I began my career as a BBC radio researcher back in the days of paper, pen and ink, writing scripts for a Radio 5 show that culminated in my first book, Maypoles, Martyrs and Mayhem (Bloomsbury, 1993, co-written with Quentin Cooper). I continued along the professional writing and editing path, working in-house and for creative agencies across various industries, for clients including IBM, Amadeus, British Midland, the Myers-Briggs Company and Oxford University. I recently assisted in a startup recruitment company’s AI development through content creation. Over the last ten years, I've written 13 history books and edited six diverse titles (fiction, science, travelogue). In all, I’ve penned/edited an average of one million words a year over that same period. Back in the day, that would have entailed enough pen, ink, and A4 to paper the Humber Bridge three times over and graffiti it with the word ‘prolific’.
Master’s student, Scribbr
I combine skilled copywriting, editing and proofreading with style and readability for maximum impact, working with human and AI editors and writers. Where appropriate, I prove that great writing and SEO really can co-exist.
Editing, proofreading, writing, research, content management – theses, websites, blogs, books, book proposals, style guides, newsletters, reports, press releases, social media
AI verification - editing AI-generated text, teaching AI by writing and editing questions and answers, helping it engage in complex dialogue about charts, graphs, and other images.
Vast experience – AI, academia, health and nutrition, charities, pets, psychology, heritage, history, lifestyle, recruitment, property.
Marketing – Surfer SEO, AdWords, Google Analytics, G Suite, HootSuite, Mad Mimi, Mail Chimp, Survey Monkey, social media, Google Docs, Dropbox, Evernote, Microsoft Office, Adobe, WordPress, Weebly, Wix
Scribbr (2020—) | Academic Editor |
Silx (2019—) | Senior Editor and Copywriter |
The History Press (2011—) | Writer |
Cambridge Proofreading (2024—) | Academic editor |
Mindrift (AI training) (2024—) | Writer, copy editor |
Get Optimal (2020—2024) | Senior Editor, AI verifier |
Omlet Ltd (2016-2022) | Writer, Editor, Blogger |
Food and Behaviour Research (2016-2020) | Editor |
Editing course (Scribbr Academy) | 2020 |
Open University (BSc) | 1995-6 |
Newcastle University (BA) | 1990-1993 |
Academia | more than 600 projects |
Business, finance | more than 100 projects |
Health and nutrition | more than 100 projects |
Books, magazines, journals, style guides | |
Media | AI, TV & radio spots, research |
Marketing | Product campaigns, social media ads, video scripts |
The Little History of Lincolnshire (author) February 2025
Where There's Brass, by Tom Kitching (editor) May 2024
What the Cluck? The Omlet Guide to Chicken Keeping (author) 2021
The Shrinking Brain, by Michael Crawford and David Marsh (editor) 2021
The Little History of Lincolnshire, published in February 2025, was the ninth of my books for The History Press.
These are a few reader reviews from across my 12 current titles:
"Brilliant book, very interesting. Couldn't put it down."
"Informative and entertaining."
"I have been the happy owner of this fantastic book for a number of years and it must be the most used of any book I have ever owned!
It makes a fascinating "dip into" read to pass the time, perfect to just relax with. I have also got so engrossed that I have read it cover to cover on several occasions! A truly great book-every home should have one!!"
And a couple of high-brow ones:
"A new initiative in the production of popular works on the customs and cultural heritage of the British"― Times Literary Supplement
"A perfectly conceived compendium of culture" ― The Times
All books and reviews can be found here.