About Emma Hartley
Lead Editorial Researcher, publishing.co.uk
Emma covers the part of the indie author journey where the actual book gets written and shaped. Her work at publishing.co.uk focuses on craft (plotting, outlining, voice, worldbuilding), writing process (daily routines, beating block, sustainable cadence), and the editing chain (self-editing, beta readers, sensitivity readers, hiring editors).
Before joining publishing.co.uk, Emma spent eight years on the editorial side of two UK independent presses, where she copy-edited literary fiction, narrative non-fiction, and the occasional cookbook. She moved to indie-focused work because the gap between traditional publishing's craft standards and the average indie author's resources was where she could make the most difference.
What Emma covers
- Plotting, pantsing, and hybrid approaches to novel structure
- Daily writing routines and the productivity habits that finish books
- Diagnosing and recovering from writer's block
- The four kinds of editing and when each one pays off
- Sensitivity readers and inclusive representation
- Self-editing checklists that save 30-50% on editor costs
- AI writing tools — the honest, current view
- Author burnout — spotting it, recovering, preventing relapse
Style
Emma writes plain, practical, UK-anchored guidance. No jargon unless the jargon is industry-standard. No US-default assumptions. Where she disagrees with received wisdom, she says so.
Get in touch
For editorial questions or guest-post enquiries: hello@publishing.co.uk
