Gideon Roberton

Editor

International story analyst, publisher, screenwriter, editor and author

Plays and screen scripts

Historical

Gideon is an experienced editor, story analyst and a published author. He writes the Drake’s War series of WW2 Espionage Thrillers under the pen name Gideon Saint. Drake’s War has been selected for The Bernard Cornwell Reading Club and has been an Amazon best-seller.

Before he took up novel-writing, Gideon previously worked for Twentieth Century Fox, Focus Features, and Universal Pictures International as a story analyst. Gideon also ran a department of a trade publishing business in London for a number of years.

Gideon has a BA (hons) in Contemporary Media Practice (Westminster University), an MA in Creative Writing (Lancaster University), an MFA in Creative Writing (Kingston University), and he studied Screenwriting at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles). Having been on all sides of the table, as an author, editor, publisher, screenwriter and story analyst, Gideon is uniquely placed to help you on your journey to becoming a published author or screenwriter.

If you’d like to work with Gideon Roberton, get in touch with our Writer Support team; tell us about your book and what you’d like support with, and we’ll help you identify your next steps.

Well worth it

“This wasn’t my first published book, or even my second, but Gideon’s review of my third manuscript quickly homed in on critical blind spots: where someone slipped out of character, or when the tone shifted out of thriller mode, or when the dialogue was too ‘on the nose’. He also pointed out where the prose shone, and where the protagonist’s dark humour hit the mark. Well worth it!”

- Barry Kirwan (author of the successful Eden Paradox sci-fi series)

Extremely helpful

"Thank you very much for the excellent and detailed analysis. All of it was extremely helpful."

- Mike J.

Excellent insight

"Having authored multiple books I thought I pretty much had it down. Gideon quickly showed me I had much to learn to take my writing to the next level. I am very glad to have had his excellent insight."

- Andrew Wood

Frank but constructive

"Thank you for your comments on my submission. I really appreciate the depth of analysis and the frank but constructive observations. You have given me a lot to think about."

- Peter R.

Provided insights that nobody else had spotted

"Gideon understood my vision for a different style of espionage novel, and he showed me how to achieve it. He set a very high standard, which I wanted, and his deep understanding of the Thriller and Crime genres provided insights that nobody else had spotted. Excellent value."

- Adrian C.

Gideon's specialties

Fiction

Contemporary

Literary (Including ‘bookclub’)

Crime / Thriller / Action

Historical

Science Fiction

Fantasy

Comic/satire

Paranormal

Short Stories & novellas

Plays and screen scripts

Non-Fiction

Memoir/autobiography

Why we love Gideon

Gideon’s reports hold unique insights into crucial story elements and the market surrounding both books and film. His honest but encouraging feedback will guide you to re-examine your work and ultimately help you strengthen it.

What Gideon says about editing

I know how enlightening it is to have a good editor help to get your writing to the next level. Whether it’s first draft or almost ready for publication – editors really help!

I come to every manuscript with a simple question: what would I do if it were my job to take this manuscript to the required level? That means identifying what works well, and what could be improved. But it means more: how does the writer actually fix those issues? What are the practical steps or the skills involved? The real magic is in finding the core of the story and helping to bring it out. There is a joy in seeing an edited manuscript take wings and fly…

I cover a range of genres: contemporary, literary, historical, mystery, crime, thriller, espionage, action, adventure, or military/naval fiction. I will also be happy to look at mainstream science fiction or fantasy. For other genres – just ask! I have a particular interest in WW2, which I write about. Get in touch!

By purchasing any of these products, you'll have the opportunity to express your interest in working with Gideon.