Jenny Knight – Editor

Jenny Knight is a prize-winning writer of short story and memoir and a contributor to the celebrated Common People anthology, edited by Kit de Waal (May 2019).

An experienced editor, copy-writer, copy-editor and proofreader, she’s enjoyed 25 years’ successful freelancing for publishers including Macmillan, Simon & Schuster and Routledge, and her writing on writing and the publishing world has appeared in Book Machine, National Writers’ Centre and Restless.

Jenny was selected for PenguinRH WriteNow 2018, a 2019 Arts Council/TLC Award, is a NCW Case Study and has won or been shortlisted in competitions including Bridport, Fish, Arvon, ACE/Escalator, Yeovil, Riptide and SWWJ. She has a degree in English Literature and Drama, studied Creative Writing at UEA and is never happier than when writing, critiquing other writers or reading a diverse range of fiction and non-fiction.

From us From them Services

Why we love Jenny

She’s taught creative writing in prisons, teaches Masterclasses for Litro and has spoken on panels and held workshops on the writing process, getting agents and dealing with rejection – including for PrimadonnaFest and the Lockdown Stay-At-Home-Fest

What Jenny says about editing

I believe that the role of an editor is to help authors to write the book they want to write – and, in many cases, believe they already have. It is a collaborative process and authors should divide feedback into categories of accept, adapt or reject.

There will hopefully be suggestions in my reports that make sense and that you accept that by implementing them, you will end up with a better book. Then there may be some advice that you absolutely reject. You are the author and creator of this world, so that is your privilege and the last word has to be yours. You may feel that making an adjustment in a different place or using a different technique will be a better solution than my suggestions. This is exactly as it should be and what makes the book your own. I am happy to use email to discuss or clarify anything after sending the report if you would find that helpful.

What Jenny works on

Editorial Assessment

Agent Submission Pack

Post-Editorial Guidance

Line-Editing

Copy-Editing

Genres Jenny specialises in

Fiction:

Contemporary
Literary (including ‘bookclub’)
Crime / Thriller / Action
Women’s
Romance & erotica
Comic/Satire
Short stories & novellas

Non-Fiction:

Memoir/Autobiography
Other narrative non-fiction
Subject-led non-fiction

Jenny’s published books

Common People

Common People

Working-class stories are not always tales of the underprivileged and dispossessed.

Common People is a collection of essays, poems and memoir written in celebration, not apology: these are narratives rich in barbed humour, reflecting the depth and texture of working-class life, the joy and sorrow, the solidarity and the differences, the everyday wisdom and poetry of the woman at the bus stop, the waiter, the hairdresser.

Here, Kit de Waal brings together thirty-three established and emerging writers who invite you to experience the world through their eyes, their voices loud and clear as they reclaim and redefine what it means to be working class.

Learn more

Testimonials

“Jenny has been a tremendous help with all my novels. She brings inspiring and brilliant insights into my characters, their motivations, the pace, the story, structure, tone and dialogue, telling me where she thought I could make improvements while always completely spurring me on. She really is so good at what actually makes a book ‘work’ I’ve been nagging her to do this professionally for other writers since book one – and I’m on book five now!”

– MJ Riley, author of ‘The Bad Things’, ‘After She Fell’,
‘Dark Waters’, ‘Gone in the Night’ (Killer Reads, Harper Collins)

“I found Jenny’s analysis of my (half-written) first-ever novel so helpful. She seemed to understand what I was trying to do even when I didn’t, and while she didn’t hold back from identifying the issues (which I was dreading, by the way!) she always followed it through with ideas for change or a way of tackling the problem and going forward. Even her ideas of what to read to help me understand the genre better, or how to think about what a reader needed, were great! She also helped me to realise I needed to focus on the craft of writing a novel – I’d only written memoir or non-fiction before – rather than trying to pre-empt what an agent I’d like to work with wanted. I’m working with her suggestions now and I am so glad I took her advice, it’s helped my confidence and direction writing this book no end.”

– Katy Massey, author of ‘Are We Home Yet?’ (Jacaranda, 2020)

Jenny Knight – Editor

Why we love Jenny

What Jenny says about editing

What Jenny works on

Editorial Assessment

Agent Submission Pack

Post-Editorial Guidance

Line-Editing

Copy-Editing

Genres Jenny specialises in

Jenny’s published books

Testimonials

View more editors

Non-fiction editors

Fiction editors

Screenplay editors

Children’s editors

Your free gifts

Jericho Writers

Payments We Accept

Navigate our site