Louise Harnby | Crime Fiction & Thriller Editor
- [email protected]
- Website
- harnby.co/fiction-editing
- Organisation
- Louise Harnby | Crime fiction and thriller editor
- Membership Grade
- Advanced Professional Member
About Louise
Crime, mystery and thriller editing
You write crime fiction, mysteries, thrillers or suspense. I specialize in line editing those genres. That means your novel’s with an editor who gets you and knows the landscape.
I’ll work through your narrative and dialogue, attending to engagement, flow, clarity, and consistency at sentence level. That way, you can concentrate on what you do best – telling stories.
► View my rates and availability
Subgenres I work in
Action thriller | Cosy crime | Courtroom drama | Crime thriller | Detective fiction | Espionage | Hard-boiled crime fiction | Legal thriller | Locked-room mystery | Murder mystery | Mystery thriller | Near-future crime fiction | Noir | Police procedural | Political thriller | Psychological thriller | Science fiction thriller | Spy fiction | Techno-thriller
Emotionally intelligent editing
When you work with me, you work with me – not a subcontractor, not an agency, not an AI. Just Louise. From the beginning of the project to the very end.
You’ve brought your human emotional intelligence to the writing. I’ll bring mine to the editing.
Editing services
- Full line- and copy-edit: You’ve nailed your story and are happy with the structure. Now it’s time to focus on readability so that your readers stay on the page and immerse themselves in your prose. A line- and copy-edit corrects and smooths – artfully but invisibly. PRICE: Subject to review of sample
- 10k-word agent teaser: I'll work on the first 10,000 words of your novel. This is a scaled-down version of the full line- and copyedit, and ideal for authors who want something polished to wow an agent with.
- Full proofread: Your book has been copy-edited. A proofread is the final tidy-up that looks out for any problems that have slipped through previous rounds of editing and formatting. It's the last line of defence before you publish. PRICE: Subject to review of sample
- Sample edit: A sample edit shows you how I work. I'll correct and smooth 1,000 words of your prose, ensuring your narrative and dialogue drive your novel forward and flow well on the page.
► Find out more about my services
Lovely words from satisfied clients
Cooking for Cannibals is a better book because of your careful, professional edit. And I'm a better writer. I can’t think of a higher compliment. But that’s the truth of it ... I'm a better writer because you edited my book.
Rich Leder, novelist and screenwriter
I love the clean impact you've brought to my writing – am very happy!
Thomas R Weaver, thriller writer
You are by far the best literary editor I've had. Your interventions are right on target, not to mention that I've learned a lot from your comments. Thank you.
Nina Fitzpatrick, novelist, dramatist and screenwriter
If you want your writing to be better, then you need to get Louise to edit it. I can't recommend working with her highly enough.
Kess Goldland, thriller writer
I like working with people who have strong work ethics, and they don’t get stronger than Louise’s responsiveness, thoroughness, patience, skill, and professionalism. I can’t imagine publishing another work without Louise scouring it first. I wholeheartedly recommend her services ... Just don’t hire her when I need her.
Jeff Carson, crime and thriller writer
This is the third time I’ve worked with her and she’s terrific. Highly recommended.
J B Turner, crime and thriller writer
Excellent! You really have given it a full wash and rinse! The edits and comments show me the extensive page-by-page work you have done. Many thanks for the brilliant editing.
Andrew Updegrove, thriller writer
The Editing Podcast
Join Louise Harnby and Denise Cowle on The Editing Podcast, a fortnightly exploration of practical tips and guidance for editors and proofreaders who want to improve their practice and grow their businesses.
Fiction editing and business books
‘My one-stop-shop resource' – Andy Maslen, crime and thriller writer (Editing Fiction at Sentence Level)
Fiction editing books
- Editing Fiction at Sentence Level
- Editing Fiction Containing Gender-Neutral Pronouns (CIEP guide)
- Making Sense of Point of View
- Making Sense of Punctuation
- Making Sense of ‘Show, Don’t Tell’
Editorial business growth books
- Business Planning for Editorial Freelancers
- How to Brand Your Editing Business
- How to Build an Editorial Blog
- How to Develop a Pricing Strategy
- How to do Content Marketing
- How to Earn Passive Income
- Marketing Your Editing & Proofreading Business
Fiction editing and business training courses
'The style sheet template is brilliant and will save me loads of time. Having the customisable options is excellent.' – Leona Skene (Style Sheets for Fiction Editing)
Fiction editing courses
- 7 Tools for Line Editing Thrillers
- How to Edit Slurs in Dialogue
- How to Line Edit for Suspense
- How to Punctuate Dialogue
- How to Write the Perfect Fiction Editorial Report
- Narrative (Psychic) Distance
- Preparing Your Book for Submission
- Style Sheets for Fiction Editing
- Switching to Fiction
Editorial business growth courses
- 10 Ways to Get Editing Work Quickly
- Blogging for Business Growth
- Branding for Business Growth
- Editor Website Essentials
- Emotional Marketing that Gets Editors Work
- Marketing Toolbox for Editors
- To Visibility and Beyond
► Explore Louise's training courses
Service
Specialisms
Disclaimer note
The CIEP Directory of Editorial Services should be considered a point of first contact and prospective clients must satisfy themselves that members are capable of the work on offer. The Institute cannot be held responsible for the quality of work provided by any member listed in the directory. The members themselves are responsible for the maintenance and accuracy of their entries in the Directory and the CIEP has not made any attempt to vet them. The institute cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies in the Directory. Inclusion in the Directory as a freelance does not necessarily mean that the member is self-employed as defined by HM Revenue and Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions.
