Lucy York | Romance and Fantasy Editor
Based in Brighton, UK, works with clients globally
- [email protected]
- Website
- https://illuminatingedits.com/
- Organisation
- Illuminating Edits
- Job title
- Fiction Editor
- Membership Grade
- Advanced Professional Member
About Lucy
You’ve put your heart and soul into crafting your story. Now comes the vulnerable bit. It’s time to hand it over to someone who can provide objective feedback. As a professional editor with 20 years’ experience helping authors to improve their manuscripts, I can give you the expert guidance you need.
I help authors to get their manuscripts into shape for self-publishing or to submit to agents and publishers. I specialise in romance, fantasy and young adult fiction.
I offer manuscript critiques, developmental edits and line-edits, and I work on UK and US English text. My goal is not just to help you better your manuscript, but also to equip you with knowledge and techniques to hone your writing craft. I build lasting working relationships with my author clients, many of whom I have collaborated with on multiple books.
I have worked with publishers including Titan Books, Simon & Schuster, Harper Collins and Black Library (Games Workshop). Since 2018 I have run my own editorial business, Illuminating Edits.
EDITORIAL SERVICES FOR AUTHORS
I can help authors with the following:
☑ Manuscript assessment
☑ Developmental editing
☑ Line-editing
Please see the Services page on my website for further information about what each service entails and how the process works.
I am happy to set up an initial meeting over Zoom or telephone to discuss your needs.
Click HERE to get in touch.
EDITORIAL SERVICES FOR PUBLISHERS
I offer the following editorial services for publishers:
☑ Project management
☑ Developmental/structural editing
☑ Copy-editing
☑ Anglicization/Americanization
☑ Proofreading
I edit on-screen in Word or InDesign and I can provide PDF proofread mark-ups.
MY EXPERIENCE
- Fiction Editor, Illuminating Edits, 2018–present
- Senior Editor, Bright Press (Quarto Publishing Group), 2014–2018
- Project Editor, Quid Publishing (Quarto Publishing Group), 2013–2014
- Freelance Editor, 2010–2013
- Managing Editor, Summersdale (Octopus/Hachette), 2007–2010
- Editor, Summersdale, 2006–2007
MY CREDENTIALS
- MA English Literature and French (The University of Edinburgh)
- Copy-editing Skills (The Publishing Training Centre) 2006
- Introduction to Fiction Editing (SfEP) 2019
- Developmental Editing: Fiction Theory (Liminal Pages) 2021
- Developmental Editing: In Practice (Liminal Pages) 2022
MY CLIENTS
- Independent authors
- Titan Books
- HarperCollins
- Simon & Schuster
- Black Library
- Quarto Publishing Group
- Summersdale
- Hardie Grant
SUB-GENRES I EDIT
romantasy │ contemporary romance │ romcom │ historical romance │ regency romance │ dark romance │ YA romance │ New Adult romance │ small-town romance │ monster romance │ witchy romance │ queer or LGBTQ+ romance │ cozy romance │ romantic mystery │ action and adventure romance │ YA fantasy │ urban fantasy │ epic fantasy │ cosy fantasy │ fairy tale retellings │
WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY ABOUT ME
Lucy came highly recommended by my literary agency, and I was so pleased that she was! From our first email exchange, Lucy was professional and accommodating. I was very pleased with the level of detail in Lucy's work, and will definitely commission her again on a future book. This is one great editor!
Michele Gorman, Sunday Times bestselling author of Single in the City
I worked with Lucy on my debut novel, and was so impressed with her insightful comments and attention to detail that I ended up working with her on three subsequent books. She helped me to take my work to the next level and, despite the fact that editing can sometimes be the most difficult part of writing, I actually looked forward to her comments, as they were always constructive and based upon a deep understanding of my work. I’m looking forward to working with her on future projects!
Helen Jones, author of young adult fiction series The Ambeth Chronicles
Lucy’s editing (developmental and copy-editing) was transformative both for me and the characters in my books. Thanks to her inclusive process, my characters changed from lifeless puppets to living, breathing humans I understood and cared about. As a novice writer it made me realise just how important characterisation is. Lucy provides a valuable and trusted perspective.
Angela Graham, young adult fiction author
Lucy is very friendly, professional and honest about her opinions. I loved her constructive critiques and suggestions, as well as her encouraging and positive feedback. She was punctual and really helpful. I enjoyed our chats very much and I've learned a lot from her editing work. It was a great pleasure to work with her and how lucky I was to have found her. We'll definitely be working together again. I can only recommend her!
Allane Milliane, romance and YA fiction author
On top of the line-edits, Lucy also delivered a breakdown report highlighting the common issues within all novels, which included explanations on what they are, why they matter, an evaluation on how my writing fared, and direct examples on where this was and wasn't working. That report alone is extraordinarily useful to new and ambitious authors. She's a genuine star within the editing world, I couldn't recommend her more.
David Bates, fantasy author
It’s wonderful to work with Lucy – she’s a thorough, conscientious copy-editor and I know that every time I work with her, our book is in safe hands.
Charlotte Ledger, Editorial Director, One More Chapter/Harper Fiction (HarperCollins)
I hired Lucy as a freelancer on a number of fiction titles and have been greatly impressed by her work. She is punctual, accurate and thorough, and I have no hesitation in recommending her as a quality freelance editor.
Lizzie Bennett, Managing Editor, Titan Books
I've been very happy with Lucy's work as a freelancer for us at Black Library – she is very thorough, quickly adapting to our house style and providing clear, to-the-point feedback with the required depth and range in all pieces of work to date. Manuscripts have always been returned within the agreed deadlines and she is always professional and pleasant to work with.
Amy J. Baker, Editor, Black Library (Games Workshop)
Lucy is one of our most trusted and reliable freelancers, and is always a delight to work with. Whether it’s structurally editing, copy-editing or proofreading, we know that any job is in safe hands with Lucy. She is always diligent, meticulous and thorough, has a strong eye for detail, and adds great value to any project she works on, and all with a friendly and helpful attitude. I would have no hesitation whatsoever recommending Lucy for your freelance needs.
Debbie Chapman, Senior Editor, Summersdale (Octopus/Hachette)
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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.