Haydn Middleton

Editor

Author and Creative Writing Tutor for almost forty years

Historical

Literary (Including ‘bookclub’)

Haydn Middleton has been an author and tutor for almost forty years.

He has written extensively for both adults and children. His nine novels for adults, marketed variously as literary fiction and fantasy, include The Ballad of Syd & Morgan which was dramatized in 2023 on BBC Radio 4 and his most recent novel for children is The Girl Who Said No To The Nazis (Pushkin Children’s, 2020).

Since 2015 he has taught Creative Writing for Stanford University’s Oxford Program, and more recently for the Sarah Lawrence Programme at Wadham College, Oxford. Before becoming a freelance author of children’s fiction and non-fiction – producing scores of books on subjects ranging from Emmeline Pankhurst to jellyfish – he worked as a history schoolbook editor at Oxford University Press.

You can find more information here: www.haydnmiddleton.com.

If you’d like to work with Haydn Middleton, 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.

"We found his report and the time he took to discuss it so incredibly helpful and he really nailed our core weaknesses and concerns. It has been a highly valuable service so we would love to thank you."

- Catriona & Alexa

“Your feedback has been indispensable, and the way in which you respond actually always left me in awe! You manage to critique in the most polite and encouraging way imaginable, and always search for positive things for us to hold on to :) Your comments were always so clearly well thought out and your efforts are very much appreciated. As a teacher who expends time and effort for his students, I think it is only fair that you should know the effect you had, on this student at least…”

– Rafif A. R.

“Without your guidance and support I’m certain I wouldn’t have achieved such an outcome. My agent was so excited by my manuscript that she read it in a day and gave me immediate feedback. (…) I took on board all your advice. (…) I’m sure you’ve helped plenty of other first-time authors on their road to the publishing world, but I really wanted to thank you for your insightful views and skilled analysis. Needless to say, if and when my book is published, you’ll be getting a credit.”

– Murray F.

“Thank you for the very detailed report. The feedback is quite excellent. I can see exactly where you are coming from and agree with pretty much everything that you have said – I really like the idea of a form of prologue. (…) It truly was a well-considered and thought-provoking report.”

– Martin W.

"Everything you say resonates with me and has given me much food for thought. You even say things which, until I read your notes, I had not realised that I agreed with but was too close to the project to recognise."

- Nigel S.

"I have been impressed with the end to end service from Jericho Writers. I was very pleased by the quality and depth of the manuscript assessment I received. It added a much needed professional lens to my script and will help me complete it, saving me time and my sanity! Thank you Haydn and JW Team.”

- Kathryn T.

"Your feedback is incredibly useful and has given me quite a bit to consider. I look forward to now diving back into the text and reworking it based on your input."

- Charles B.

“Haydn was an excellent match – his analysis incisive and his thoughts enlightening.”

- Gillian G.

“All I can say to you - apart from a deeply felt thank you - is that I feel I’ve been able to reach someone who is a real guide/mentor.”

- C. H.

"Thank you so much for these points, they're incredibly helpful."

- Laura L.

"His advice was thought-provoking and helped me to see how I could write a script with more depth and reality. Grateful thanks to him."

- J. Parnham

"I can’t tell you how impressed I was with how much thought and attention to detail you put into the review of my work. I found all your feedback very valuable and will be soon putting it into action."

- Ann L.

"In 2006 you assessed my rhyming novel, which was a long way off being ready and you, quite rightly, found problems with pretty much every aspect of it. Over the years, though, I’ve read and re-read your report and have aimed to address all the issues you had with the book. Last year it was finally accepted for publication by an independent publisher and has had many positive reviews. I just wanted to thank you - it was hard to read your critique all those years ago but, without your very fair criticism, I don’t believe Broadlake would have become the novel it is now."

- Ed B.

"Thank you for your very helpful review and suggestions."

- Eamonn M.

"Thank you so much for your comments on the opening of my novel. You were so thorough and I have to say your remarks were right on the nose. I finally see what to do. After I do some rewriting, I will probably be sending the entire book over to be critiqued. So far, this is the best thing I’ve done for my writing since I started."

- Jody B.

"Thank you so much for your detailed and insightful appraisal of my manuscript! I am grateful for your kind words and for taking the time to read it and give me quality feedback. It gives me the confidence to proceed with agents."

- Adelehin I.

"Thank you for your thoughtful and detailed editorial letter on my early draft of Fearmongers. You’ve given me much to ponder and a roadmap for the next draft."

- Edith W.

"First, my deepest thank-yous for your insight and valuable suggestions. I am struck by how much sense you make—as I digested your comments, they elevated to revelations. I’ve been wrestling with the slow first half, unwilling to let go of material. Looking back, I think I suffered from a case of “first book-itis.” When I began writing it, I had no story or outline—just scenes related to time travel. Going back and trying to sculpt it into a story with character and story arcs was a matter of hindsight rather than foresight. My second and third novels were written with the opposite approach. As for THE TIME KNOT, I needed someone like yourself, an experienced and successful writer, to tell me to pick up the pace (and lose the ideas that slow things down). I’m confident that I can do that. I’m excited to get cracking on it."

- Michael J.

Edited by Haydn

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Edited by Haydn

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Haydn's specialties

Fiction

Contemporary

Literary (Including ‘bookclub’)

Science Fiction

Fantasy

Comic/satire

Paranormal

Children's

Young Adult

Non-Fiction

Other Narrative Non-fiction

Why we love Haydn

Haydn is one of our longest-standing editors, having worked with us since 2005. He’ll happily work across fiction and non-fiction and books for adults and children. He’d be a particularly good fit for your fantasy, historical, or literary novel. His intricate reports are always packed-full of advice, particularly on voice. We spoke to him about his work as an editor here.

What Haydn says about editing

Clients have paid good money for a report, and the last thing they need from me is soft soap or flannel. In the most respectful way, I aim to help each client communicate their vision more clearly and more entertainingly (two qualities which are often closely linked). This may at times require a fairly thorough rethink of the client’s own original aims. I frankly admit that I’m not sure whether creative writing can be taught, but I sincerely believe that it can be learned, particularly via open-minded editorial exchanges, and exposure to the great literature of the past. My job, as I see it, is to offer ‘tools not rules’ for more effective delivery.

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