As well as writing my own books, I like helping other people write theirs.

I work with all kinds of writers, on all different stages of their writing journey. I’m equally happy working on a first draft or a twentieth draft; with an award-winning novelist or someone trying it out for the first time. My client list is diverse in every sense. What unites us is a belief that it’s valuable to use some portion of our time putting words on the page and working out what it is we want to say.

I’ve been an editor for over fifteen years. I started my career at Faber & Faber, where I worked with award-winning and bestselling writers, and since then I’ve worked freelance for major publishing houses, leading creative writing schools and manuscript assessment services. I’ve also continued to work one-to-one with writers to develop their books.

As an author, I understand what it’s like on the other side of the manuscript. I’ve been lucky enough to work with exceptional editors on my own writing, and I learn as much from that process as I do from my role as an editor. I know how hard it is to get to a first draft, and I believe support and encouragement are just as important as critique. I understand that sitting down to write can be as hard as actually writing and I try to help people resolve some of the mental obstacles that get in the way of their practice.

Writing a book can be a joyful experience but also deeply challenging and sometimes lonely. I like to think I can offer a little light and companionship along the way.

If you have some writing you need help with — whether it’s a partial draft, a twentieth draft, a proposal or a submissions package — please get in touch.

‘Without Kate, I'm not sure I would even have finished a first draft, let alone found a publisher’

Tom Spencer, author of The Crooked Man (Pushkin, 2024)