September was an incredibly busy month: six books completed, several initial manuscript reviews carried out, a new project started with a first-time author and some time spent learning Atticus.
Books
First up for the month was Carol Hellier’s follow-up to The Enforcer, the first book in her new gangland series for Boldwood Books. The title and cover art for book two are yet to be formally revealed, so all I can say for now is that if you like gritty thrillers with a Peaky Blinders vibe, then this series is for you. Carol’s books feature Romany characters, and it’s been fascinating learning how some Romany terms – like kushty – have made it into standard English.
Next up was the latest in Luke Jennings’s highly successful Killing Eve series, Blueblood. This was another fast-paced thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed. I love getting into the heads of the main characters, Eve and Oxana – they have such a powerful and dynamic connection, and you never quite know what is coming next.
After that, it was back to Scotland for the third in Daniel Sellers’s Scottish Highland Killings series, The Loch Fyne Murders. This was a twisty-turny story that required me to pay close attention to the continuity, with multiple characters coming and going, providing plenty of distractions for DI Anna Vaughan as she carried out her investigation. Daniel’s love for the beautiful Scottish countryside always comes across in his writing and makes me want to visit again – although if I see DI Vaughan nearby, I’ll be heading the other way!
My fourth book of the month was with Nicole Palermo, a talented new writer based in the US. Nicole writes tense psychological thrillers, so if you like stories that deal with memory, perception and the lasting effects of trauma, check out her work here. This was our third time working together, and it’s been a privilege to be part of her writing journey so far. Her latest book deals with family secrets coming to the surface during an extremely stressful and emotional time.
Working in US English is always something I enjoy – I have to keep a close eye on my edits to make sure I’m not introducing too much ‘British’ into the prose, and I always learn something new, usually a regional turn of phrase that I’ve never heard before.
Next up was a memoir/business book from a first-time writer who wanted to tell his story of moving from a technical role into management, and how he learned not to lose his empathy, which he’d seen happen to other managers along the way. I really enjoyed the way the author used his own story to create a leadership book that didn’t read like a typical ‘how-to’ manual.
The sixth and final book of the month was a book for younger readers from author Louise Leedham, The Old Rectory and the Pharaoh’s Fingernail. It’s a Choose Your Own Adventure type of book, and having loved those as a kid, I jumped at the opportunity to help out.
Louise had decided to republish her book with new art and some new text and asked me to help with the edit and proofread for this revised edition. I had to be particularly mindful of the language with this one so I didn’t introduce anything too complex for younger readers. Once the edit was completed, Louise typeset the book and then it was back to me for a proofread. Here’s the brand-new cover:
Last, but definitely not least, I started work on a memoir with another first-time writer who is using the pseudonym ‘Samosa’. His memoir begins with his childhood in India, growing up with his extended family and navigating the challenges he faced at school. Although we’re only a couple of chapters into our collaboration, this is shaping up to be a fascinating journey. I’m paying close attention to the edits for this one to avoid diluting the narrator’s Indian voice.
Training
Despite being so busy, I really wanted to get to grips with typesetting and e-book formatting, so I spent a couple of days learning Atticus.
The initial training went brilliantly thanks to some well-presented tutorials on the Atticus website, plus some content creators on YouTube who helped with those little tips and tricks you often don’t find in official tutorial videos. Once I’ve spent a bit more time practising by formatting a few books, I’ll be offering this as a service via my website.
Initial manuscript reviews
Some of the authors I work with aren’t sure which editing service they need, so I offer a free initial review of their manuscript to help them decide. This gives me a feel for the writing and the level of editing required, so I can recommend a suitable service and provide an accurate quote and realistic timescale.
I then follow up with a free sample edit or proofread so authors can see how I work. It’s a useful way for us both to establish whether we’re a good fit and helps authors feel confident about trusting me with their book.
Looking ahead
The rest of the year is pretty much fully booked with work covering a wide variety of genres, including psychological thriller, romance, sci-fi, military fiction and action-thriller. No two weeks are ever the same here at The Polished Page!
If you’re planning an editing project for next year, you’re welcome to get in touch.
