Charlotte Hayes-Clemens – Jericho Writers
Jericho Writers
167-169 Great Portland street, 5th Floor, London, W1W 5PF
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Charlotte Hayes-Clemens

Charlotte Hayes-Clemens - Editor

Charlotte is an editorial professional with over five years’ experience in the publishing industry, three of which were spent in the Fiction Editorial team at HarperCollins.

Having specialised in creative writing as part of Charlotte’s English Literature degree, she went on to edit for the fiction and non-fiction creative writing journal Route 57, where she developed her love of collaborating with writers.

At HarperCollins, she worked with the J. R. R. Tolkien and Agatha Christie estates, on women’s fiction and romance titles such as Debbie Johnson’s Summer at the Comfort Food Café, and on unique non-fiction publications, including the Fantastic Beasts movie tie-ins.

As a freelance editor, she has worked one-on-one with every type of writer, from first-time to published authors, and her ability to coach clients through the writing and editing process with clear, constructive feedback has led to several successful publications and a five-star Reedsy review rating.

Testimonials

“Charlotte’s developmental edits for my manuscript were immensely helpful in drawing out the theme of the work and strengthening character development as well as relationships between characters. Her overall edit letter was very clear and organized– highlighting both overarching points for me to work on and specific things for each chapter. The in-line notes in the document then supported those notes with suggestions for where to cut or add detail. She was very sensitive to making sure my voice and style were maintained, as well. I also really appreciated that she highlighted things that were working really well, that she enjoyed. I feel like I left the process of working with Charlotte a stronger writer.”

– Mary Chris Escobar

“Charlotte’s awesome feedback gave me the strength to persevere. I love the way she affirmed the elements I should keep and provided constructive feedback with direction on elements that needed A LOT of work without condescension or without rewriting anything for me. That’s hard to do. Charlotte, like any brilliant word whisper, helped me to refine elements and bring even greater impact to the story transforming it, fingers crossed, into a compelling must-read story.”

– Pamela Raymond

“Charlotte took my manuscript and made it shine. I always felt like she enjoyed the story, even when she tactfully suggested major changes. She was very responsive and met all deadlines. Her advice was spot-on; I had a great experience working with her & would like to work with her again.”

– Laura Engelhardt, author of Sirens Unbound

“Working with Charlotte completely changed my outlook on writing. Not only did her feedback help me find exactly what I needed to focus on, but her assessment helped me to discover my own strengths and weaknesses as a writer.”

– Taylor Hartley

WHY WE LOVE CHARLOTTE

Charlotte continues to edit and proofread for publishers and creative agencies on an eclectic range of titles by authors such as Zhou Haouhi, Vicky Fraser, Melanie Blake, and Shane Dunphy.

WHAT CHARLOTTE SAYS ABOUT EDITING

There’s nothing more exciting to me than helping to draw out the best writing from an author and collaborating to tell their story in the most impactful way possible. Having spent time at a big five publisher, I know how tough it can be to get your voice to stand out amongst other submissions and I use this insight to help develop brilliant ideas (and writers!) that might otherwise get lost. It has undoubtedly been one of the most rewarding aspects of my career as an editorial freelancer.

Whether proofreading a thrilling romance, editing the first draft of a manuscript, or checking over the sixth revision, I approach all editorial projects with the same dedication, professionalism, and enthusiasm for well-written prose. I also have significant experience with copy, line, and developmental editing and my ability to grapple with the nuances of narrative structure, tone, characterization, and readability results in stronger, more polished drafts.

I’ve worked across a range of genres, but I especially love to read character driven fiction, dystopian fantasies, and whip-smart female leads.

Genres Charlotte specialises in

Fiction
Contemporary
Literary (Including ‘bookclub’)
Women’s
Romance & Erotica
Fantasy
Comic/satire
Short Stories & novellas
Non-Fiction
Subject-led Non-fiction

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