Richard Blandford - Editor

Richard has a great eye for satire and has a wonderfully clear and direct approach to writing reports. We find his reports honest, contemplative and diligent; he will digest each line of your manuscript with the seriousness needed to pinpoint areas of improvement. We love his openminded approach to reading manuscripts, no matter the subject matter, he will always strive to improve your title in a way that chimes with your own aims and ideas. As one author wrote you ‘can feel the fondness for writing with which the editing has been done’.

It is very rare for me to read a manuscript and not find some good ideas, interesting characters or astute observations in there, even if it is very rough around the edges as a whole. What excites me is concentrating on the parts that are distinct and unusual and showing the author how they can be developed, while at the same time raising the rest of the manuscript to a standard that matches them. My method is simply to read what is in front of me, say what I like about it and what I don’t, and imagine what a more successful version of it would be like. I also have an eye for detail and can spot inconsistencies and inaccuracies well. I particularly enjoy stories with a strong main character where the focus in on the world they inhabit, rather simply than following an overly mechanical plot. Having said that, I find a truly unexpected plot twist very appealing!