Overview
Hello, I’m Daisy.
After working at major publishing houses including HarperCollins, Penguin Random House and Hachette for over a decade, I’m now a freelance editor based in Sheffield, England.
With extensive experience across the crime/thriller, romance, historical, book-club and literary fiction genres, I've edited international bestsellers, plus winners and nominees for a host of prizes, including the McDermid Debut Award, Bloody Scotland Debut Prize, Waterstones Debut Prize, Unicorns Culture Award, Costa Short Story Award and Scotland's National Book Awards.
In my view, editing is an exercise in empathy: good editors are good listeners, who seek to understand a writer’s vision and style, as well as their blind spots and roadblocks. That’s why my aim is always to get on a level with writers, and help them unlock a choice of possible routes forward, before empowering them to achieve their goals.
Championing authors from diverse backgrounds is important to me. I was the first editor to acquire novels by alumni of the HarperCollins Author Academy for POC authors and the Asian Women Writers mentorship scheme. Having worked with writers of diverse sexual orientations, gender and racial identities, neurotypes and abilities, I'm here to help all writers fulfil their creative potential.
Thank you for reading my overview. I can’t wait to hear your story!
“An editor extraordinaire whose name should be lit up in Times Square in celebration of her skills and professionalism, but also because of her constant kindness” - Elle Machray, award-winning author of REMEMBER, REMEMBER
"Daisy isn't just an editor; she's a mentor, a friend, someone I can trust. With Daisy's extensive industry knowledge and experience, I felt supported at every stage of the process. I couldn't have wished for a better person to bring my novel to fruition" - Eleanor Barker-White, author of MY NAME WAS EDEN
"She fully understood my characters, the story I wanted to tell, and knew just how to bring it all to life. The way she works suited me perfectly, suggesting subtle changes which always seemed to have maximum impact. It felt like a true collaboration which resulted in the book being something I could be really proud of" - Daniel Aubrey, bestselling author of DARK ISLAND
Services
Fiction
Languages
Certifications
- First Class BA - French & Italian - University of Oxford
Work experience
Self-employed
After 10+ years working as an editor at major publishing houses, I founded my editorial consultancy in February 2025. I work directly with writers to support them on their publishing journeys, and with publishers to refine the manuscripts of traditionally published authors.
HarperNorth - HarperCollins UK
As part of the team shortlisted for Imprint of the Year at the National Book Awards 2024, I commissioned, edited, published (and sometimes entirely plotted) bestselling and prize-winning fiction in the crime/thriller, romance, dark academia and historical genres.
I specialized in working with debut authors, and helping authors who had previously self-published or been published by small presses break out in the mainstream commercial market.
Bestselling and award-winning books I edited included: The Killer's Christmas List by Chris Frost, Kindling by Bonnie Woods, Remember, Remember by Elle Machray, The Resurrectionist by A. Rae Dunlap and Dark Island by Daniel Aubrey.
Jonathan Cape - Penguin Random House UK
I supported some legendary authors in the publishing of their Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling, award-winning literary books, including three novels that were shortlisted for the Booker Prize (Everything Under by Daisy Johnson; The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner; Quichotte by Salman Rushdie.)
Other writers I worked with included Ian McEwan, Martin Amis, Jeanette Winterson, Julian Barnes, Samantha Harvey, Anthony Horowitz, Ottessa Moshfegh and Irvine Welsh.
Jessica Kingsley Publishers - Hachette UK
I assisted in the publishing of socially conscious books, including:
- picture books aimed at children with attachment and mental health issues
- memoirs by and for autistic people
- the UK's first list of books dedicated to transgender writers
MacLehose Press - Hachette UK
I evaluated submissions and completed developmental and copy edits on literary and crime fiction.
La Table Ronde - Gallimard
During my first publishing internship, I evaluated submissions and copy edited manuscripts at one of Paris' foremost literary imprints.
Portfolio
