Editor
Author and literary consultantRichard Blandford
Richard Blandford is an author of fiction and non-fiction and has been a literary consultant since 2007.
Mixing dark humour with scenarios both banal and fantastic, Richard Blandford has walked the line between the comic and the horrifying since 2004. He is the author of the Elvis impersonator novel Hound Dog, the coming-of-age tale Flying Saucer Rock & Roll, Whatever You Are Is Beautiful, an eBook about an illness that turns people into superheroes, and My Life in Orbit, about an autistic comic book collector who thinks back over his strange life while preparing to meet his long-lost daughter. He is also the author of the short story collections The Shuffle and Erotic Nightmares.
His art survey London in the Company of Painters was published by Laurence King in 2017 and was listed by Martin Gayford as one of the art books of the year in The Spectator, and a London book of the year in the Evening Standard. A comic strip horror story, ‘The Fixer’, appeared in David Lloyd’s online comics anthology Aces Weekly in 2019. He has also written articles for the Guardian website and the art periodicals Frieze and Elephant.
Find Richard on X here: @rblandford
If you’d like to work with Richard, 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.
Plenty to think and work on
Ryan Quigg
Thoughtful, thorough and honest
J. E
The most useful feedback I’ve ever had
Sim C
Hugely insightful and brilliant
William H
Really very helpful
Craig C
Extremely thorough and insightful
Anon
Considered and constructive comments
Mark D
Given me new ideas
Mark D
Richard's specialties
Why we love Richard
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’.
What Richard says about editing
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!
What Richard works on
By purchasing any of these products, you'll have the opportunity to express your interest in working with Richard.
Manuscript Assessment
Developmental Editing
Line-editing
Copy-editing
Proof-reading
Short Stories
Richard's published books
