EDITORS UNEDITED: Claire Gillman

Clare is one of our brilliant non-fiction editors – she’s our go-to for anything mind, body, spirit related and she loves a good memoir. She’s been working with Jericho for 14 years – here’s what she had to say:  

Q: So that we can learn a bit about you, tell us about one writing-related thing you’re proud of, and one non-writing related thing you’re proud of.  

I get enormous satisfaction and pride from hearing from someone I have mentored to say that their book has been published and that they’d like me to have a copy. What a feeling. 

I’m proud of myself for starting to get to grips during the lockdown with cryptic crosswords – it doesn’t come easily to me, but I’m now hooked. 

Q: What brought you to the world of writing? What keeps you writing?  

I fell into journalism back in the 1980s, before staff jobs on magazines became rarer than hen’s teeth. It was a happy coincidence that led me onto writing for national newspapers and then books. I have been writing professionally for over 30 years now and I still love what I do. I also love helping others to find pleasure and success in writing. I guess curiosity is what keeps me at it….  

Q: Tell me about what you’re currently working on.  

I have a new book coming out in November, published by Welbeck. It’s called Learning to Love the Spaces Inbetween, and it’s about discovering the power of liminal spaces. A nebulous and exciting topic that draws me.  

Q: You’ve just received a new manuscript to critique: what’s the first thing you do? Walk us through your editing process.  

I read the covering email…. it’s usually revealing about the attitude hopes and aspirations of the author. Then I settle down with the manuscript, a notebook and an open-mind. 

Q: How do you manage being on the other side of the editorial process – when your own writing is being edited? What should an author who is receiving critique for the first-time be aware of? 

I have found it enormously helpful to have feedback from a good copy editor. When you are so close to your book, it’s hard to cast a dispassionate eye over it. That said, no-one knows your book as well as you, so take the comments on board (they’re usually spot on), but if a suggested change doesn’t feel right or you intuitively feel it should remain as is, then stick to your guns. 

Q: What writing do you get most excited about working as an editor on? What really makes you intrigued by a submission?  

I love the travel memoirs – these are usually fascinating; and an original twist on a topic within the Mind, Body, Spirit genre always gets me excited. 

Q: What do you read for pleasure? Is this different to the writing you enjoy working on?  

I read fiction. I’m loving Still Life by Sarah Winman, one of my favourite authors, at the moment and I don’t want it to end. Couldn’t be more different than the material that I enjoy working on. 

Q: Finally, if you could only give one piece of advice to all aspiring authors, what would it be?  

Hard not to sound trite, but it would probably be to picture who you are telling your story to, and to trust in the process. 

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