Editing
BOOKS
Zebra Books: 1995 - 1996
With business partner Ann Walton, a well-known South African illustrator and Art Director, produced a total of 48 supplementary readers for Kagiso Publishers (later acquired by Maskew Miller Longman) in a series called Zebra Books. The titles covered pre-reading to Grade seven (12 year olds).
Sunbird Books (PPS Publishing): 1997 - 1998
Again in partnership with Ann Walton, produced eight further supplementary readers for use in Ghana. All books aimed at readers in Grade 6 - 7 (ages 11 and 12).
Stars of Africa (Maskew Miller Longman): 1999 - 2003
This large publishing project (to exceed 170 books when complete) was begun in 1999 with intense pre-planning to include knowledge from and about Africa. I acted as series editor throughout, working closely with authors and the publishers to produce a definitive series of supplementary readers from pre-school to senior primary level that addressed issues of importance to children in Africa.
Rainbow Readers (Cambridge University Press): 2007 - 2008
I was Box Manager (commissioning) for three boxes of ten books in the Rainbow Readers Series and wrote 12 of the books. This involved sourcing writers around a theme (Archaeology, Our Land and What’s the Plot?) and providing the manuscripts to the publisher in at an appropriate stage of editing.
Rainbow Readers (Cambridge University Press): 2009
For this project I wrote a total of 14 readers and also managed other writers in boxed sets of themed readers. My topics were Our Land (Grade One) Archaeology (Grade 4) and What’s the plot? (Grade 5), a total of 20 books which I commissioned as well as editing and liaison with the publisher.
MAGAZINES
I learned the basics when working on Air Malawi’s Reflections magazine – of which I was Features Editor and then Editor for several years, writing almost everything from the Contents to the (hopefully) amusing last page. It was incredibly valuable training for writing to order – and fast.
The Art Director of Reflections asked me if I’d like to start a magazine on Southern Africa and I leaped headlong into Savanna Magazine, of which we were immensely proud.
This was followed by Winescape Magazine, which I edited for 5 years.
I have also been involved in various one-off publications such as the magazine for the congress of the International Board for Books for Young People (IBBY).
INDEPENDENT EDITING
For the past fifteen years I have worked as an independent editor for many of the major South African publishers, editing books as diverse as biographies for adults to folktales for very young children.
JUDGING
I have been asked to select, shortlist and judge for several of the major South African literary competitions including the M-Net Award and the Young Africa Award.
REVIEWING
Since 2018 I have reviewed books for Fine Music Radio Station, which has a wide ranging footprint including internet and DSTV.
In 2019 I was invited to review books for Bookbird, the journal of the International Board of Books for Young People (IBBY)