I started my career as a research scientist but quickly became aware that I was more interested in the effective and enthusiastic communication of scientific ideas than I was in breaking new ground. Schoolbook publishing was a natural next step.

I cut my editorial teeth as a desk editor and development editor working on school science books at Longman Educational. I learnt my trade as part of an incredible team of bright young things, making books that were really pushing the boundaries. We studied under the tutelage of an old-school editorial manager and attended courses at Bookhouse, which became the Publishing Training Centre.

Later I got a break commissioning in Further Education for Hodder Educational, which included managing my own desk editor. A lifestyle decision led me from Euston Road to rural Scotland and freelancing. Twenty years on and hundreds of edits later, I still enjoy helping authors to craft their writing and publishers to shape their books.