ABOUT THE BOOK SPECIALIST The Book Specialist is an editorial agency that offers writing and editing services of the highest standard to authors and publishers. The services are delivered by experienced author and editor Charlie Wilson (that's me) and a hand-selected team of capable editors and writers.

As director of The Book Specialist, it's important to me that I offer each client a personal service. I undertake some of the projects, and commission members of the team to do others, but at all times the client is assured that they're working with The Book Specialist.

THE BOOK SPECIALIST TEAM

All editors and writers employed by The Book Specialist are colleagues from my network of contacts. In the team I have editors whose clients/previous employers include Oxford University Press, Macmillan, Simon and Schuster, Hachette, Piccadilly Press, A&C Black, Robert Hale and Imperial College Press. They're experienced freelance writers and editors, and, of course, bookworms.

In my years of writing, editing and proofreading for publishers and authors I've built a reputation for quality, professionalism and reliability. It's essential to me that all editors who work for The Book Specialist have similarly high standards in their work. Therefore, I only take on editors whose abilities are proven to me, and whose standard of writing and editing is equal to my own.

All editors receive training and plenty of feedback on their work – which is checked carefully by me until I'm satisfied that they need no supervision. And now and again the team comes together for a training workshop, which is an opportunity to share ideas and to develop new skills.

In addition to my editors I have a great assistant, Ally, who does myriad jobs for me, from filing, research, marketing and file preparation through to accounts and project management. He does all the nuts-and-bolts work of the business, freeing me up to do what I do best: writing and editing.

CHARLIE WILSON

The Book Specialist, in a nutshell, is me. I'm a published author and ghostwriter and a book editor with a wealth of experience in publishing (both in-house and working as a freelancer for publishers and authors) who's written, critiqued, developed, edited and/or proofread hundreds of books.

Words aren't just my livelihood – they're my passion. For as long as I can remember I've had a pen in one hand, a book in the other, and a love for all things wordy. At three I was teaching teddies how to spell their names; at five taking great delight in correcting my own laboured writing with a red felt-tip; at seven keeping the first of many diaries, including such gems as, Went to the zoo toady. It poored and poored.

I had the usual childhood ambitions – nurse, fireman, lollipop lady – but the dream of working on books was less transient. It stuck with me through my degree and into my career, which I built in editorial positions at a PR agency, a major publisher and two national charities. Six years ago I took the plunge and went freelance, and in 2011, unable to keep up with client demand for my services, I expanded the business into The Book Specialist editorial agency.

Today, I spend my days happily ensconced in my office, amid piles of books, papers and coffee cups – my idea of heaven. I live in Nottingham with my husband, my three-year-old son and a geriatric goldfish. In my spare time I write, bake inedible cakes, hunt dinosaurs at the park and embark on disastrous DIY projects. I recently achieved a lifetime ambition of creating a library in my home to house my ever-increasing collection of books. I pretend not to notice that the shelves are rather wonky.

CLIENTS Over the years that I have been a freelance editor and writer I've worked on hundreds of books and all sorts of other materials for publishers, authors and organisations. Here's a sample of my clients:

Publishers: How To Books, John Wiley & Sons (For Dummies books and Frommer's travel guides), Wiley VCH (Germany), Folens, Routledge, Taylor & Francis, High Stakes Publishing, Kamera Books, No Exit Press, Pocket Essentials, Southbank Publishing, Oldcastle Books, Alliance Publishing Press

Authors: Auto/biography, thriller, techno-thriller, horror, teen, crime, fantasy, historical, romance, literary, general fiction, non-fiction and children's writers

Corporate, charity and organisations: Bridal Buyer magazine, James Villa Holidays, Model Interaction, AnimNation, Associated British Ports, Real World Fundraising, HN Marketing, ICO Management Services, Ultimate Law Guide, Woodreed (Volkswagen), Turning Point, Metropolitan Black Police Association, One World One People, FARM-Africa, Brighton University, University of Surrey, Respond, beat (Eating Disorders Association), Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA), National Assessment Agency (NAA), Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual)