Services available for:
Bespoke Mentoring | Final Polish | Full Manuscript Review | How Strong Is Your Book Idea? | Opening Chapters
Cressida Downing has worked in bookselling and publishing for over twenty years. She started at Waterstones in Hampstead, working in the children’s book department for a year before going to Sussex University to read English Literature. After graduation, she worked at Dillons Booksellers in a variety of Central London locations, mainly in charge of the fiction section and was one of the inaugural bookseller judges for their First Fiction Award.
Moving into publishing, she worked at Penguin Books and Piatkus Books. As a freelance editorial consultant for the last twenty years, she has worked with a variety of publishers and literary agents on both fiction and non-fiction titles, as well as directly with authors. She runs workshops and gives lectures on editing and submission, attending conferences such as the Felixstowe Book Festival and the Self Publishing Conference.
Recently she won the inaugural Lindisfarne Prize for an unpublished crime novel set in the North-East, and is hoping to have her first draft finished soon. She also runs Reading Retreats to enable readers to have uninterrupted reading time.
She reads a wide variety of books from crime to sci-fi to fantasy to chic-lit to literary fiction. In non-fiction, her tastes are broad, covering pretty much anything that would be interesting for the lay reader. As the mother of two children, she has rediscovered modern children and teen literature.
Her house is brimming with books, but she also loves her Kindle and embraces Twitter as a way of chatting to authors she admires.
Testimonials:
"My book has attracted some fantastic praise with people talking about it being 'compelling reading' and 'beautifully written'. I do not think that this would have been the case without the help of Cressida Downing of Writers & Artists whose feedback and advice in her manuscript assessment was invaluable, especially to a first-time author. It really helped me improve the final work." – Graham Addison, author of Raiders of the Hidden Ark
"I was most impressed by Cressi’s ability to swiftly grasp what the plot and characters needed. She treated me like an authentic novelist and gave validation to my writing. She handled my work with encouragement and professionalism." – Liz Chettur
“I thought [Cressida’s] reports exemplary in their insight and helpfulness. I found the sharpness and constructiveness of her formal or aesthetic sense remarkable, and particularly helpful." – Matt Jordan
“Cressida Downing – The Book Analyst – has line-edited two of my books so far and has great insight into what changes need to be made. The service she offers is quick, without being rushed, efficient and cost-effective, and I would gladly recommend her to any authors who need a critical eye cast over their work.” – Andrew Goodman, author of Tiberius Found
“Friends can only go so far. As a professional reader, Cressida Downing analyses the good and the bad in my writing. The relationship between editor and writer becomes a dynamic process. Her suggestions help my reflection and sense of purpose.” – Margo Gorman
“Cressida Downing has assisted me for seven years assessing typescripts and proofs with a view to their publication. Her reports are concise, insightful and highly intelligent.” – Alan Samson, Publisher, Weidenfeld and Nicolson