"I felt in really safe hands with Kate. She was professional and efficient but also so careful about what I was trying to achieve. All my inconsistencies and grammatical horrors were picked up, but what was fantastic was that the suggestions made when sentences got muddled or wordy were in just the right tone. She also highlighted when elements did or didn’t connect with her as the reader which really helped me look at the manuscript afresh. I had thought it might feel like school but instead it was a partnership."

Catherine Samy

"Kate possesses a striking ability to inhabit and find resonance with a text. Her commitment as a close reader comes clear in her reflections on style, character, setting and detail; you couldn't wish for a more thorough, loving and connective response to your fiction."

Tatiana Strauss

"Kate Pemberton is an insightful writing mentor and editor full of practical editorial advice and inspirational guidance. Kate offers her thoughtful views on book structure and gives detailed feedback on chapter extracts ranging from how to improve dialogue to making characters more believable. She has a brilliant eye for detail on style and grammar and is excellent at fact checking, asking those niggly questions that a reader may ask.

Kate also has a wider knowledge of the literary landscape and offers informed thoughts on potential courses and events that may be worth considering to improve writing techniques and learn more about the publishing industry.

I wholeheartedly recommend working with Kate who is a positive mentor and writerly guide who can help you on your writing journey to achieve your ambitions."

Louise Gray

"Kate very kindly helped me with the process of finishing a novel I had been working on forever. I doubt I could have finished it without her support which involved general comments on plot, character and style as well as proofreading and copy-editing. She also offered psychological support. I shall always be very grateful."

Ellen Fairfax

"You gave my book almost as close attention reading it as I had given writing it.
Although I had worked on my book for seven years, you made clearer to me the strengths and weaknesses in a number of areas, including the opening; the characters’ similarities; the use of first-person point-of-view; and the book’s title. 

You were the right editor for me: thorough, insightful and succinct – in short an editor who is ‘sympathetic to the enterprise but critical of the means of going about achieving it.’ Perhaps most of all, you gave me encouragement. I could not have hoped for more."
Jeff Probst

Kate is kind, thoughtful, and deeply insightful about writing and the process of bringing a book into life. She brings with her decades of experience as an editor and brilliant writer herself, but she is entirely respectful of her clients' individual style and unique desires for their project. She is the warmest of cheerleaders, a sensitive sounding board, a penetrating critic when you need it – and she will help get you over that finish line with grace and finesse. I cannot recommend her services highly enough.

Rose Alexander

Kate worked at Ambit magazine for many years and was one of the mainstays not only of magazine production but also in spotting, nurturing and encouraging exciting new writers. Her editorial skills are exemplary and she understands how the shaping of a piece of writing can take if from good to great. Her understanding of the intricacies of grammar and the English language were a huge help in proofreading, such an essential part of any writer's tool kit.
Briony Bax, MBE