Andy Maslen, bestselling crime author

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As a career editor and a fiction writer, I give 5 stars to Switching to Fiction. Excellent presentation and the report sample is gold. I teach editing for UC Berkeley's certificate in editing program, but there's no fiction component. I'm hoping to be better able to respond to students' questions now and will point them your direction, Louise. Thank you! ​

Ann Cathleen Neumann, Editor and Instructor, University of California, Berkeley

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Want to become a fiction editor?

Take your time and don’t be alone!

Learn at your own pace with lifetime access and live support via my Facebook group.
Want to switch to fiction editing for indie authors? This course teaches you what else you need to know at line level to make the move with confidence.

The 4-step framework covers the following:
  1. overall readability
  2. narrative viewpoint
  3. dialogue format and effectiveness
  4. ​technical correction and consistency

You also get a copy of Editing Fiction at Sentence Level, a 74K-word ebook that offers deeper insights into the learning, and includes examples from published fiction so you can see the practice in action.
​PRICE: £29.99

The course kit

Your course kit includes:
  • a recorded webinar (1 hour, 9 minutes) 
  • a copy of Editing Fiction at Sentence Level (74,708 words) worth £15.99
  • a style sheet template
  • an example of a detailed editorial report 
  • checklists of suggested line-craft books and links to macros for fiction editors
  • ​​quick-access links to related materials

Why should you learn about fiction editing with me?

I've line edited or proofread hundreds of novels published by mainstream presses and independent authors. But practice isn't enough ... I continue to study the craft of commercial-fiction writing and editing.
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I write fiction too – short stories and flash – ​and have been shortlisted for the CWA's Margery Allingham Short Story Competition, the Bookseller's Future Fiction competition, and the Noirwich Crime Writing Festival's flash-fiction competition.

My approach to teaching

My teaching approach is problem/solution based. Yes, fiction editing is subjective and nuanced, but there’s still room for practical analysis that unpicks a novel’s vulnerabilities and considers the range of literary tools available to improve what’s on the page. 

Course reviews

Andy Maslen, bestselling crime author

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Louise's Switching to Fiction course is a treasure trove for editors who want to add fiction line editing to their repertoire but don't know where to begin. Her webinar and ebook outline the specific issues in fiction that an editor will need to consider, peppered with lots of examples, and all in Louise's friendly and approachable style. And the course website also includes many other resources such as style sheet and report templates, videos, booklets and a further reading list. Highly recommended for anyone looking to become a confident fiction editor!

Course: Switching to Fiction

Maya Berger
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Editor

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Andy Maslen, bestselling crime author

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If you’re interested in editing fiction, or just improving your craft as a writer, I highly recommend the Switching to Fiction course. Louise knows how to break down fiction editing into understandable and workable sections. The webinar provides you with a basic road map to the many different areas of line editing. The course book goes into deeper detail.

Course: Switching to Fiction

Sarah Calfee
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Romance Editor

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Andy Maslen, bestselling crime author

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Switching to Fiction is a thoroughly accessible resource for editors and indie authors. The webinar is a practical overview of key aspects of a manuscript, and the comprehensive ebook covers narrative viewpoint, line-level issues and some of the more technical aspects of fiction editing. If you are looking for a guide to help you edit fiction with confidence, then this course comes highly recommended.

Course: Switching to Fiction

Jennifer Warren
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Editor

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Andy Maslen, bestselling crime author

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Switching to Fiction is a great resource. Louise isn’t prescriptive; instead she radiates a cheerful, pragmatic sense of what works in fiction at sentence-level [and] gives you a range of tools to help you understand how to elevate your writing and editing. Louise is a fantastic presenter and the webinar is clear and insightful. I love the accompanying book, too, which provides even more detail and backs up the messages from the webinar.

Course: Switching to Fiction

Jenny Williamson
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Proofreader, Editor & Writer

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Andy Maslen, bestselling crime author

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Part of my work is translating novels for older children into English. Switching to Fiction has helped me weave explanations of cultural terms or ideas more naturally into both narrative and dialogue. Because the novels are for children, these explanations must be included. And the other day, I consciously added my first action beat into a piece of dialogue that was becoming a bit long-winded! Thank you.

Course: Switching to Fiction

Sue Proof
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Editor

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Andy Maslen, bestselling crime author

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​Just wanted to say a huge thank you for putting your fiction-editing course online. The book and the resources are wonderful, and such great value for money too!

Course: Switching to Fiction

Chris Thomas
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Editor

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Andy Maslen, bestselling crime author

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Have just finished your Switching to Fiction course, and wanted to let you know how much I loved it. You're an absolute joy to listen to and your insights and advice are insanely valuable. I wish I'd done it ages ago! So many nuggets of wisdom, not only about editing but business development too. Honestly – I loved it. Thank you for sharing your expertise in such an engaging and approachable way. 

Course: Switching to Fiction

Angela Snowden
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Editor

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Andy Maslen, bestselling crime author

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Louise teaches with such clarity and humour that it’s hard to come away from this course not itching to dig into fiction editing. As an established non-fiction editor, I now also feel confident in working with fiction authors – and I’m sure I’ll keep on coming back to all of Louise’s marvellous resources.

Course: Switching to Fiction

Hugh Jackson
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Proofreader and Copyeditor

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Andy Maslen, bestselling crime author

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Louise’s Switching to Fiction course is an amazing resource that gave me a ton of tools to get started in editing fiction and highlighting the skills I needed to brush up on. It’s given me the confidence to move into fiction editing, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Course: Switching to Fiction

Rebecca Brown
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Editor; Director and Designer, Design for Writers

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