Meet Sophy: Book coach & developmental editor
My Bookish Track Record
Not all book coaches have much experience in the publishing and books worlds. Here’s mine:
2 book-related degrees. I studied at the University of Edinburgh and Trinity College Dublin and have a First Class Honours MA in English Literature and an MSc by Research in the history of publishing.
At 24 I became the second youngest ever editor of one of the world’s oldest literary magazines, The Edinburgh Review (founded 1802).
I have worked for publishers in London and Edinburgh - my first publishing job was as PA to the Managing Director at Frances Lincoln Books, which was a fantastic introduction to every facet of the publishing company. As Frances’s PA, I attended all the Sales, Editorial, Marketing, Publicity, Finance and Production meetings, which really helped me to understand the commercial realities of publishing.
I wrote a short book in my 20s that was published in the UK and the USA - it was part of a series of readers’ guides to novels, published by Continuum (now owned by Bloomsbury).
I have been involved in running a wide variety of literary prizes, including running the BBC Short Story Award, which at the time was the world’s largest prize for short stories.
I have spent a great deal of time chairing literary events and interviewing best-selling writers on stage - at the Edinburgh International Book Festival and other festivals and as the host for Gliterary Lunches. I’ve interviewed Maggie O’Farrell, Lionel Shriver, Will Self, Tony Parsons, Denise Mina, Kate Adie, Jenny Eclair, Sophie Hannah, Val McDermid and many, many more.
I was the inaugural Manager of the Edinburgh UNESCO World City of Literature Trust and worked closely with authors Ali Smith and Ian Rankin, who were on my Board.
I ran the Muriel Spark International Fellowship - our inaugural Fellow was Margaret Atwood.
Work-related international book travels have included a British Council-funded trip on the Trans-Siberian Express (along with the novelist Jill Dawson) to speak at a conference for Russian English teachers; giving speeches in French at the UNESCO HQ in Paris and at a conference on Scottish publishing in Nantes; and attending the Frankfurt and Bologna Book Fairs (two of the largest in the world - invaluable for understanding how international rights work in publishing).
Over the years I have been paid to run 15 different book groups, in all kinds of settings from libraries and pubs to one based in a job centre and another for Tesco staff. My favourite was one I ran for a few years at VinCaffe restaurant and bar in Edinburgh - we had Prosecco and canapes at every meeting.
I’ve also run a national reader development campaign (which saw me hosting poetry events on commuter trains and at a racetrack) and have worked for several different bookshops over the years, including Waterstones and a couple of independents.
I co-founded Long Lunch Press with the Scottish novelist Alan Warner - we published a mix of well-established and debut authors, including Irvine Welsh and Jen Hadfield.
I’ve run lots of book-related events - a children’s book festival, a readers’ festival and conferences for writers and for festival directors.
I set up business as a freelance editor and book coach while my daughter was a baby (she was born in 2010) in order to work more flexibly from home.
My Story
I believe our stories matter.
I’ve been telling people’s stories, in print and online for a long time and I know from the inside out how stories work. I was one of those children who was always lost in the world of a book, and it didn't surprise anyone when I studied literature and publishing, or when I went on to work in publishing, or when I later became a freelance editor and writing mentor.
When my mum moved house and politely insisted on returning everything I was storing in her cellar, I came across my 'Top Secret File' from when I was nine years old.
It turns out that, aged nine, I wanted to be a writer, inventor, archaeologist, detective and princess - my current field of work beautifully combines the first four of these elements (and luckily I don't want to be a princess any more...).
These days I get to write and invent in my work and, like an archaeologist, uncover the layers of my clients' strengths, values and sense of purpose to discover the key to the unique book that only they can write. Like a detective, I get to investigate, and help my clients to do voice-of-customer and market research for their own audiences..
I only take on clients whose work I really believe in, so you'll get my full support to uncover the stories at the heart of who you really are. You'll also get a thought-partner, someone to bounce ideas off, and someone who won't be afraid to ask you difficult questions - and who will help you to explore different potential answers.
My core values inform every aspect of my business:
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Sustainability
I believe that less, done better, is more, in life and in business. I hate waste, want to make the most of resources and prioritise long-term viability over short-term gain.
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Self-expression
Being able to express your individuality and share your story matters hugely to me. I think it’s a big part of what makes us human.
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Connection
This is the flipside of self-expression - you create a sense of community and belonging by sharing what you care about. I’m not about huge communities - intimacy is key.
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Curiosity
I think curiosity is a superpower. It feeds into my love of learning, my nosiness about how other people tick and also my entrepreneurial desire to run experiments and see what works.
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Joy
Because, if there’s no joy - what’s the point? Struggle is inevitable, but moments of joy are what make it worthwhile.
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Depth
I like to know the big picture - the context, the history and the nuance, and I’m more interested in both/and than either/or.
My
Inspiration
One of the hardest things I’ve ever done (and also one of the most rewarding) was to become a parent. My baby’s birth triggered the development of a chronic illness, which wasn’t diagnosed for several years. As a result, I had no idea why I was so desperately tired all the time. I understood that I wasn’t getting enough sleep, but it was so much more than that.
I felt like all the colour had drained out of the world, leaving me trapped in a greyscale existence. I loved my daughter but I felt like I’d lost who I was. I desperately needed time to myself and time with other adults and barely had any of either. It felt like the world was going on as usual and I was stuck behind glass - I could see what was going on in the wider world but I couldn’t touch it or be part of it.
It taught me that I need connection and I need to express who I am as a person. And I need time to myself and time to write and to read every day. And I need more than four fractured hours of sleep a night…
This may not sound like the obvious starting point for a business working with people on writing their books - but everything I’ve done since has been related to self-expression and identity, connection, belonging and communication.
* You can find a media bio for me here.
Any Questions?
Margaret Atwood: