Writer, researcher and editor with 26 years' experience: travel guidebooks, British landscape and tourism, walking and cycling and historical and heritage subjects.
I have an extensive knowledge of England and Wales through scores of research trips for guidebooks and articles including designing, mapping and publishing over 500 walks.
My core skills are in condensing research material and writing and editing text in an interesting way for a variety of different markets and audiences. Text has included holiday brochures, children's books, pamphlets, full-colour non-fiction and contributions to books as varied as 1001 Escapes to Make Before You Die and (various sections of) Buying Property in Turkey.
I am the newsletter and website editor of the British Guild of Travel Writers (www.bgtw.org), which has close contacts with the travel industry. I produce a monthly inhouse newsletter, Globetrotter, which is circulated to 270 professional travel writers, photographers, editors and broadcasters.
My freelance work has included:
- Writing books, websites, CD-ROMs, articles, children's books, pamphlets and holiday brochures
- Desk research
- Extensive travel, particularly in Britain
- Proof reading text and maps
- Editing in QuarkXpress (I work from home on my own Mac and PC)
- Updating
- Revamping text of full-colour coffee table books
- Verifying
- Preparing flat plans
- Compiling photo lists
- Project management
- Working closely with publishers in developing guidebooks and similar concepts
- Preparing maps.
Writing, researching and updating has included:
- The Bradt guide to Slow Sussex and South Downs National Park.
- Features on Coventry, the New Forest and Glasgow for Hotline magazine.
- Associate Editor of eight editions of The Good Pub Guide.
- Books for 8-11s (Key Stage 2) on the Romans and Victorians in Britain.
- Great Ideas brochure for Visit Britain.
- Highlights sections for two major series published by Reader's Digest Condensed Books: Travels and Adventures (worldwide locations) and Exploring the British Isles.
- Twelve annual editions of The Good Britain Guide for Ebury Press.
- AA Essential Explorer Guides to Britain, Germany, Thailand and New England.AA Keyguide to Britain. AA book on Bridges of the World.
- Planning a new book for Dorling Kindersley: Where to Go and When; writing some sections.
- Regional profiles and living sections of Buying a Property in Turkey for Cadogan Guides/Sunday Times.
- Five guides to walking in Britain for Which? Books and the Reader's Digest.
- Family-friendly cycle rides in Sussex for the AA Pub Walks and Cycle Rides: South Downs and South Coast. Updates on walks guides for the AA to Sussex and Dorset.
- Guides to the Lake District, Yorkshire and the Peak District, and the West Country (Which? Books).
- Independent Traveller's Britain and Ireland and CD-ROMs on Britain and Ireland, and Europe by Rail, with annual updates (Thomas Cook Publishing).
- Walks and features for the AA's Walks through Britain's History.
- Chapters on England for WH Smith's Britain.
- Reports for the market research firms Mintel and Travel and Tourism Intelligence (TTI) on a number of travel subjects: the distribution and financing of holidays, all-inclusive resorts, overland travel and singles on holiday.
Editorial work for:
- Rough Guides, Frommers' Guides and Cadogan Guides: European regional and city guides, and children's guides to France and Scotland.
- Bradt Guides as project manager of the Slow Guides to Britain: devising the brief and concept, managing authors and editing text and maps.
- Reader's Digest General Books: Book of the Road, Illustrated Guide to Britain's Coast and Know Your Rights.
- Thomas Cook: eight annual editions of Europe by Rail, the Inter-railer's bible.
- AA publishing: a range of guidebooks on Britain and foreign countries, including compiling/writing England and Wales sections of Key Guide to Britain.
- Which? Books: including Buying a Property Abroad and Downshifting.
Other relevant experience:
I spent a year teaching English in Japan and have a full TESOL qualification (2003), which gives me an awareness of the language needs of foreign visitors.
I have good map reading and navigational skills, and have a Bronze Award for walk leading and navigation.
I graduated in Part 1 Law and Part 2 Land Economy from St Catharine's College, Cambridge which has been useful background for working on the law of access to footpaths, rural environment and policies, planning and land economics etc.
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