Professional Development – The commercial advantage of editing your work

Executive publishing editor, Adam Strange, shares his decade of editing experience at Little Brown, highlighting the commercial pressures of a big-5 publishing house and how authors can help themselves with their own editorial focus. Adam will also explain what commercial publishing editors are looking for, in terms of a ‘finished’ manuscript, and how authors can enhance their career success with their own editorial processes.

#SoAatHome Professional Development events – free for SoA Members

As of Feb 2025, #SoAatHome professional development sessions will continue to be free as a member benefit. However, for non-members, the price is £35 including VAT.

Not a member, sign up here with our special #SoAatHome offer and get 20 per cent off for the first year of membership – use code SOAATHOME20.

Programme

• Welcome, introductions and housekeeping from Lilly Brend-Fish – Events Manager, SoA (3 mins)
• Presentation by Adam Strange (60 mins)
• Comfort break (5 mins)
• Q&A with audience (20 mins)
• Summary and closing comments (2 mins)
• This event will be moderated by Lilly Brend-Fish, SoA

Who is this session for?

This session is aimed at published and aspiring authors.

What will this session cover?

• Insight into a big-five publishing house and how editors and authors can work together for success.
• Practical editing advice.
• Editorial expectations from publishers.
• How to handle editorial feedback

Send us your questions

If you would like to send questions in advance, email LBrendfish@societyofauthors.org with ‘Editing your work’ in the subject header. We will prioritise questions sent in advance and answer as many as we can from the audience on the day.

#SoAatHome Fundraising Bookshop

Browse our virtual Bookshop.org store featuring books by authors and speakers taking part in the #SoAatHome. When you make a purchase using our affiliate links, a percentage will go to the Society of Authors’ Access Fund, giving authors support for travel, subsistence, childcare or access needs for events, residencies, and retreats.

The Line-up

Adam Strange

#1 New York Times and Sunday Times-bestselling editor, former commissioning editor at Hachette UK, Adam Strange has been an editor, publisher and agent in the UK for 17 years, working with multiple #1 Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling authors, including Rafa Nadal, Seth Godin, JK Rowling, and Gwyneth Paltrow – among many others.

Need to know

Accessibility

• Attendees will have the option to turn on the live transcript, to watch with subtitles
• If you require BSL interpretation for this event, please email events@societyofauthors.org

Before the event

• Once registered, you will be sent a confirmation email with the Zoom link
• If the confirmation email doesn’t arrive in your inbox, please check your junk/spam email folder
• Please add events@societyofauthors.org to your Safe Senders list so you receive our confirmation and reminder emails

During the event

• This online event will take place on Zoom Webinar; you will not be visible on screen but will be able ask questions via the Q&A function or interact via the chat box
• This event will be recorded but you won’t be on screen
• Attendees have the option to turn on the live transcript
• This event is 90 minutes

After the event

• Hashtag for this event: #SoAatHome
• SoA Members and paid attendees of this event will be able to catch the recording on our Vimeo channel (password protected) or members can access via the SoA website.

Booking

SoA Members: Please use the ‘Register – SoA Members’ form below and provide your details, including your membership number. If you’re unsure of your SoA ID, please email info@societyofauthors.org.

Non-members: Choose one of the two ticket options below, complete the registration form, then fill out the billing info to finalise your payment.

For event or registration questions, email events@societyofauthors.org.

SoA Members – Free

Non-Members – £35