Jennifer Kay Davies - Book Editor and Proofreader
Hi! My name's Jennifer and I'm a book editor and proofreader.
I work with traditional publishers as well as independent, self-publishing authors.
I've worked with international bestselling writers as well as some brilliant and inspiring self-published authors.
My portfolio includes books that have been nominated for awards, and books that have been number one bestsellers both in the UK and the USA.
I work primarily in fiction, and I have experience in most genres. My entire profile can be viewed here.
Testimonial
"I'm so thankful I found Jennifer. From the first appointment to discuss what I needed, to where we are right now, it's been 100% professional. I can't express how working with Jennifer doesn't feel like work at all.
Jennifer kept to her timescales and committed to all we agreed. Her documents and following emails were clear and professional but personal. I really felt like she had my back from the off."
Sarah Whitton
Testimonial
"I consider myself truly blessed to have found Jennifer. She nurtured me through the editing process painlessly, showing great empathy and common sense... Jennifer turned what could have been a traumatic experience into a pleasant one, for which I am truly grateful. Her questions and words of encouragement meant a great deal. I look forward to working with her in the future."
Rob Doyle
Testimonial
"Your gentle yet honest approach and your go-the-extra-mile diligent work ethic are above and beyond what I imagined it could be like working with an editor. It has made this whole process not just productive, but so exciting and enjoyable. If it weren't for your confidence boost, I'd probably still be hiding out in my writer's cave, too scared to even think about approaching agents. But thanks to you, I'm starting to feel like a real author now, ready to take on whatever comes my way."
Lisa J. Evans
Narrative Distance: Reeling your reader in
The importance of your reader feeling part of your characters' world cannot be over-emphasised. It's so easy for authors to inadvertently keep their readers at arm's length, and many authors I work with don't even realise they're doing it.
In order to get that agent, or secure that book deal with the publisher you want, or to get those five-star reviews and loyal readers, you need to make sure your reader can immerse themselves into the world you've created.
They need to relate to your characters, sympathise with them, fall in love with them. They need to be able to visualise the story unfolding before them. They need to feel a sense of deep satisfaction, or grief, or something, as they read the final words and close the book.
If this doesn't happen - and the narrative distance of your story is too wide - the readers won't care about your story or its characters. You won't capture their attention. The agent won't get past the first couple of pages. Your readers will DNF the book.
This course will teach you the techniques you need to keep that narrative distance nice and narrow, so that instead of keeping your reader at arm's length, you invite them into your characters' world and leave them wanting - needing - more.
We'll cover aspects of storytelling such as show don't tell, filter and filler words, tense, natural dialogue, action beats and dialogue tags, characters' internal experiences, appropriate placements of descriptions, infodumping, and much more.
