EDITORS UNEDITED: Eleni Kyriacou

Eleni is passionate about stories that put women front and centre – just like her own writing. She loves historical fiction and taking chances – let’s find out more…  

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.  

Well, I’m proud of the fact I’ve managed to make a living from writing and editing all my life – which is no easy thing! My parents came to the UK from Cyprus, spoke no English and worked in factories all their lives – so I had no connections.  

The non-writing related thing I’m most proud of are my sons: we adopted them when they were six and four and they have brought such joy (and, yes, occasionally chaos) into our lives. They’re now in their twenties. I’m quite a cautious person, but all the good things that have happened to me have been the result of doing something different, taking a chance and being brave. I met my partner on a blind date. I entered a competition and won a publishing contract. You have to put yourself out there and make yourself vulnerable. Doing the same thing again and again gets the same results. 

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

I love reading – as a child I’d get into trouble for taking a book everywhere, even when we were visiting relatives. So I decided early on I wanted a job where I was allowed to read all day. I considered being a librarian or a teacher, but then I started making up stories and I loved the thrill of seeing my name on them. Journalism was perfect as it gives you licence to ask all kinds of nosy questions. What keeps me writing is that constant curiosity about other people and why they do the things they do. Even now that I’m writing fiction, I still have that inquisitiveness about my characters. 

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

I’ve just submitted a book that’s very dark, inspired by a true crime from the 1950s, and my agent is speaking to publishers about it. And I’ve started something new that, again, will be set in the 1950s and is such a glimmer of an idea right now I feel superstitious even mentioning it. 

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 client’s note to see if they’ve given any relevant background info, what in particular they’re concerned with, what they want to achieve, and so on. Then I print out the whole manuscript and read it from beginning to end, making notes on the document as I go. Once I’ve done that, I put those notes into sections (eg, pace, character, structure and so on) and see where I think the main issues lie. I also look at the positives: what has the writer done well? Can it be built on? Where do their strengths lie? I’ll write a report, taking into account all my thoughts and detailing concrete examples with suggestions for changes/ things to think about. I’m a great believer in giving practical, useful advice. I want the writer to feel fully equipped to make their manuscript better and take it to the next level, whatever that might mean for them. I spend a long time polishing the report before sending it off.  

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? 

Although it can be nerve-wracking, I actually love being edited. Having another pair of eyes on a story I know so well is incredibly useful. Editors can sometimes get to the crux of the problem, and much of the time the writer knows in their heart that there’s an issue but just doesn’t know how to ‘fix’ it, and so does nothing. The editor is there to say, ‘how about this?’ or ‘have you tried this?’. If you’re receiving a critique for the first time, be open, don’t be defensive and decide what advice you will take on board. You don’t have to agree with everything said. After all, it’s your book. Sit with it for a while, then decide what changes you will accept, what you might adapt and the ones you want to reject. There are no rights and wrongs. 

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

I love a book with a real sense of place, that transports me and makes me believe I’m there. I also love complex characters who come up against each other – conflict is key! It doesn’t mean they have to argue in each scene, but they need to want different things or see the world in a different way to each other. 

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

I enjoy working on anything I’d read, so that’s a wide spectrum, and I’m just as likely to read something that’s recently published as I am a book that was written decades ago. At the moment I’m reading the Ann Cleeves’ Shetland series, and also David Sedaris’ diaries, A Carnival of Snackery. One of my favourite books from the past few months is Meg Mason’s Sorrow and Bliss. I love Patricia Highsmith and will read anything by her, and also Sarah Waters and Daphne du Maurier. Give me thrillers, historical fiction, contemporary tales of love and sprawling family sagas, like The Cazalet Chronicles or books by Rohinton Mistry. 

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

Read as much as you can, as broadly as you can. You will learn so much from it.  

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