Tahlia Anderson

tahlia.anderson2@gmail.com

Tahlia Anderson is an experienced editor who worked in-house for over five years. After completing an editing qualification at RMIT, she was managing editor at Thames & Hudson where she worked with galleries, arts organisations, award-winning fashion designers, architects, interior designers and popular children’s authors to produce beautiful illustrated books. As well as project management and editing, she commissioned children’s and illustrated non-fiction books. Confident in handling all stages of the publication process from commissioning and contracting through to editing, design and print production, Tahlia enjoys nothing more than helping shape and develop projects from outset to completion. Having formerly worked as a reviewer for The Age and Inpress, Tahlia is also a skilled writer and available for writing services in conjunction with editing.

TYPE OF EDITING: Project management (including print management), manuscript assessment, structural editing, copy editing, rewriting, document styling, typesetting, proofreading.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Illustrated non-fiction – interiors, architecture, fashion, cookery, art and design – children’s fiction and non-fiction, short stories, magazines and travel.

Helen Bethune Moore

hbmedit[at]cqvmedia.com.au

Helen has more than twenty years’ experience as an editor and a writer, both in-house and as a freelancer. She has worked with ACER, Cambridge University Press, Cengage, Deakin University, Macmillan Education Australia, Melbourne University Press, Oxford University Press and Pearson Education (Australia, UK and Canada). Helen specialises in children’s literacy texts. She project manages and edits award-winning early literacy and primary non-fiction series developed for the Australian, UK, US and Canadian markets. However, she is very happy to consider other genres as she has edited humanities texts at tertiary and secondary levels, memoirs, teacher guides, theses and YA books.

TYPE OF EDITING: Substantive editing, development editing, copy editing, proofreading, writing, rewriting, versioning, fact checking.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Children’s literacy, history, philosophy, politics, theses and YA.

Kat Betts
Element Editing Services

http://elementeds.tk
elementeds@gmail.com
@elementeds

Kat has eight years’ editing experience, and a Diploma and Bachelor in Professional Writing and Editing. She is a professional-level member of the Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd), Editors Victoria, and a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society. Kat’s focus is on working with new and experienced self-publishing authors and edits for the Australian, British, and American markets.

TYPE OF EDITING: Line editing, copy editing, developmental editing, substantive editing, content editing, structural editing, manuscript critiques, beta reading, coaching, and proofreading.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Specialisations in fantasy and science fiction, and generalisation in speculative fiction. Kat also dabbles in women’s literature, middle-grade, YA, and adult.

Dianne Blacklock

dianne.blacklock@gmail.com
dianneblacklock.com

Dianne has been editing since 2013, but has had almost twenty years’ experience in the publishing industry. She is a published author of ten novels of commercial women’s fiction, and this gives her a unique perspective on the editing process, having been through it herself. She is now contracted by major Australian publishing houses including HarperCollins, Harlequin and Pan Macmillan, and works with private clients as well, developing and editing their manuscripts for submission, or towards self-publishing. She also regularly runs workshops and courses through Writing NSW.

TYPE OF EDITING: structural editing, copy editing, proofreading, manuscript development and assessment, ghost-writing, mentoring.

AREAS OF INTEREST: commercial fiction – all genres, though with a particular specialty in women’s fiction; narrative non-fiction, memoir and history.

Dr Lucie Bland

www.luciebland.com
lucie [at] luciebland.com

Dr Lucie Bland is an academic editor and certified writing coach. Her mission is to help academics get their research published in international journals and books. Armed with a degree in Biology from the University of Oxford and a PhD from Imperial College London, Lucie embarked on her post-doctoral journey in Australia. She soon realized that writing was at the core of being a successful researcher — writing a PhD thesis, papers, and grants. Lucie also edits popular science and popular psychology books, and any topic where evidence is translated into laypeople’s terms. Lucie focuses on helping writers prior to submission to journals and publishers. She offers editing and coaching services as well as writing workshops.

TYPE OF EDITING: Developmental editing, structural editing, copy editing, writing coaching.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Life and environmental sciences, popular science, popular psychology.

Trish Cation

tricat52@gmail.com

Trish developed an interest in structural editing after joining her local writers’ group and discovering how much she enjoyed, and learned from, editing fellow writers’ stories. Over the following six years, she became the go-to person for editing of all types of manuscripts, including short stories, memoir, children’s books and novels. While she’s not editing, Trish writes her own short stories, plays and novels, and is currently working on her eighth book.

TYPE OF EDITING: Structural editing.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Fiction, especially crime, women’s fiction and Australian historical fiction. Trish also enjoys memoir and children’s fiction.

AJ Collins Writing & Editing Services

www.ajcollins.com.au
aj@ajcollins.com.au
@AJCollinsEditor
LinkedIn AJ Collins

AJ Collins is a professional freelance IPEd accredited editor and RMIT qualified freelance writer. After twenty years working in the corporate sector, AJ started her own freelance editing business in 2012 and is now in high demand, often booked six months in advance. AJ is approachable, understanding of newbie writers’ sensitivities and always passionate about words on the page. AJ helps authors lift their writing to the next level by providing advice on developmental issues such as story, plot and character.

TYPE OF EDITING: Assessments, developmental/structural editing, copy editing, proofreading, formatting.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Fiction: general, YA, fantasy, thriller, spec-fic, romance, drama, action & adventure, mystery. Creative non-fiction: memoir, biography, some self-help.

Kerry Davies AE
Kerry Davies Publishing Services

k[dot]davies1[at]optusnet.com.au

Kerry has more than 35 years’ experience in publishing and communications. She has worked with ABC Books, Australian Geographic, Focus Publishing, Simon & Schuster, UQP, Weldon Owen and Wiley, mainly on non-fiction, memoir and biography, as well as educational publishers and corporate, government and private clients in a wide range of genres, from academic theses to fiction. She is a well-rounded generalist editor. Kerry was manager of Indigenous publisher Magabala Books 1990–95, and also has experience as a journalist and writer. She is an honorary life member of Editors Queensland, a branch of the Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd), and Queensland councillor and chair of IPEd. She is an IPEd Accredited Editor.

TYPE OF EDITING: Substantive editing (including structural work), copy editing, proofreading, developmental editing, writing, rewriting, project management.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Fiction, memoir, history, illustrated, children’s, YA, travel and guidebooks, Indigenous writing in all genres.

Tricia Dearborn

www.triciadearborneditor.com
triciadearborneditor[@]gmail.com

Tricia has over 25 years’ experience in the publishing industry, including as a managing editor, and has run a successful freelance editing business since 2008. Her clients include Australian publishers such as Allen & Unwin, Hachette, Hardie Grant, HarperCollins, NewSouth Publishing and Penguin Random House, as well as government departments and institutions including the Australia Council for the Arts and the Lowy Institute. Tricia also works directly with authors who wish to have their manuscripts assessed, developed or edited before submitting to a publisher or literary agent, or self-publishing. She is a Professional Member of the Institute of Professional Editors.

TYPE OF EDITING: Manuscript assessment and development; structural editing; copy editing; proofreading.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Biography and memoir; literary fiction; commercial fiction; narrative non-fiction; general non-fiction; self-help; poetry.

Emma Dobinson

flyingpantsediting.com.au
emma@flyingpantsediting.com.au
lucinda@flyingpantsediting.com.au

Flying Pants Editing provides manuscript appraisal and editing services for the children’s and education market. Our specialised service is tailored toward creating awesome books for kids, including picture books, tween and YA books, and children’s non-fiction and novelty books. We help writers enhance the magic of their story through manuscript assessments for picture books and novels as well as full structural editing and even idea kicks to beat that writer’s block. With over 30 years of combined experience in the children’s industry, we have a unique understanding of the market and audience. We know what kids and parents want and can help you get the nuances of age and stage right.

TYPE OF EDITING: Manuscript appraisal, structural edit, picture edit.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Picture books, children’s non-fiction, novelty books, tween and YA, including YA romance, fantasy or crime/detective.

Glenda Downing

www.glendadowning.com
glenda@glendadowning.com

Glenda has been editing titles for the major Sydney publishers for 20 years. She was managing editor at Simon & Schuster Australia and senior editor for the GHR Press. Her clients include Random House, Murdoch, Pan Macmillan, Momentum, HarperCollins, Pantera Press, WriteLight and writers who are developing their manuscripts.

TYPE OF EDITING: Manuscript development/mentoring, project management, structural editing, copy editing and proofreading.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Young adult and adult fiction; non-fiction – memoir, parenting, lifestyle, Australian history and cooking (illustrated).

Deonie Fiford

deonief[at]yahoo.com

Deonie has been working as a freelance and inhouse editor for over 20 years. She has worked as an editor for major publishing companies, such as HarperCollins, Hachette, Simon & Schuster, and Pan Macmillan. She has taught writing workshops for the NSW and Queensland Writers’ Centres and editing courses at Sydney University and James Cook University. She is currently a freelance editor working for trade publishing companies and helping authors develop their manuscripts for publication.

TYPE OF EDITING: Structural editing, manuscript development, copy editing, proofreading.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Fiction – literary, mass market, speculative fiction (fantasy and science fiction); YA and children’s.

Lauren Finger

lfinger1980[at]gmail.com

I’m a very experienced editor with an excellent reputation in trade publishing in Australia and the UK, including digital publishing. I have worked in publishing since 2001. I most recently worked for digital publisher Bookouture on commercial fiction (crime, thrillers, romance and women’s fiction), and before that the more traditional and literary houses, Atlantic Books and Allen & Unwin (commercial and literary fiction and non-fiction). I’m experienced in working with first-time authors through to academics, journalists, high-profile writers and celebrities. My job is to make your manuscript the best manuscript it can be. I love what I do, and I’m good at it! I’m scarily organised, communicative and have a dry sense of humour. I have empathy and imagination, and will work with you to help you take your manuscript where you want it to go – whether that is to a small group of people, or the world.

TYPE OF EDITING: Copy editing, proofreading, developmental/structural, project management, mentoring.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Commercial fiction, narrative non-fiction, memoir, biography, true crime.

Gina Flaxman

https://ginaflaxman.journoportfolio.com/
gina.flaxman[at]gmail.com

I have 20 years’ experience in print and digital publishing as an editor/subeditor, writer and proofreader. In my years as a subeditor, I’ve worked for all the major Australian magazine publishers (Bauer, News Life Media, Pacific Magazines), working with writers of all levels to improve their copy. This has ranged from simple fact checks and light edits to entire restructures. I’ve also worked in client publishing. I’m well versed in liaising with graphic designers, writers and clients. I can project manage an entire publishing project from start to finish or simply tidy up and polish copy. I’ve mainly worked on highly visual health, food (I have years of recipe editing experience) and design/architecture titles, but I’m happy to work in other areas. My journalism has been published in several outlets including The Saturday Paper and SBS and my short fiction has been published in Meanjin. I once received a Varuna Publisher’s Fellowship for my novel that’s still in progress. I also do some copywriting, mostly for not-for-profits.

TYPE OF EDITING: Structural editing, copy editing, proofreading, project management, corporate communications, copywriting.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Illustrated and non-illustrated non-fiction (particularly health, food, cookbooks), narrative non-fiction, memoir, literary fiction, commercial fiction, corporate documents.

Sarah JH Fletcher

www.sarahjhfletcher.com
sjhfletcher [at] gmail [dot] com
@sjhfletcher

Sarah has been working in the publishing industry for the past decade and editing since 2007. She began her career inhouse in the children’s and YA division of Random House Australia, moving to Murdoch Books to work on adult titles, then going freelance in 2011. Her clients range from multinational trade publishers to digital-first startups. An advocate for quality digital publishing, Sarah is a well-regarded speaker and industry trainer. She was previously known as Sarah Hazelton.

TYPE OF EDITING: Structural editing; copy editing; proofreading; ebook development and quality assurance.

AREAS OF INTEREST: All fiction for children’s, YA and adult audiences. General non-fiction, especially popular science and law for non-specialists. Digital publishing in theory and practice. Presentations and industry training.

Scott Forbes

solastextanddesign.com
solassf@gmail.com

Scott began his career in the late 1980s as an editor at HarperCollins UK then became a senior editor at Larousse. On moving to Australia he worked at HarperCollins and Weldon Owen before setting up a publishing services business. His clients include HarperCollins, Murdoch Books, Lonely Planet, Hardie Grant, Reader’s Digest and UNSW Press. Scott was also a course convenor on the Macquarie University Postgraduate Diploma in Editing and Publishing, and has written and contributed to a wide range of non-fiction books.

TYPE OF EDITING: Project management, concept development, structural editing, copy editing, writing (travel, reference and children’s non-fiction), proofreading.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Biography, memoir, travel, history, natural history, art, science, sport, children’s non-fiction.

Simone Ford

fordsimone[at]gmail.com

Simone has been working in the publishing industry for more than twenty-five years. She was an editor at Allen & Unwin and Pan Macmillan before breaking out into the freelance world over a decade ago. Since then she has worked for many leading publishers, including Allen & Unwin, HarperCollins, Pan Macmillan, Hardie Grant, Ventura Press, Hachette and ABC Books. She also loves helping private clients develop their writing for submission or self-publication. In addition to her work in trade publishing, Simone has extensive experience in academic, corporate and website editing. She has been a judge for the HarperCollins Varuna Awards for Manuscript Development and is a Professional Member of the Institute of Professional Editors.

TYPE OF EDITING: Copy editing, structural editing, proofreading, project management, manuscript assessment.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Young adult, fiction (literary, commercial, fantasy, science fiction), children’s, sport, memoir, history, narrative non-fiction, science, craft and cooking.

Jessica Friedmann

www.jessicafriedmann.com
jess.friedmann[at]gmail.com

An experienced magazine and journal editor, Jessica has worked at Dumbo Feather, Going Down Swinging, a cloth-covered button and Farrago, well as for clients such as Angostura Bitters and the Lonely Planet. She is currently Publications Manager at Australian Poetry, and has a strong love of poetry, fiction and literary non-fiction in all its forms. Having worked across all aspects of print production, Jessica is able to shepherd a publication through its entire life cycle, from concept and design through to printing and distribution. She is available for copywriting and basic typesetting where it complements required editorial work.

TYPE OF EDITING: Project management, structural editing, copy editing, proofreading, plain English rewriting, corporate communications.

AREAS OF INTEREST: General and literary fiction, poetry, short story, general and literary non-fiction, YA, essay, illustrated, memoir, travel, art and photography, design.

Kate Goldsworthy

kate.m.goldsworthy[at]gmail[dot]com
@KMGoldsworthy

Kate has been working on trade books since 2010. As a freelance editor, she has worked for Allen & Unwin, Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette, Black Inc., Text Publishing, Affirm Press and Echo Publishing. She has also worked full-time as an in-house editor at Black Inc. and Affirm Press. In 2015 and 2016 she mentored authors at Varuna. She has a diploma in Professional Writing & Editing from RMIT.

TYPE OF EDITING: Structural editing, copy editing, proofreading, manuscript assessment and author mentoring.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Memoir, literary fiction, commercial fiction, narrative non-fiction, history, biography, current affairs, essays, politics, short stories and young adult fiction.

Elena Gomez

elenagomez.net
elenamaria[dot]gomez[at]gmail[dot]com

Elena has a decade of experience in publishing, and eight years’ experience as an editor, most recently as deputy managing editor. She has worked in house for Murdoch Books, Text Publishing and Penguin Random House Australia. She has also edited for cultural organisations such as Sydney Living Museums. Elena enjoys editing and developing manuscripts in a wide variety of genres. As a published poet, she is also available to work with poetry manuscripts. She enjoys working with first-time and experienced writers.

TYPE OF EDITING: Structural editing, line editing, copy editing and proofreading.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Commercial fiction (including romance and crime); literary fiction; memoir; general non-fiction; essays; poetry.

Lesley Halm

lesleyhalm[at]gmail.com
LinkedIn: Lesley Halm

Lesley is a highly skilled freelance editor, with major clients including Text Publishing, Scribe Publications, UQP, The Expert Editor, and UTAS’s School of Humanities. She has over nine years’ experience working in diverse publishing environments, including trade publishing, lit journals, and digital environments. Before working in-house as an editor with Scribe for four years, she was the online editor for Island magazine, special editor for the Review of Australian Fiction, and bookseller for Fullers Bookshop. With an Arts and Fine Arts degree, and a postgrad qualification in Editing and Publishing, she was also a judge for the Scribe Nonfiction Prize for Young Writers for four years, and co-founder of emerging writers’ group Twitch, auspiced by the Tasmanian Writers’ Centre. A published writer, Lesley is extremely passionate about the art of writing (and reading) and has a particular love of finding and developing great narratives, both in fiction and nonfiction and across a broad range of genres.

TYPE OF EDITING: Structural development, copy editing, proofreading, manuscript assessment/evaluation, MS styling and localisation, transcribing, blurb and copy writing.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Fiction — literary and mass-market, but with a particular interest in speculative/dystopian fiction, science fiction, horror, alt fiction (yes, she still believes it’s a valid category) and children’s fiction and picture books. Nonfiction — memoir, science, history, art, food, and humour. Lesley also loves working with graphic novels, comics, zines, poetry, journals, and illustrated works. Or napkin scribbles.

Sonja Heijn

sheijn[at]gmail.com

Sonja has worked in publishing for ten years, beginning in-house at Scribe Publications in Melbourne after completing a Diploma of Professional Writing and Editing at RMIT. Nowadays she edits, proofreads and writes copy from home in Newcastle NSW for a range of private clients and trade publishers including Allen & Unwin, Black Inc, DK, Hardie Grant, Penguin and UQP

TYPE OF EDITING: Structural editing, copy editing, proofreading; also copywriting and manuscript assessment.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Fiction, narrative non-fiction, children’s, YA, cookery, gardening, science, current affairs, history.

Denise Holden AE
Central Writing & Editing Services

www.centralediting.com.au
denise@centralediting.com.au
@DeniseHolden

Denise specialises in technical, business, government and academic editing. Since establishing Central Writing & Editing Services in 2006 she has completed projects for local councils, state and federal government departments, universities in NSW and WA, companies in the ASX Top 200, as well as smaller businesses. Prior to this Denise held senior corporate and consulting roles  in marketing, media and research in which she was responsible for writing and editing proposals, reports, presentations and competitive tenders; and developing staff training programs. She also has expertise in compiling and analysing data, statistics and research. Denise’s undergraduate degree was in commerce with a major in statistics. She followed this with a master’s degree in writing incorporating a graduate certificate in editing and publishing. She has completed professional development courses through the NSW Writers’ Centre and Society of Editors (NSW) and was accredited by the Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd) in 2011.

TYPE OF EDITING: Structural editing, copy editing, proofreading, technical editing, plain English rewriting, formatting.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Business, corporate, government, technical, scientific, academic, theses, non-fiction.

Claire Kelly AE

clairekellyedits[at]gmail.com
LinkedIn Claire Kelly

Claire is a qualified accredited editor. She was an in-house editor for Thames & Hudson, where she worked on illustrated nonfiction and children’s titles, with responsibilities ranging from editing to project management. As a freelance editor Claire has worked for Affirm Press, Pearson Education, Swinburne University of Technology, Victorian Government departments, not-for-profits and private clients. Claire’s other professional experience includes over ten years in communications, policy and research roles in universities and government bodies in Australia and the UK. Claire has a good working knowledge of both Australian and British style and can edit accordingly. She has a special interest in plain English and document accessibility. Claire became an IPEd-accredited editor in 2018, and she has an Associate Degree in Professional Writing and Editing from RMIT and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in anthropology from Monash.

TYPE OF EDITING: Project management, structural/developmental editing, copy editing, proofreading, styling, design and layout, fact checking, rewriting, translating corporate/academic texts into plain English, simple indexing.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Non-fiction (commercial and literary), art, design, photography, travel and guidebooks, social sciences, humanities, academic publications, educational publishing, corporate documents, magazines.

Liz Kemp

www.lizkemp.com
liz@lizkemp.com
@hexwoodharriet

Liz has worked in the publishing industry for over ten years, most recently as publishing assistant/editor at HarperCollins Children’s and YA department. She has also been a member of the programming team at the State Library of Victoria’s Centre for Youth Literature. Her freelance business includes an audio transcription service for authors.

TYPE OF EDITING: Manuscript development and author mentoring, structural editing, copy editing and proofreading.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Young adult, children’s and adult fiction (genre and literary): general non-fiction — memoir, history, etc.

Vanessa Lanaway
red dot scribble editorial services

red.scribble[at]gmail.com
@reddotscribble

Vanessa has been an editor since 2003. Prior to commencing her freelance career, she was managing editor of Macmillan Education’s primary library division, overseeing the children’s illustrated non-fiction list. Freelance since 2011, her clients include Allen & Unwin, Hardie Grant Egmont, Penguin, Momentum, Pantera Press, Bounce Books, Hinkler, Macmillan and Oxford University Press.

TYPE OF EDITING: Structural editing, copy editing, proofreading, briefing illustrators, versioning text between US/UK English.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Fiction and non-fiction for both children and adults, especially YA fiction, children’s non-fiction, romance and cooking.

Portia Lindsay

www.portialindsay.com
@portialindsay

Portia was proofreader for the 2015 Viva La Novella winners: Formaldehyde by Jane Rawson, The End of Seeing by Christy Collins and Welcome to Orphancorp by Marlee Jane Ward. For years Portia proofread Newswrite, the NSW Writers’ Centre magazine, Seizure magazine and the Seizure website. She also has vast experience writing and copy editing content, grant applications and marketing material for a variety of projects and publications to do with Seizure, Mudgee Readers’ Festival and NSWWC. Portia has worked for the Manuscript Appraisal Agency and manages submissions for Seizure, as well as working as a reviewer and industry insider (in bookshops and NSWWC) for many years.

TYPE OF EDITING: Copy editing and proofreading.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Fiction, memoir, spec fic, romance, short stories, essays, cultural studies.

Martine Lleonart

martinelleonart.com
martinelleonart[at]gmail[dot]com

Martine Lleonart has worked in the book industry for over eighteen years. Before life as a freelancer, Martine worked in-house for Hinkler Books as its managing editor. She spent several years as senior editor of pictorial books, merchandise and general reference books for Lonely Planet Publications. She has also worked as assistant editor and, later, co-editor of Australia’s leading literary magazine, Meanjin. Her clients include trade publishers as well as not-for-profit organisations and individuals. Past clients include Hardie Grant Books, Allen & Unwin, Plum Publications, Lonely Planet Publications and Random House.

TYPE OF EDITING: Manuscript assessment, structural editing, copy editing, project management including briefing and commissioning, proofreading.

AREAS OF INTEREST: General reference, illustrated non-fiction, literary fiction, travel, humour, food, gardening and children’s reference.

Nikki Lusk

www.nikkilusk.com
nikkilusk[at]gmail.com
@booktuner

Nikki moved from practising criminal law to editing legal, academic and trade books in 2008. She began freelance editing in 2014, having previously worked in-house as an editor at UQP and a senior editor at Black Inc. She has worked with authors including David Marr, Anna Krien, Benjamin Law, David Malouf and Anna Goldsworthy.

TYPE OF EDITING: Reader’s reports, manuscript development, structural reports and edits, copy edits, proofreads.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Politics, history, current affairs, popular science, memoir, narrative non-fiction, short stories, literary adult and YA fiction.

John Mapps

www.johnmapps.com
mappsj[at]bigpond.net.au

I’ve been an editor since the 1980s and work on general non-fiction books, as well as corporate and government publications. I’m a generalist, working across a big range of non-fiction genres. My clients include HarperCollins, Allen & Unwin, Pan Macmillan, Murdoch Books, Reader’s Digest, NewSouth Books, Melbourne University Press, Editor Group, ACOSS, as well as private, self-publishing clients.

TYPE OF EDITING: Project management, structural editing, copy editing and proofreading; plain English rewrites.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Memoir, biography, current affairs, sport, history (especially military history), politics, gardening, academic works, government reports, corporate documents.

Kylie Mason

www.kyliemmason.com
kylie@kyliemmason.com

Kylie has been an editor for eight years and worked inhouse for HarperCollins and Pan Macmillan. A freelance editor since 2009, she has worked with HarperCollins, Penguin, UQP, Random House, Hachette, Allen & Unwin, Momentum, ABC Books and Pantera Press.

TYPE OF EDITING: Structural editing, copy editing, proofreading, manuscript assessment and development.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Literary and commercial fiction, crime, romance, fantasy/science fiction/spec fic, memoir, history, craft and cookery.

Rebecca Millar

www.rebeccamillareditorial.com
rebeccamillar[at]hotmail.co.uk
Instagram: @bring.your.own.book

Hi, I’m Rebecca Millar – a book editor with over three years’ experience in the commercial publishing industry. Before breaking out on my own, I was an editor at Penguin Random House, where I was privileged to work closely across a wide array of books – including a few Sunday Times bestsellers –  by both household names as well as emerging debut writers. I have formal qualifications from the Publishing Training Centre for both Copy Editing and Proofreading, as well as being trained on the job by some of the best publishers and editors in the business. Before Penguin, I ran the editorial department of a self-publishing company, working with a range of authors on their projects, to make their writing the best it could possibly be, and guiding them through the process of becoming an author. This still remains the best part of my job – getting to work closely with an author, coming to understand their writing and working together to make their manuscript the best it can be.

TYPE OF EDITING: I have expertise in all levels of editing including editorial assessment, structural editing, copy editing and proofreading, across both fiction and non-fiction.

AREAS OF INTEREST: I’m experienced in a wide variety of genres, from the more niche Star Wars and Stranger Things publishing lists to mass-market celebrity and personal memoirs such as Tina Turner’s My Love Story and Sherlock: The Fire Brigade Dog. I also currently work with major romance publisher, Mills and Boon – my not so guilty pleasure. However, my expertise – and personal passion – lies in all things crime and thriller, working on such titles as The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan, Come Back For Me by Heidi Perks and The Kingfisher Secret by Anonymous.

Kathryn Moore
Kat’s Copy

www.katscopy.com
kathrynscopy@gmail.com
@katiesevenfour
LinkedIn: Kathryn Moore

Kathryn moved from the UK in 2011 and studied professional writing and editing at RMIT in Melbourne, where she now lives. She started a freelance book editing and assessment business in 2014, and since then she has worked for several small publishers and directly with both new and experienced writers. She’s passionate about story and about helping you make your writing the very best it can be.

TYPE OF EDITING: Developmental editing, copy editing, proofreading, manuscript assessments, screenplay assessments.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Fiction of any genre: general, spec-fic, romance, humour, lesbian fiction, crime, thriller, action & adventure, fantasy, mystery, sci-fi, horror, YA. Screenplays: any genre.

Rod Morrison

rod.morrison[at]me.com

Rod has been in the publishing industry for over 20 years and is a highly experienced editor/publisher. He has worked as commissioning editor at HarperCollins, associate publisher (non-fiction) at Hardie Grant, and Picador publisher at Pan Macmillan. In 2011 he co-founded independent publisher Brio Books. He has extensive experience editing manuscripts in the following genres: memoir, biography, history, true crime, popular science and mathematics, current affairs, politics, sport and travel. He has worked with authors such as Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, Adam Spencer, Robin Barker, Robert Dessaix, Tara Moss, Emily Maguire, Kim Scott and Carrie Tiffany. He has also mentored writers at UTS and Varuna and currently teaches publishing at the University of Sydney.

TYPE OF EDITING: Structural editing, manuscript development, copy editing, proofreading.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Non-fiction – memoir, biography, history, true crime, popular science and mathematics, current affairs, politics, sport and travel.

Alexandra Nahlous

www.alexandranahlous.com
nahlousalexandra[at]gmail.com

Alexandra Nahlous has twenty years’ editing and publishing experience. She is a specialist developmental/structural and copy editor in narrative non-fiction and fiction, in particular commercial fiction, women’s fiction, literary fiction, young adult and junior fiction. Having spent 13 years working in-house as a senior editor with Millbank Publications, Lansdowne Publishing and Allen & Unwin, and as a fiction publisher with Pan Macmillan Australia, she decided to freelance in 2013. In 2009 Alex won the 2009–2010 Beatrice Davis Editorial Fellowship, Australia’s most prestigious arts award for editors. She spent three months in New York working with publishers in the area of women’s fiction, which is her passion. Alex works with major and independent publishers and agents, including Penguin Random House, Allen & Unwin, HarperCollins Publishers, Harlequin Enterprises and Scholastic Australia. She also works directly with authors to assess, develop and edit manuscripts. The published authors she has worked with include Liane Moriarty, Christos Tsiolkas, C.S. Pacat, Malcolm Knox, Tony Park, Valerie Parv, Kaye Dobbie and Cathryn Hein. The self-published authors she has worked with include Helen Scheuerer, Phil Philips, Sarah Begg and Gregory James.

TYPE OF EDITING: Developmental/structural, copy editing and proofreading.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Fiction – including literary, women’s fiction, romance, crime, thriller, action/adventure and young adult – and narrative non-fiction.

Abigail Nathan
Bothersome Words Editing & Writing Services

www.bothersomewords.com
Editor[at]BothersomeWords.com

Abigail has a background in copywriting, magazine sub-editing and legal editing, and has been a freelance editor for more than eight years. She works with various Australian publishing houses, including HarperCollins, Random House, Hachette, Pearson and LexisNexis, as well as Etopia Press in the US, and also works regularly with emerging and self-publishing writers. Abigail is the managing director of Bothersome Words Editing & Writing Services and blogs about editing, writing and reading at https://www.bothersomewords.com/blog. She is the website coordinator for the Society of Editors (NSW) Inc. and has co-presented workshops on social media and marketing for freelancers.

TYPE OF EDITING: Manuscript assessment and development; structural editing; copy editing; proofreading; plain English rewriting.

AREAS OF INTEREST: commercial fiction, crime, romance (including erotica), speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, paranormal and horror), YA and children’s fiction, general non-fiction, memoir, psychology, philosophy, academic and education texts, legal publications.

Kate O’Donnell
Line Creative Services

www.linecreative.com.au
kate[at]linecreative.com.au

Kate has been a trade publishing editor since 2006. She has worked with Tara Moss, Jackie French, Sean Williams, Judy Nunn, Lisa Forrest and Will Elliott among others.

TYPE OF EDITING: All.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Literary fiction, children’s, YA, spec fic, sci-fi, fantasy, romance (any fiction, really).

Nicola O’Shea

www.nicolaoshea.com
nicola[at]nicolaoshea.com
@OSheaNicola

Nicola has been working as an editor since the early 1990s. After several years in-house at HarperCollins, she set up her own freelance editing business in 2004. Her clients include Australian publishers such as HarperCollins, Pan Macmillan, Penguin Random House, Allen & Unwin, Hachette, as well as authors seeking editorial advice before submitting their manuscript to a literary agent or publisher. She also works with authors who choose to self-publish. Nicola has taught editing at UTS and Sydney University, the Australian Publishers’ Association and the Society of Editors NSW; and has run workshops for writers through Sydney Writers’ Festival and NSW Writers’ Centre.

TYPE OF EDITING: Manuscript development; structural editing; copy editing.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Genre fiction, literary fiction, YA fiction, memoir.

Desolie Page
Perfect Pages

www.perfectpages.net.au
editor[at]perfectpages.net.au
desoliepage2[at]gmail.com

My editing career began in 2005 when, as a freelancer, I started working with technical, science and business writers. I developed and presented writing strategy workshops for nonfiction writers, and often helped set up corporate or departmental style sheets. While I shy away from academic editing, I enjoy helping academics and practitioners share their expert knowledge using language that will be easily read and understood both within and outside their field.

TYPE OF EDITING: Structural editing; copy editing; proofreading.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Nonfiction, business, corporate, memoir, life stories.

Camha Pham

www.camhapham.com
camha.pham[at]gmail.com

Camha is an IPEd accredited editor and a professional member of the Institute of Professional Editors. She worked in-house at Oxford University Press, Melbourne, as a development editor before going freelance in 2015. She has worked across a broad range of materials, including educational textbooks, trade non-fiction, fiction and literary journals, and her clients include UWA Press, Wiley, Pearson, Fremantle Press, Magabala Books, Margaret River Press and Westerly magazine. Camha currently sits on the Editorial Board of Margaret River Press.

TYPE OF EDITING: Structural editing; copy editing; proofreading.

AREAS OF INTEREST: General non-fiction, educational textbooks, fiction, short story collections.

Nicola Redhouse

nicolaredhouse[at]gmail[dot]com

Nicola has been working in the publishing industry for nearly two decades, including five years in legal publishing and thirteen years in trade. She was non-fiction editor at Scribe Publications for five years, where she helped strengthen the narrative non-fiction list, and worked with new Australian voices including David Carlin and Vivienne Ulman. Since 2010, she has worked freelance for a range of trade publishers and publications, including UWA Publishing, Hardie Grant, UQP, Penguin/Random House and Meanjin literary journal. She also provides editorial consultation to writers with manuscripts underway, and runs workshops and lectures for institutions including Writers Victoria and RMIT.

TYPE OF EDITING: Currently only available for proofreading.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Primarily literary fiction and narrative non-fiction (memoir); also commercial fiction, current affairs and travel.

Anne Reilly

www.annereilly.com.au
anne[at]reilly.id.au

25+ years’ experience in publishing industry, predominantly as non-fiction editor with specialisation in life story. Collaborative style.

TYPE OF EDITING: Non-fiction structural editing, copy editing, proofreading.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Memoir, biography, current affairs, history, politics, ghost-writing, children’s and YA fiction.

Tony Ryan

tonyryaneditor.com
tony@tonyryan.net.au
@Tony__Ryan

Every text needs an editor, an expert set of eyes to anticipate your audience’s needs and give them no excuse to stop reading. By shepherding writing to publication, I help readers to enjoy books, students to learn from course materials and communities to form around websites. (I can un-dangle a dangling phrase while blindfolded, too!) I love nothing more than the satisfying rhythm of crisp, lucid prose.

TYPE OF EDITING: Manuscript assessment, structural editing, copy editing, proofreading, plain English rewriting, professional communications, thesis editing.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Narrative non-fiction, memoir, autobiography, literary fiction, genre fiction.

Samantha Sainsbury

samanthasainsbury.com
samanthalsainsbury@gmail.com

I’m a freelance editor and publishing consultant with almost fifteen years experience in the book industry. I was Managing Editor at Penguin Random House and Senior Editor at Pan Macmillan Australia. I have edited a raft of best-selling and critically acclaimed books and worked with top-tier authors across the trade such as Liane Moriarty, Di Morrissey, Prof Kerryn Phelps, Mia Freedman and Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton. If you are looking to get published or to self-publish, I can help you achieve your goal of producing something special that gets attention.

TYPE OF EDITING: Developmental/structural, copy editing, mentoring and publishing consulting.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Commercial fiction, narrative non-fiction, memoir, health, business, younger readers and YA.

Deborah Singerman Writing Editing and Proofreading Consultancy

www.deborahsingerman.com.au
dsingcbeat[at]ozemail.com.au
@deborahsingerma
LinkedIn: Deborah Singerman

Deborah’s consultancy builds on her professional and personal experiences in Australia, London, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Her insatiable curiosity means she still enjoys writing and editing about issues before they become mainstream, contributing to their increasing acceptability. With degrees in economics and sociology (BSc from the London School of Economics and an MA in Australian Studies from the University of New South Wales), she helps creatives, solo authors, SMEs, start-ups, and not-for-profits get their message across to increase appreciation and understanding of their work. She also offers one-to-one collaborative consultations. She enjoys meeting long-standing and new friends, goes to cafes, tries different foods and coffees, walks and reads, and talks about ideas that feed into her work for existing and potential clients. Member of Editors NSW, NSW Writers’ Centre, South Sydney Business Chamber and meet-ups for senior and solopreneurs and a range of creatives.

TYPE OF EDITING: Structural, detailed, proofreading and production advice; concept and development; commissioning; project managing and consulting on multi-author custom corporate and academic collections; one-to-one collaborative consultations.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Specialist professional and industry association journals; newsletters and blogs; product and project directories and databases; humanities and social sciences; architecture, design and creativity; city sustainability; infrastructure and transport; health and wellbeing; and gender and sexuality.

Carly Tenille Slater

www.carlytenille.com
carly[at]carlytenille.com
@carlytenille

Carly began her career in health and education where she coordinated a writers program for academic content. From here she went on to become an in-house editor for a large international publishing company working on many titles from a wide range of subject areas including hospitality, business, management, education, health and trade services. Carly has also worked as a writer and editor for The Locavore Edition and Junkies Magazine, and has been published in a short story collection titled Dining Alone (Wakefield Press), and The Field Guide to NSW Produce (The Field Institute). As a qualified and experienced freelance editor, Carly now works with clients ranging from educational publishers, company directors and cookbook authors to emerging writers.

TYPE OF EDITING: Non-fiction and fiction structural editing, copy editing and proofreading.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Commercial fiction, YA, memoir, craft, cookery, health, business publications, academic and education texts.

Shel Sweeney
A Worded Life

www.AWordedLife.com
shel.sweeney@gmail.com
@ShelSweeney

After working for McGraw-Hill Book Company, Penguin Books and Heinemann, and following time teaching in educational institutions, Shel now works as a freelance editor, mentor and writer. Shel has worked with educational, trade and academic publishers, indie authors, large and small businesses, national and international corporations. Recent: Early author mentoring and development editing – Black Cockatoo by Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler, published by Magabala Books, which won an Honorary award in the 2019 Children’s Book Council Awards.

TYPE OF EDITING: Structural and copy editing; occasional proofreading.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Fiction: picture books, middle grade, YA; non-fiction: creative non-fiction, memoir, history.

Kim Swivel

kim.swivel@bigpond.com

Kim is a freelance editor and ghost writer with over fifteen years’ industry experience working with the major Sydney publishers. She is also author of the novels Black Diamonds, This Red Earth and A Blue Mile under the name Kim Kelly.

TYPE OF EDITING: Author development/mentorship, and structural advice; copy editing for works contracted to publishers only.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Literary and genre fiction of all kinds, and narrative non-fiction, such as memoir, biography, history.

Cathie Tasker

www.cathietasker.com
cathie[at]cathietasker.com

Cathie Tasker began her professional life as a librarian, then worked in publishing for many years, creating about 700 books  ‒ at Scholastic, HarperCollins and Koala Books. As an editor and publisher she worked on both popular and award-winning titles, many of which are still in print. She is now in her third career as a creative writing teacher, mostly at the Australian Writers’ Centre. And she is also a freelance structural editor ‒ look at her website to see a list of people she has worked with. Cathie also enjoys judging literary awards ‒ currently for the Aurealis Awards and the CBCA Book of the Year Awards.

TYPE OF EDITING: Structural editing, manuscript development, manuscript assessment.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Speculative fiction, genre fiction, children’s & YA fiction.

Russell Thomson AE
clear communications

www.clearcommunications.net.au
ruspet[at]bigpond.net.au

Russell is an IPEd accredited editor and professional member of Society of Editors (NSW) with some 17 years’ experience as proofreader, editor, sub-editor and project manager. He has worked in-house with Scholastic Press, Little Hare Books, ABC Books, POL Corporate Publications, HarperCollinsPublishers and Hardie Grant Egmont and freelance for Murdoch Books, Penguin Random House and many government, corporate and private projects. He has been part-time publications editor for the Reserve Bank of Australia since March 2014, and proofreader of Good Reading magazine for more than a decade.

TYPE OF EDITING: Experienced in all levels of editing and extensive proofreading.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Worked on full spectrum of books – picture books, YA, fiction, non-fiction, recipe books, sports, memoir, government reports, annual reports etc.

Louise Thurtell

louise.c.thurtell[at]gmail.com

I’ve worked in publishing for over 25 years, starting out as an editor at HarperCollins before moving to publishing positions at Harper, Transworld then Random House. In 2005, I was the recipient of Australia’s premier award for editing, The Beatrice Davis Editorial Fellowship. My most recent in-house publishing job involved setting up the Arena imprint at Allen & Unwin, with a focus on commissioning commercial fiction and narrative non-fiction. During my time at Allen & Unwin I set up Friday Pitch, which was the first electronic submission system at a major Australian trade publisher. As well as publishing industry work, I am available for editing of corporate documents such as annual reports and tenders.

TYPE OF EDITING: Structural editing and copy editing.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Literary and commercial fiction; narrative non-fiction; corporate documents.

Gordana Trifunovic

gordana.trifunovic@gmail.com

Gordana has over 13 years’ experience as an editor. She worked inhouse as a managing editor at Hardie Grant Books. She has freelanced for Murdoch Books, Random House, Reader’s Digest, Weldon Owen, ACP, Pacific Publications and IMP. Gordana has worked with authors such as Margaret Fulton, Pete Evans, Greg Malouf, Jane Kennedy, Darcey Bussell, Martyn Thompson, and Jason Grant.

TYPE OF EDITING: Project management, manuscript assessment, structural editing, copy editing and proofreading.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Illustrated non-fiction – interiors, gardening, craft, fashion, photography, cooking, lifestyle, travel and memoir.

Maja Vatrić

maja.vatric[at]gmail.com

Maja has worked in publishing since 2008, beginning in-house at Pearson Australia in Melbourne after completing the Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (Editing and Communications) at the University of Melbourne. A freelancer since 2014, she edits and proofreads for a range of private clients and publishers including Lonely Planet, Wiley, OUP, Pearson and Cengage.

TYPE OF EDITING: Structural editing, copy editing, proofreading, manuscript assessment.

AREAS OF INTEREST: Fiction, politics, current affairs, history, finance/economics.