Martin Toseland

Professional Ghostwriter & Editor

Welcome

Thanks for stopping by my website. 

I am an award-winning, Sunday Times best-selling ghostwriter, author and editor.

I have written or ghostwritten over 35 books in a range of genres from fiction through memoir, biography, adventure, language, business, humour, sports, food and drink, and film. I work with authors based both in the UK and internationally. Most of my books are still in print and selling years after publication and, to date, they have been translated into fifteen different languages.

As a development (or structural) editor, I take on all genres – non-fiction and fiction. For non-fiction ideas, I’m very happy to discuss your book at any stage of its development, be it helping you take your vague thought to finished bound copy or sorting out the manuscript you’re unhappy with or unsure how to improve. 

For fiction titles, I have authors who I have worked with over the course of their career, helping to develop characters for series fiction, working out extended narrative arcs and complex plots. 

I am happy to work according to a brief from you or to provide a full editorial review with a marked-up ms, in-depth report and follow-up discussion. I also advise on next steps and help with proposal writing.

 

Services

Writing & Ghostwriting

I have written and ghost written over 35 books on a range of subjects including biography, business, sports, traditional family games and pastimes, English language howlers, humour, food and drink, and children’s literacy. I have also ghosted novels. If you have a book project that you need help with, please do get in touch. I work with private clients as well as with all the major publishers.

For very strict confidentiality reasons, I can’t show or discuss all the books I’ve written. But as well as those shown below in Past Projects, I’ve worked on books for:

  • Extreme adventurers
  • High-profile TV personalities
  • Thought-leaders
  • CEOs
  • And a High Court judge

Editorial Consultancy

With over 15 years at a senior editorial level in major publishing houses (Penguin and HarperCollins), I am an extremely experienced editor. In that time, I read, appraised, commissioned and edited hundreds of proposals and completed manuscripts. The subjects ranged from biology to ancient history (through language usage and psychology).

I offer an editorial consultancy service for your fiction and non-fiction manuscript or outline. The consultancy can range from advice on your proposal to full structural review with detailed constructive editorial notes to improve your manuscript. I am honest in my appraisal, will give you realistic feedback and can give advice on the best next steps to take.

I also offer a complete book packaging service – using my expert contacts in the publishing world, I can manage the production process from unedited manuscript to delivery of bound copies.

What my clients say: Ghostwriting

‘I’d recommend Martin to anyone thinking of writing a book. Get him to do it instead – it’s easier.’

James May, TV presenter

‘Martin captured my haphazard life and work and put it beautifully into my book: he has a gift.’

Tony Fernandes, owner of AirAsia, QPR football club and Caterham Cars

‘I’d like to thank Martin particularly for his encouragement, interest and skill in steering me in the right direction, teasing out my thoughts about events, and extracting the business lessons. I really enjoyed the time we spent together.’

Claude Littner, TV Presenter and entrepreneur

I have worked with Martin at two different publishing companies and more recently have collaborated with him on numerous projects as a trusted freelance ghostwriter and editor. He consistently delivers the highest level of professionalism and creativity and is always a pleasure to work with. He is quite simply one of the best in the business and if I could clone him I would. 

John Bond, whitefox publishing

Past projects

Here are some of the ghostwriting and editing projects I’ve been involved with. There are many more that I cannot display for confidentiality reasons. For a professional ghostwriter, discretion and respecting a client’s wishes are sacrosanct. 

FAQs

How does the ghostwriting process work?

The short answer to this question is, ‘however works best for you’. Ghostwriters are by their nature and calling adaptable so the process is one that will develop in.a way that best suits you, the author. However, most books will be based on a series of interviews conducted in person or remotely. I like to agree the theme of each interview in advance and send questions before we talk so that you have time to reflect on the issues or events we’re discussing.

That is all about the words on the page. Before we get to that stage though, there are a couple of steps that need to be taken.

The first is logistical: timing, availability for interview, whether the author wants to go the agent/publisher route or to self-publish, and the fees involved are typically the areas we need to cover.

The second is the creative part. Here I ask the author to think about the kind of book they want to write. This can be modelled on a book they’ve read and admired, or one that ‘feels’ right (length, tone, structure, readership), or we start with a blank sheet of paper and map out the sorts of things the author wants to say and discuss different ways of achieving that. Either way, it’s an editorial discussion out of which we lay the foundations and draw the blueprints for the book. All experienced ghostwriters will guide you through this process and by the end of it, you should have a much clearer idea about whether you can work together and what sort of book might come out of the collaboration.

You can read more about in this blog post.

How long does it take to write a book with a ghostwriter?

If you want a quick rule of thumb, I’d say between three and nine months. But as with the writing process, the answer comes very much back to you, the author. If you have a lot of time, prefer to work quickly and intensively, we can do that. If you prefer a longer, more drawn-out schedule, that can be done as well. Ideally the process shouldn’t be too long, as some of the creative energy can be lost over time. With all that said, I have written a book in five weeks, and I have written a book that has taken four years! 

Confidentiality and Copyright questions

Two very simple things to say here.

First, my work with you remains totally confidential by default. I’ll only mention it if you expressly agree. And I will absolutely sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (I have one to hand) if you would like that. This is your book, and you can decide the degree to which someone else’s involvement is mentioned – if at all.

Second, the contract I offer all clients states unequivocally that the book is your copyright and that I have no rights in it. Once the book is signed off, I can hand you back all the recordings/discussions/emails and material if that’s what you’d like. This is your book which means that everything that goes into the making of it, belongs to you too. 

What my clients say: Editorial Consultancy

‘Martin is a fantastic book doctor. His feedback is always spot-on, insightful and sensitively given. When I signed on with him I was looking for editorial advice, he gave me that in spades along with a masterclass in creative writing.’

Victoria Selman, Sunday Times bestselling author of Truly, Madly, Deeply

‘Martin is a wonderful editor and I always consult him on my drafts.  With both fiction and non-fiction his judgement is clear-sighted and precise. He has a fine sense of structure and can point to exactly where a work has gone lopsided or pull out the elements that are working well and put them in the right place.’

Julia Rochester, author of The House at the Edge of the World, Longlisted for the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction 2016 and shortlisted for the Desmond Eliot Prize 2016

‘Martin has proven himself to be excellent in my experience at taking the loose threads of a proposal or idea and shaping it into something intelligent, commercial and exciting. He understands what is needed from the publisher’s perspective, being able to position a book successfully, as well as having the sensitivity and tenacity to help focus authors, whether that means re-working text or coming up with a sound structural framework for them to work to.’

Denise Bates, Group Publishing Director, Quarto Books

‘I’ve worked with Martin, on a variety of projects, since the mid-90s. He’s been my first port-of-call whenever I need editorial advice on a new project, and I’ve no hesitation in recommending anyone else in need of an editor to do the same.’

Professor David Crystal, best-selling author of over 100 books including Spell It Out

‘Martin was a terrific editor for my manuscript. I only wished I’d brought him in earlier in the writing process! He carefully removed material which neither fit in nor added to the core argument. He was able to draw out the major points to my argument without losing my voice. And he was really easy to work with, being both accessible but also sensitive in our discussions.’

Dr Saqib Qureshi, author of Reconstructing Strategy: Dancing with the God of Objectivity

‘Martin is an empathetic, meticulous and highly experienced editor and ghostwriter.  He combines an eye for detail with long range vision.’

Jenny Todd, Literary Agent

Contact me about your project

If you’re just looking to discuss an idea you have for a book, have started writing but have got a bit stuck or, if you have a finished manuscript and would like a professional appraisal, just drop me a line using the form to the right. I’ll happily have a chat about your project and we can talk through the options and decide whether I can help you with it. These conversations are commitment-free and I’ve had hundreds of them in the past so don’t worry about taking the first step! 

More about me

I started my career at Penguin in 1990 working my way up to a senior editorial level before becoming Publishing Director at HarperCollins. In 2006, I decided that I wanted to be on the other side of the desk – submitting my work for publication rather than commissioning and editing.

Since then, I have written or ghostwritten over 35 books in a range of genres from fiction through memoir, biography, adventure, language, business, humour, sports, food and drink, and film. I work with authors based both in the UK and internationally. Most of my books are still in print and selling years after publication. I have collected a few endorsements along the way which you will find in the What My Clients Say: Ghostwriting section.

As an editor, I take on all genres except children’s books. I have authors who I have worked with over the course of their career, helping to develop characters for series fiction, working out extended narrative arcs and complex plots. I am happy to work according to a brief from you or to provide a full editorial review with a marked-up ms, in-depth report and follow-up discussion. I can also advise on next steps and help with proposal writing. On the Editorial Consultancy page, you can find comments from some of the authors I have worked with as well as endorsements from publishers, agents, and private clients.

I have been published by all of the major UK publishers but work with private clients as well. The opportunities to self-publish successfully these days are myriad and I have successfully guided a number of people through the process from shaping their idea, writing the book to editing, designing and delivering printed copies.

I am a member of a collective of the UK’s leading ghostwriters called United Ghostwriters. Created by a group of internationally renowned, award winning writers, United Ghostwriters is a one-stop shop for anyone looking for help writing their book.

And am also a part of the exclusive agency The Ghostwriters Agency https://www.theghostwritersagency.com/ which represents the best ghostwriters in the UK. 

I was proud to have been named as one of WhiteFox’s Unsung Heroes of Publishing.

I use bookshop.org for most of my online book buying and have a page for my recommendations there: read my recommendations.

Whether you are working on your manuscript or have completed it and would like me to have a look at it, do get in touch.

CV

2006 – present: author, ghost writer, editor, editorial consultant and agent
2003 – 2006: Publishing Director, HarperCollins
1990 – 2003: Senior Commissioning Editor, Penguin Press

Blogs & articles

How Ghostwriters Get Inside Their Authors’ Minds?

How Ghostwriters Get Inside Their Authors’ Minds?

The Challenge The gap between the idea. the story, or the events of a life, and the screen or written page is huge. Ask any writer about the daily challenge of getting the words out of their head and into a space that can be read by others, and they'll talk  about the...

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What does a ghostwriter do?

What does a ghostwriter do?

Put simply, ghostwriters enable authors to tell their stories. We can help an author at just about any stage of the writing process – from helping to shape and develop an idea or a plot, to writing the entire manuscript according to the author’s brief. A Bit of...

read more