Tim Smedley

Tim Smedley – Ghostwriter

Award-winning freelance writer (BBC, The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Sunday Times) and non-fiction author of 'Clearing the Air'.

Overview

I'm an award-winning freelance writer (BBC, The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Sunday Times) and author of 'Clearing the Air: the Beginning and the End of Air Pollution', published by Bloomsbury. Clearing The Air was shortlisted for the prestigious Royal Society Science Book of the Year Prize. My next book, The Last Drop - a journey to understand the world's water crisis - will be published by Picador, Pan Macmillan, in 2023. I focus on sustainability, the environment, renewable technology and social change.

As a ghostwriter I get a kick out of helping experts, leaders and academics to tell their story. Not everyone can write for a general readership - and nor should they be expected to. But everyone has a story. There are so many people out there with important, world-changing tales to tell, but don't know how to get it onto the page. I help them say what they want to say, with maximum impact and page-turning readability. Recently this has included UN climate leaders and automotive business CEOs (plus some I can't link to below, who prefer their ghosts to remain invisible). I specialise in turning difficult-to-understand information into engaging, flowing copy for a mainstream audience.
Services
Non-Fiction
Agriculture Earth, Space, & Environmental Sciences Life Sciences Nature Technology
Languages
English (AUS) English (UK) English (US)
Awards
  • The Royal Society Science Book Prize: Shortlisted
  • National Journalist of the Year: Winner. Towers Watson Journalism Awards

Work experience

Self-employed

Jun, 2017 — Present

My book, Clearing the Air: The Beginning and the End of Air Pollution, was published by Bloomsbury in Spring 2019. This journalistic investigation of air pollution took me around the world, including Delhi, Beijing, Paris and London. Alongside shocking facts and humbling stories, I also found hope and inspiration. Clearing The Air went on to be nominated for the Royal Society Science Book Prize, and I have appeared at numerous literature and science festivals.

Self-employed

Sep, 2010 — Present

As a freelance features writer, my long-form articles have appeared in The Guardian, BBC, Financial Times, Sunday Times, and magazines including The New Scientist, Third Sector and People Management. I typically cover sustainability, the environment, emerging tech and social issues.

Self-employed

Jun, 2010 — Present

I work for a range of clients and sectors, on issues from sustainable technology to workplace wellbeing. As well as books and e-books, this has included white papers, reports, roundtables, case studies and blog articles.

People Management magazine, Redactive Media

Sep, 2006 — Sep, 2011 (about 5 years)

People Management - the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) magazine - covers key developments in HR, management and Corporate Social Responsibility. As full-time features writer I worked on writing, copy editing, commissioning, blogging, and video interviews.

Portfolio

Negotiating the Paris Agreement: The Insider Stories

Jepsen, H.

Clearing the Air: SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROYAL SOCIETY SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 2019

Smedley, T.

Clearing the Air (Vietnamese Edition)

Smedley, T.

Corporate Mobility Breakthrough 2020

Lukas N.

By 2020, cities throughout Europe will have banned entry by internal-combustion engine vehicles. Almost all countries will have considerably stricter urban transport regulations in place. Most will have embraced autonomous technology as a key element in saving... read more
Smart Cities, Smart Mobility: Transforming the Way We Live and Work

Neckermann, L.

Tim has 1 review

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Renee P.

Renee P.

May, 2023

Tim is a true professional. He is punctual, proactive, creative, intelligent, and a great translator of research to prose. As a client, it was my job to provide the research to Tim while he wrote the book. Tim kept me on track, delivered chapters ahead of schedule, and went above and beyond every time. He proposed creative ideas that made the book sparkle, and he was personable, kind, and cheer...
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