movie Monographs)
Tim Major
Snakeskins
Tim Major
Carus & Mitch
Tim Major
Carus is only fifteen but since their mum disappeared, looking after her little sister Mitch is her job. There's nobody else. Not in their house and not outside, either. There's something out there, scratching and scraping at the windows. The barricades will hold. They have to.
Game Over
Jonathan Green
In the cavern-like darkness of the arcade, the neon phosphor-glow of the screen beckons you close. Drawn to the dancing pixels like a moth to a flame, digging deep in your pocket you pull out a shiny coin and thumb it into the slot as the electronic siren sings the fanfare that marks your arrival. One hand on the joystick, the other splayed across the control buttons, your pulse begins to quic... read more
We Need to Talk: Nineteen stories about difficult conversations
Daisy Buchanan, Amy McLellan, Andreina Cordani, Kim Curran, Tim Major
“I think I love you.” “It’s not you, it’s me.” “I’m pregnant.” “I’m gay.” “I have cancer.” We need to talk. Nineteen stories about difficult conversations, from sweet to awkward to awful. Stories selected from a writing competition hosted by Kindred Agency, and featured here in support of The Eve Appeal. Preface by Milly Johnson. Afterword by The Eve Appeal's Athena Lamnisos. Cover by Lisa Wright.
Infinite Science Fiction One (Volume 1)
Dany G. Zuwen
From a sentient space ship lost in deep space to a man whose hatred of robots risks tearing his family apart, the characters in this collection of short stories will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page. Discover the future face of human trafficking through the eyes of a little girl, follow an ancient tribe’s shaman as he embarks on a journey to save his people, or share in an ... read more
Kitchen Sink Gothic
David A. Riley, Stephen Bacon, Franklin Marsh, Andrew Darlington, Gary Fry, Benedict J. Jones, Kate Farrell, Charles Black, David A. Sutton, Walter Gascoigne, Mark Patrick Lynch, Adrian Cole, Shaun Avery, Jay Eales, Craig Herbertson, Tim Major, M. J. Wesolowski, David Turnbull
Coined in the 1950s, Kitchen Sink described British films, plays and novels frequently set in the North of England, which showed working class life in a gritty, no-nonsense, “warts and all” style, sometimes referred to as social realism. It became popular after the playwright John Osborne wrote Look Back In Anger, simultaneously helping to create the Angry Young Men movement. Films included Sa... read more
The Singularity magazine (Issue 1)
Lee P. Hogg, Mike Russell, Jorge Salgado-Reyes, Jetse de Vries, Andrew Wilmot, Suzanne Church, Craig Lincoln, Jed Morgan, Tim Major, Matthew Spence, Jeff Kuykendall
The Singularity is a brand new SF and fantasy fiction magazine, based in London, England, that publishes short stories that are singular in voice and style. Issue 1 features ten weird and wonderful stories from award-winning and new writers from around the world: Qubit Conflicts, by Jetse de Vries A Window Into The—, by Andrew Wilmot Free Range, by Suzanne Church Remembrance Day, by Craig Linc... read more
Interzone #255 Nov - Dec 2014 (Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine)
Andy Cox Editor, Malcolm Devlin, RM Graves, Thana Niveau, Tim Major, E. Catherine Tobler, Jennifer Dornan-Fish, Andy Hedgecock, Tom Greene
The November–December issue of Britain's longest running sf magazine magazine contains new stories by Malcolm Devlin, RM Graves, Thana Niveau, Tim Major, E. Catherine Tobler, Jennifer Dornan-Fish, Tom Greene. The cover art is by Wayne Haag, and interior colour illustrations are by Wayne Haag, Richard Wagner, Martin Hanford. All the usual features are present: Ansible Link by David Langford (ne... read more
This CGP Text Guide contains everything you need to write top-grade essays about Shakespeare's 'Romeo & Juliet'. It's suitable for all GCSE English exams, including the new ones starting in summer 2017. Inside, you'll find clear, thorough notes on the play's plot, characters, language, themes and historical context - with quick questions, in-depth questions and exam-style questions included at... read more
If you're studying J.B. Priestley's 'An Inspector Calls' for Higher Level GCSE, this CGP Text Guide contains everything you need to get the best marks possible for your essays! It's got crystal-clear, easy-to-read notes on the plot, characters, themes, writer's techniques and historical background. There's also a big range of practice questions in each section - these will test your understand... read more
Voids
Tim Jeffreys, Martin Greaves
In a future society suffering crippling over-population and food crises, Danny Seraphine works as a Sterilization Agent tracking down men who sire children and then desert them. Caught between a violent faction that wants to kill him and a wife desperate to have a child Danny struggles to understand the meaning of a ghostly void that haunts his days and invades his dreams. Voids is a compellin... read more
War-torn, resource-stripped, pi**ed off. By 2045 man had all but burnt down his own house. The threat of environmental annihilation loomed, and so a machine was built.Earth's hostile land spat Willsith into space, hung-over and broken. War had trained him to fight, but when his younger brother died, he denounced it. Now, five years later, he finds himself managing a team of five, maintaining s... read more
Tim has 19 reviews
Professionalism
Quality
Value
Communication
Tim did a great job line editing my manuscript. He made hundreds of corrections and suggestions which undoubtedly improved its quality a great deal.
Read moreDavid Shaw, April 2019
Working with Tim was a treat, and his work went beyond my expectations. He was comprehensive, knowledgable, and optimistic. My manuscript is fit and confident with his suggestions. I could not have gotten to this point myself. He's an excellent communicator and a wonderful editor. I highly recommend him.
Read moreJoe Glocke, April 2019
Sorry to be so down on the value, but I expected Tim to look over the areas I had changed on his recommendation to ensure I hadn't introduced any additional errors. I was told this would require a second quote. That was a disappointment - it was only four or five paragraphs that were rewritten. I had to get another editor to check them. I had four other books which needed doing and they will b...
Read moreTony Harmsworth, April 2019
I'm sorry that you were disappointed with the value of my editorial service, Tony. I'm afraid there were crossed wires, as you uploaded the complete manuscript again and asked me to look through it - I thought you meant in its entirety, which would certainly have involved another quote and a separate edit. If I'd known that you wanted me to review just the aspects you'd written in this draft, I would have been very happy to do so, as part of the original project and for no extra charge. I wish you the best of luck with the book, which I enjoyed a great deal.
Reply from Tim Major
As debut author, I had a great experience working with Tim Major to edit my novel the Shiva Origins. He did a copy edit and a developmental edit for my novel but in truth, he did beyond that. Tim identified the small yet very significant flaws in my plot which was missed by all the editors and beta readers I worked before. He even did research on the Indian Culture and Yoga to help me and ...
Read moreAshwin V, March 2019
Tim is excellent to work with, exceeding my expectations. I sent him a batch of short stories and he pointed out numerous opportunities for improvements. His advice is on-target. He found things I was not thinking about, as well as confirming some things that I felt "iffy" about, which I now know I need to fix. Every writer has blind spots when it comes to their own writing, so having a good...
Read moreTim Ely, January 2019
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