Sam Jordison: Writing Mentor
Your writing mentor, Sam Jordison
About Sam
Sam Jordison is a publisher, author, and journalist. He is the co-director of the award-winning Galley Beggar Press, publishers of Lucy Ellmann’s ‘Ducks, Newburyport’ and Alex Pheby’s ‘Mordew’. He has written more than a dozen non-fiction titles including the bestselling ‘Crap Towns’ series and ‘Enemies of the People’, a commentary on the folks who brought us Brexit and Trump, and Literary London, a book about the writers who have roamed the UK capital’s streets over the centuries.
As a journalist, he mainly writes for the Guardian, and mainly about books. He writes fiction and non-fiction reviews and for several years ran the Not The Booker Prize, and the Guardian’s online book club, The Reading Group. He has also taken classes at several Creative Writing university courses, as well as teaching a course on publishing at Greenwich University. He has also interviewed dozens of writers about their craft and process for Across The Pond, a podcast he co-hosts with US critic Lori Feathers.
Why Sam loves mentoring
I have worked as an editor for over ten years. I’ve worked on books that have gone onto win and be shortlisted for major prizes like the Booker prize and the Women’s Prize. But I’ve also worked with writers at the very start of their careers and who are just starting to learn their craft. I enjoy getting into the nuts and bolts of all kinds of books – and take great satisfaction from helping writers to realise their vision.
My aim generally is to bring out the best of the book and to break down barriers between the writer and the reader. While you may know your book intimately as a writer, that isn’t quite the same thing as being its reader. I’m there to help explain what it’s like to experience your work – and to help you make that experience a success. I can help with all the technical aspects like plotting, dialogue, consistency and pacing. I can also help with more intangible questions about the feel and shape of your project, from individual sentences to the complete work.
I also know from my own experience as an author and from working with other writers that finishing a book is hard work. It isn’t always straightforward. It’s rarely easy! It can take really mental effort. I take pride in being able to help clients through these challenges – and responding to individual needs. If you want to work fast, and to use all your hours within six weeks, we can do it. And if you want to develop your ideas and stories more gradually we can also work on a timescale that spreads out over the year. One of the reasons I enjoy mentoring is that it’s always partly led by the client – and so it’s always different and interesting. And on that note, you may be reading this because you need ongoing help with a brand-new project, or with a finished novel that you’ve been working on for a long time. Mentoring covers any kind of project development, from a few notes to those crucial edits on complete first, second or even later drafts.
I take any genre, including literary fiction, science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction projects.
Why we love Sam
At Jericho Writers, we’re a team of authors, just like you. Four of us are published by the Big 5, while others are deep in the writing process, honing our craft alongside the writers we support. We work with expert book coaches and carefully chosen mentors, selected for their ability to guide writers through every stage of their journey. It’s this approach that has helped countless authors launch their careers, sign with top literary agents, and even become Sunday Times Bestsellers.
Sam’s experience from both sides of the publishing fence – as author and publisher – makes him perfectly placed to support writers with their projects. His industry eye has helped countless writers, including those that have gone on to win and be shortlisted for major prizes. Could yours be next?
Why writers love working with Sam
