CURRENT EMPLOYMENT (2000 to present day)

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Founded and run two editorial companies:

• Shoreline Biomedical, providing expert biomedical content services for individuals and organisations worldwide; and

• Swan & Horn, providing the full range of editorial services for fiction and nonfiction authors and organisations (and publishing health-related books for adults and children).

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EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

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• Thomson Reuters/Derwent/Elsevier (1991–2000): editorial manager of medical database content, responsible for output of both inhouse and remote teams of editors, indexers and production staff.

• ICI/Zeneca (1990–91): cardiac representative and medical/surgical meeting organiser for doctors and healthcare staff in hospitals, pharmacies and general practice.

• Adis International (1989–90): project manager of peer-reviewed journal articles and reviews, promotional material, clinical documents, patient information and medical events for Northern European pharmaceutical companies.

• Taylor & Frances (1988–89): production/desk/copy editor of group of biomedical journals, editorial board liaison, promotion and event organiser.

• MediCine/Adelphi (1987): writer and editor of training books and audiovisuals for US and Canadian doctors.

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Core skills learnt during employment include project management, copyediting, technical editing, content editing, structural editing, development editing, sensitivity editing, indexing, copywriting, writing and clinical meetings/training management.

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INDEPENDENT TRAINING & SKILLS UPDATES

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Part of my success is that I always stay on top of developments in the publishing industry, plus I am totally committed to keeping my existing skills up to date and taking on new skills as required by attending relevant training courses.

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FIRST PROFESSIONAL EDITING COURSE  (1980s)

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• PTC/Bookhouse (1988): original inhouse three-day course "Foundations of Copyediting".

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PROFESSIONAL COURSES FROM 2000 ONWARDS

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Some of these were full-day courses, some half-day and/or online. A few were workshops at conferences (e.g. the CIEP) . Many of the broader-perspective publishing coursers were attended on Publishing Scotland's (PS) wonderful Accelerate Course , which lasted for a whole a year.

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• On-Screen Editing I (CIEP)

• On-Screen Editing II (advanced) (CIEP)

• Advanced Editing (PS)

• Editing Illustrations (CIEP)

• Web Editing (CIEP)

• Medical Editing (CIEP)

• Book Indexing (Society of Indexers)

• Copy Writing (PS)

• Editorial Project Management (PS)

• AGILE Principles Project Management (Book Machine)

• Print and Production (PS)

• Typesetting with InDesign (NUJ)

• Cover Design (PS)

• Book Covers that Work (PS)

• Effective Book Marketing (PS)

• Integrated Social Media (PS)

• Social Media at Work (Congenta)

• Search-Engine Optimization (PS)

• Liaising with Journalists (PS)

• Meet the Journalists (PS)

• Social Media Supercharge (Tech Pixies)

• Copyright and Libel (PS)

• Author Royalties and Rights (PS)

• Psycholinguistics: The Science Behind Plain Language, and Why you Should Use it (ACES)

• Author Contracts and Legal Aspects of Publishing (PS)

• Publishing Finances (PS)

• Promotion and Selling (PS)

• Training for Trainers (CIEP)

• Working for Non-Publishers (CIEP)

• Sensitivity Reading and Beyond: Empowering Editors to Talk About Conscious Language and Representation (ACES)

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PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

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I am a current member of  the:

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• Chartered Institute of Editors and Proofreaders (CIEP, Advanced Professional Member since 2000)

• Publishing Scotland (PS, Publisher Member since 2015)

• James Lind Alliance (JLA, since 2013)

• Book Machine (since 2020)

• Glasgow Editors Network (GEN, on and off since 2010)

• Other specialist editorial and publishing groups on social media

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I am also a former member of the:

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• European Association of Science Editors (EASE)

• European Medical Writers Association (EMWA)

• Society of Indexers

• Society of Editors (ACES)

• Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLI)

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PUBLISHED CHAPTERS

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I have published chapters in books covering a wide range of health-related topics.

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• Amniocentesis: Monitoring the unborn bump (2008). In: Defining Moments in Science. Hatchette Livre/Cassell.

• Childbirth drug, scopolamine: Declared to be truth serum (2008). In: Defining Moments in Science. Hatchette Livre/Cassell.

• Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). In: CR Martin et al. Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Learning and Teaching Environment. Swan & Horn.

• Howard Taylor Ricketts: One dies so that millions may live (2008). In: Defining Moments in Science. Hatchette Livre/Cassell.

• Nora Volkow: Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2008). In: Defining Moments in Science. Hatchette Livre/Cassell.

• Plasma transfusions: “Blood for Britain!” (2008). In: Defining Moments in Science. Hatchette Livre/Cassell.

• Practising positive silence (2016). In: CR Martin et al. Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Learning and Teaching Environment. Swan & Horn.

• Roslyn Yalow: An unlikely medic (2008). In: Defining Moments in Science. Hatchette Livre/Cassell.

• South America hit by first cholera academic for a century (2008). In: Defining Moments in Science. Hatchette Livre/Cassell.

• The urine pregnancy test (2008). In: Defining Moments in Science. Hatchette Livre/Cassell.

 

CURRENT WRITING PROJECTS

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I barely get the time to write my own books, but here are a few that are on the go right now!

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• Hung Out To Dry: Stories by Reluctant Members of the Lyme Community (co-editor and chapter author)

• Why Are You Scared of That? (author – for primary school children)

• Cauda Equina: The Sting in the Tail (author - adult non-fiction)

• Blunt Books Series: Various titles (series editor and chapter author - for secondary school children)

• This is How it Starts (author - adult non-fiction)

• Unmasked - An Expose (author - adult non-fiction)

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MY YOUNGER YEARS

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I started off wanting to be a vet, but gradually became interested in human health too.

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EDUCATION / ACADEMIC  BACKGROUND

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• MSc Neuropharmacology (towards PhD, Department of Ophthalmology, London University, St Thomas/Guys Medical School, 1987-1988) on the therapeutic use of levodopa in blindness disease, retinitis pigmentosa (whereby ophthalmology blends with pharmacology and neurology)

• BSc (Hons) BioMedical Sciences (Westminster University, London, 1983–86) including immunology, biochemistry, endocrinology, neurochemistry, pharmacology, physiology, psychology, quantitative/analytical methods and statistics. Final year project on the pharmacology of opiate receptors.

• 10 GSE O’levels including English Language and English Literature

• 3 GSE A’levels in Biology, Chemistry and Physics

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PART-TIME AND VOLUNTARY WORK EXPERIENCE (1975–1986)

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• Animal carer at wildlife rescue centre (1976–82)

• Teacher support at school for disabled adolescents (1982)

• Assistant at riding-for-disabled centre (1982)

• Fund-raising  and public relations at events for Motability (1983)

• Clinical assistant in two veterinary surgeries (1980)