Claire Baldwin

Claire Baldwin – Editor

Editor with 20 years experience working with bestselling and award-winning authors - formerly Associate Publisher at Headline, Hachette UK

Overview

I am an experienced editor and publisher who has worked in the book industry for nearly twenty years. The majority of these were spent at Hachette UK and Headline Publishing Group. There, as Associate Publisher, I commissioned and published a wide range of bestselling and highly acclaimed fiction: from commercial to literary novels, including historicals, magical realism and fantasy, as well as psychological thrillers and stories with rich, international settings. I focused particularly on launching debut writers and my authors included international bestseller Deborah Harkness, Lyndsay Faye, Katherine Clements, Anton DiSclafani, Tom Vowler and Kevin Brophy.

I still work, on a freelance basis, with Headline and the authors I commissioned there, as well as other publishing companies, literary agencies and independent authors worldwide. I also recently co-authored the New York Times bestseller The World of All Souls, the in-depth and fully illustrated companion to the All Souls trilogy.

I made the exciting leap to go freelance to concentrate solely on the areas of publishing I love most: discovering and nurturing new talent, the creative and collaborative editorial process, and working one-to-one with writers to bring out the full potential of their stories. I can give you candid and insightful feedback on your manuscript with a general Editorial Assessment. Or, if you feel ready for a full structural edit, I’ll look at all key aspects of the book, including plot, structure, characterisation, pace, voice and themes, as well as positioning in the market, giving clear and detailed guidance on how and where areas could be developed.

Please do get in touch if you’d like to discuss your project further.
Services
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction Fantasy Historical Fiction Humor & Comedy Literary Fiction Women's Fiction Young Adult
Non-Fiction
History
Languages
English (UK) English (US)

Work experience

Self-employed

Feb, 2015 — Present

- Editorial work for big UK trade publishers as well as independents, including Headline, Sceptre (Hodder & Stoughton), Tor (Pan Macmillan), Orion, Bonnier, Unbound, Onwe and Faber Academy: structural and line editing on books pre-publication, as well as assessment of submissions from agents.

- Commissioned by Deborah Harkness to produce THE WORLD OF ALL SOULS: a six-hundred-page, fully illustrated companion volume to the bestselling ALL SOULS trilogy. This involved researching, writing and project managing the overall production of the book, leading a team of four others. The book was published by Viking, Penguin in the USA and Headline in the UK, and went on to become a top ten New York Times bestseller.

- Editorial collaboration with a wide range of literary agencies, in the UK and internationally, including Curtis Brown, Conville & Walsh, The Soho Agency, Zeitgeist Agency, Brotherstone Creative Management, Wolf Literary, Fletcher & Co: mentoring and developmental edits for their clients, both debut as well as published writers, to prepare manuscripts for submission to publishers.

- Editorial consultancy and developmental edits for independent writers around the world: working with them to bring out the full potential of their manuscripts, and to prepare them for submission to agents or self-publishing.

Headline Publishing Group

Aug, 2012 — Jan, 2015 (over 2 years)

- Commissioned a wide range of commercial to upmarket, literary fiction for the Headline, Headline Review and Tinder Press imprints, originating and driving the publishing vision and strategy for each author acquired.

- Authors I published at Headline include No.1 internationally bestselling Deborah Harkness, Lyndsay Faye, Anton DiSclafani, Katherine Clements, Tom Vowler, Jen Williams and Kevin Brophy, as well as (for maternity cover) Eowyn Ivey's The Snow Child and Natalie Young's Season to Taste.

Headline Publishing Group

Oct, 2010 — Jul, 2012 (almost 2 years)

Headline Publishing Group

Jul, 2008 — Oct, 2010 (over 2 years)

Portfolio

The Joyce Girl

Annabel A.

Wildfire (July 2018) 1st Paperback
Season to Taste or How to Eat Your Husband
Jane Steele

Lyndsay F.

The Snow Child
From Jen Williams, author of highly-acclaimed fantasy debut THE COPPER PROMISE, comes a brand-new epic fantasy adventure in THE IRON GHOST. Beware the dawning of a new mage...Wydrin of Crosshaven, Sir Sebastian and Lord Aaron Frith are experienced in the peril... read more
For fans of Before I Go to Sleep and The Guilty One, a tightly spun, atmospheric, and powerful psychological suspense novel Living in a remote Devon farmhouse, Anna and her family have always been close to nature, surrounded by the haunting beauty of the moor.... read more
For readers who were gripped by the world of espionage in William Boyd's Restless, this is a compelling, unforgettable novel that brings to life the very human story behind a momentous turning point in history In Germany 1993, the Berlin Wall is down, the coun... read more
Now available in paperback, Memoirs of a Geisha meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in a gorgeously vivid, fresh historical that instantly captures the imagination I am Kozaisho: Fifth daughter, Woman-For-Play, teller of stories, lover, wife, and Flower Samur... read more
August 1845 in New York; enter the dark, unforgiving city underworld of the legendary Five Points...After a fire decimates a swathe of lower Manhattan, and following years of passionate political dispute, New York City at long last forms an official Police Dep... read more
Marrying the vibrancy of Sarah Dunant with a gothic touch, Katherine Clements conjures the extraordinary women you never knew about in the turbulent years of the English Civil War Based on the real figure of the fascinating Elizabeth Poole, this is the mesmeri... read more
Fall under the spell of Diana and Matthew in the stunning first volume of the No.1 internationally bestsellling ALL SOULS trilogy. A world of witches, daemons and vampires. A manuscript which holds the secrets of their past and the key to their future. Diana a... read more

Claire has 45 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Kate M.

Kate M.

May, 2023

Working with Claire was a wonderful experience, her attention to detail was impressive and her genuine interest in my writing and generosity with her advice was marvellous. Her input and wisdom has ensured my manuscript is in the best shape not to begin submitting to Literary agents
Ross S.

Ross S.

May, 2023

This is my second collaboration with Claire, and just like the first, I found her editorial assessment incredibly helpful. She offers a keen eye for detail and very constructive insights on how to tweak and improve manuscripts in progress. Her assessment document is thorough and shows she reads every line and word, and does not miss a thing when reviewing your work. Value for money is a no-brai...
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Bettina M.

Bettina M.

Mar, 2023

Beyond stellar. I would and will work with Claire again in a heartbeat.
Bettina M.

Bettina M.

Dec, 2022

My first novel is in the Historical Fantasy genre, conceived of as a trilogy. Should I be fortunate enough to have my book published, and therefore continue to write in this genre, I cannot imagine finishing any of my books without Claire's tremendous input. Her ability to see what does and does not work on both the macro and micro level is exactly what is most helpful for a writer. I nearl...
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Kay M.

Kay M.

Nov, 2022

Handing over your manuscript for an editorial critique can be daunting and scary. But it has to be the next step if you want to have your work in the best possible shape for submission to Agents. My collaboration with Claire has been so rewarding. Claire is a true professional , her attention to detail during the editing process of my novel was razor sharp. She examined my manuscript forensi...
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