Dreaming of getting published?
Let me help you make it happen!
If you’re exploring the business end of publishing – the mysterious realm of literary agents and book publishers – it can feel impenetrable and daunting. Is my book ready for the world? Will anyone be interested in my idea? Who will care about my story?
I’ve turned a lifelong obsession with books and writing into a business helping other writers get literary agents and publishing deals in the USA and Australia. Such as:
- dog behaviourist Guy Hull, who came to me with an idea for a book that I helped him turn into the bestselling The Dogs That Made Australia (HarperCollins)
- novelist Fiona Higgins, whose breakout book The Mothers’ Group (Allen & Unwin) was a bestseller and who is about to publish her fourth novel, An Unusual Boy with London-based Boldwood Books
- psychologists Professor Gillian Straker and Dr Jacqui Winship, who with my help transformed their academic-sounding manuscript into a commercially appealing book — resulting in The Talking Cure (Macmillan)
- journalist Tim Elliott, who I helped turn an explosive feature article in The Sydney Morning Herald into a manuscript that was hotly contested by several publishers at auction and published as Farewell to the Father (Macmillan).
What sets me apart from most editors you’ll find online is that I’ve been a commercially published author (twice), and a literary agent, as well as an in-house editor of fiction and nonfiction. I know how hard it is to write a book — and how hard it is to sell one to a publishing house. I know the level you need to reach, and the questions and concerns that publishing professionals will have about your project.
My portfolio and testimonials speak to the ways I help aspiring authors and subject experts achieve their publishing dreams. I can help you too.
You don’t need superficial copyediting that spots a few typos and word repetition.
You need constructive and honest advice that will get you where you want to go. And that’s where I can help.
Coaching/Mentoring
Editorial feedback
Agent research/queries/book proposals
Why do my clients get agents and publishing contracts?
As a published author I know how hard it is to write a book and get it published, and I understand the joys and agonies of rewriting.
As an experienced structural editor I can see ways to improve most manuscripts that the author, who is typically too close to their material, cannot.
As a former literary agent I know exactly how selective agents can afford to be and the reservations they’ll have about an author query email
My clients value my strong editorial background because I know what constitutes a manuscript of publishable quality.