Hey there, I’m Rachel. I’m a professional fiction editor and an author.

I have six years of experience working with writers and publishing houses, including some of the Big 5.

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need an editor?

Editorial services

big-picture editing

Developmental editing

An extensive big-picture edit designed to help you craft a stronger story from start to finish.

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detailed feedback

Manuscript assessment

A constructive and detailed report focusing on the big-picture elements of your book.

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sentence-level

Copy and line editing

I’ll edit and polish your writing technically and stylistically, without sacrificing your unique voice.

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final polish

Proofreading

A final proofread to catch any lingering errors before you take the plunge and publish your book.

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About Rachel

I love helping writers bring their stories to life. I’m an author myself, so I know how tough it is to navigate writing and publishing.

I have around 200 books under my belt as an editor, including for Big 5 publishers such as Hachette, HarperCollins, and Penguin Random House. I’m an advanced professional member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (which is a fancy way of saying my skills have been vetted by industry pros), and I’ve worked on bestsellers and award-winners.

The first two books in my Nethervale series of fairytales, The Darkest Curse and The Wicked Prince, are out now.

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My clients

Book cover for The Wise One by K.T. Anglehart, decorative swirls on a green background and yellow text with a bird sitting on the W
Cover for The Girls Are Good by Ilaria Bernardini. A woman's hair bun against a pink background.
Book cover for If Every Day Was Christmas by Donna Ashcroft, a blue background with red flowers, and a Christmas shop window full of decorations
Snowflakes and Secrets in the Scottish Highlands by Donna Ashcroft
Book cover for Christmas in the Scottish Highlands by Donna Ashcroft, featuring a castle and a woman in the snow
Book cover for Darkness in the Blood by Guy Haley, two men fight off undead enemies against a green background
Book cover for The Book of Martyrs by Dane Ware, Alec Worley and Phil Kelly, three different women with weapons; the woman in the middle is dark-skinned and wearing a red skirt over armour
Book cover for Dominion by Darius Hinks, a broad Stormcast Eternal in armour holding a shield on the top and his snarling enemies at the bottom
Book cover for Take a Moment by Nina Kaye, a baby blue background with artwork of a young woman sitting on a bench beside a yellow wheelchair
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The Nethervale series

My Nethervale series of fairytale retellings blends heart-fluttering sweet romance with whimsical fantasy and a touch of dark magic.

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kind words

What writers say about my services

I felt such an injection of energy

Rachel’s manuscript assessment taught me so much, and unlocked a completely new way of looking at and understanding what did and didn’t work in my manuscript. Her notes were incredibly thorough, thoughtful and detailed, returned in a well-structured document with constructive ideas for fixing the big issues. I felt such an injection of energy after working with her, it has been invaluable for me.
Rachel Dauncey
YA author

In capable hands

You are amazingly thorough. I love your process and your level of detail. And your enthusiasm for the story means everything. THANK YOU so, so much for levelling this manuscript up. I knew it was in capable hands. I don’t feel any anxiety around looking at these edits, and trust me that is an enormous feat.
K.T. ANGLEHART
Author of the Scottish Scrolls series
Website

Her editing skills are top-quality

I can’t praise Rachel enough. From the first conversation we had, I could see how professional she was, but, more importantly, how much she genuinely wanted to help bring my projects to life. Her editing skills are top-quality, not only catching and highlighting issues for me to address but giving me detailed feedback and critiques to help me improve as a writer. As an added bonus, every deadline was met and work was delivered promptly, which helped me keep to my own schedules. I look forward to working with her on future projects!
dave mccreery
Sci-fi and fantasy author
Website

Inspiring

Your manuscript assessment was exactly what I was hoping for. You confirmed some thoughts I had, raised plenty of new ones and helped me see where things were working where otherwise I had doubts. My head was nodding throughout and I found your suggestions/explanations inspiring. I can’t wait to get to work. Thank you so much.
Charlie kelly
Romance author
Twitter

Worth every penny

After working with her, honestly… you just feel good. She’s genuinely interested in the work. She includes notes about what she likes and wants to know more about. These little tidbits of positivity really help when you’re up for long hours remaking your world.

Rachel was a wonderful addition to my team and in helping bring my book to life. I would recommend her, especially to new authors who need a helpful hand in cleaning up their work. She was worth every penny. I would hire her again without a doubt.
Ean S. Mills
Fantasy author
Website

Respecting my voice

The thing that convinced me to keep going was the quality of your editing and the dedication you put into it – you didn’t just point to the issues, you came to me with real, constructive ideas and suggestions. These are very helpful to a non-native English speaker, since showing me what you mean can make up for thousands of words of advice. What’s more, you did all this while truly respecting my voice and authorial style. I am impressed.
Catherine stowe
Sci-fi/thriller author
Website
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