Editing

I love the creative process of helping writers make their work better and more marketable, and have over 20 years of experience in the book business (see CV). I work directly with authors and can provide full editing services, one-on-one workshops or honest and constructive appraisals to help authors get where they want to be. I also work with publishers providing everything from project management to ghostwriting. My editorial consultancy service is flexible to meet the client's needs.

TESTIMONIALS

'She gave me guidance on the continuity of story lines, the development of characters and clarity of some of my descriptions... Her input was brilliant and I am tremendously grateful to her, for both her excellent editing, and for contacting me in the first place.' - Anna Hughes, author of Eat, Sleep, Cycle

'Jennifer Barclay is a professional, experienced and compassionate editor. Her insight and guidance significantly improved the quality of my writing.' - Judy Rae Merhar

'When my literary agent sent a number of publishers a MS of my awful second book, it was summarily rejected by all... I considered never writing again. But it was Jennifer Barclay who saw a glint of something hopeful within those words... Jen's encouragement and kind words pushed me on to finish the next book, and under her editorial guidance it was soon commissioned...' - Charlie Carroll, author of No Fixed Abode and The Friendship Highway

'Jen has a sharp eye for detail and this was of great value when proofreading for us. Her knowledge and experience of the industry means that any task she undertakes is in safe hands.' - Lauren Parsons, Legend Press and Paperbooks

'This book began with a very speculative email... Without her encouragement and guidance, it would never have been written,' - Miranda Emmerson, Fragrant Heart

'Not only does she have a keen eye for the usual grammar and punctuation, but she is also full of suggestions and ideas to help bring the best out of any writer. I found her a genius at cutting down my word count so that I barely noticed it had been done and great at motivating me from start to finish. I can't recommend her enough.' - Phoebe Smith, Extreme Sleeps

'honest, encouraging, patient... skilled, passionate and gifted' - Tom Anderson, Riding the Magic Carpet, Chasing Dean and Grey Skies, Green Waves

'To have worked with Jen Barclay has been akin to a master-class in the art of writing... It has been a hand-holding exercise par excellence, one that has already given me the confidence to start my second book.' - John Searancke, author of Dog Days in the Fortunate Islands and Prunes for Breakfast 

BOOKS EDITED BY JENNIFER BARCLAY

Edited and project-managed for Bradt:

Beastly Journeys Various authors
Roam Alone Various authors
To Oldly Go Various authors
The Irresponsible Traveller Various authors
The Urban Circus Catriona Rainsford
A Tourist in the Arab Spring Tom Chesshyre

Edited for authors:

In Search of Sisu Geordie Stewart
Headhunter Miles Campbell
Northern Soles: A Coast to Coast Walk Steve Ankers
A Siberian Winter's Tale Helen Lloyd
Prunes for Breakfast John Searancke
Crete: A Notebook Richard Clark
Dog Days in the Fortunate Islands John Searancke

Commissioned and edited travel memoir for Summersdale Publishers 2004-2016:

Eat Sleep Cycle Anna Hughes
Narrowboat Nomads Steve Haywood
Fragrant Heart Miranda Emmerson
A Short Ride in the Jungle Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent
The Ribbons are for Fearlessness Catrina Davies
Alone in Antarctica Felicity Aston
Love with a Chance of Drowning Torre DeRoche
The Teardrop Island Cherry Briggs
L'Amour Actually Melanie Jones
Canoeing the Congo Phil Harwood
Extreme Sleeps Phoebe Smith
Head Over Heels in France Samantha Brick
A Bull on the Beach Anna Nicholas
Goats from a Small Island Anna Nicholas
A Lizard in my Luggage Anna Nicholas
Walking the County High Points of England David Bathurst
Grape Expectations Caro Feely
A Horse in the Bathroom Derek J. Taylor
Ten Trees and a Truffle Dog Jamie Ivey
The Hairy Hikers David Le Vay
Are We Nearly There Yet? Ben Hatch
One Steppe Beyond Thom Wheeler
Tales from the Fast Trains Tom Chesshyre
To Hull and Back Tom Chesshyre
Bonnes Vacances! Rosie Millard
Too Narrow to Swing a Cat Steve Haywood
One Man and a Narrowboat Steve Haywood
To Prussia With Love Roger Boyes
A Year in the Scheisse Roger Boyes
A Dip in the Ocean Sarah Outen
Toute Allure Karen Wheeler
Tout Sweet Karen Wheeler
Twitchhiker Paul Smith
Mission Mongolia David Treanor
Grey Skies, Green Waves Tom Anderson
Live Fast, Die Young Chris Price & Joe Harland
African Brew-Ha-Ha Alan Whelan
Lost in the Jungle Yossie Ghinsberg

General non-fiction edits for Summersdale:

An Apple a Day Emma Woolf
Understanding and Dealing with Dementia Keith Souter
50 Things You Can Do Today to Manage Your Fertility Wendy Green
50 Things You Can Do Today to Manage Stress Wendy Green
Keep on Running Phil Hewitt
My Life as a Hooker Steven Gauge
Dash: Bitch of the Year Andrew Dilger
Twenty Wagging Tales Barrie Hawkins
The Deranged Book for Old-Timers Marcus Waring 
Beer O'Clock Jane Peyton
A Portsmouth Miscellany Phil Hewitt
A Winchester Miscellany Phil Hewitt
The Single Girl's Guide Imogen Lloyd Webber
Passport to Hell Terry Daniels
Mind the Gap Emily Kearns
From A to Bee James Dearsley
World's Most Dangerous Jobs Paula Reid

Fiction edits:

Water Inc. Varda Burstyn (Verso; 'a smart, sexy, witty and hard-hitting ecothriller' - Booklist; 'rolling with suspense and intrigue' - Kirkus)
Unfeeling Ian Holding (Scribner; 'compels attention' - Boyd Tonkin, The Independent; 'one of the season's best books' - Newsweek)

Fiction proofreading:

Nutmeg Maria Goodin
My Dear Jonah Matthew Crow
The Body is a Temple Luke Bitmead
This Holey Life Sophie Duffy
Letters from Yelena Guy Mankowski
The Almost Lizard James Higgerson
The Woman Before Me Ruth Dugdall (new edition)
The Cold Cold Sea Linda Huber