Pam Robertson

I’m a professional book editor with 30 years of experience in the industry. Working freelance for publishers and individuals alike, I help authors hone their craft, and do so with diplomacy, thoroughness and cheer.

Writers like to work with me because I know how to see their work through their eyes and bring the stories they want to tell to the page in their voice, all the while keeping the needs of their readers at heart. Whether you are writing high-level literary fiction or a personal memoir about growing up in your rural hometown, I can help you find just the right tone and storytelling style to bring your words to life.

Over my two decades as a freelancer I’ve provided book publishers with editorial services including project management, book development, literary consultation and all levels of editing. Most recently I’ve focused on structural, stylistic and copy editing. Regular and past publisher clients include Harbour Publishing, Annick Press, Figure 1 Publishing, Random House Canada, Douglas & McIntyre and Grass Roots Press, among others. I’ve edited trade and specialty fiction and non-fiction of all sorts, with a particular interest in literary and mystery fiction, Indigenous/First Nations history and culture, regional non-fiction, art exhibit publications and kids’ books. I’ve spent close to 20 years copy editing cookbooks, most often for publishers who handle the initial book development and editing in-house. I also seem to have a talent for helping screenwriters flesh out their novels, and for making corporate histories appealing to a general trade audience.

For the better part of a decade I primarily edited books for children and teens, doing mostly substantive and stylistic editing, plus everything from research on specific markets to project development to coordinating illustrations and graphic design. I’ve worked on the gamut, from picture books to middle-grade information books and post-apocalyptic YA novels. One of my specialty areas is non-fiction books that cross through the noise of what kids are engaging with and learning from online.

That work dovetailed with my longstanding interest in and commitment to plain language editing and communications, which also led to some of my most rewarding work: editing fiction for low-literacy adults. Projects include the Working for Myself books by Tana Reiff, Brenda Chapman’s Anna Sweet mystery series and the Good Reads series of short, hi-lo novels by prominent Canadian authors.

While I spend much of my time working for publisher clients, I also enjoy helping individuals who want to tell their stories and are looking to develop, rework or even just polish their manuscripts. I write manuscript assessments, help writers prepare book proposals, and write and edit all sorts of book-related copy. I also know that different writers have different strengths and ways of working, and happily adapt my methods and approaches whenever needed, whether working with writers who are just starting out, self-publishing or those already signed.

My previous experience in the book industry includes working in-house at Random House Canada in editorial and publicity, teaching in the publishing program at Simon Fraser University, writing and editing for industry magazines, and serving as a volunteer for various industry organizations. Prior to that, I worked in different areas of the arts, including home-grown arts newspapers and magazine production. Over a number of years I was employed as a bookseller at three notable independent bookstores: Duthie Books in Vancouver, Printed Passage in Kingston and Mosaic Books in Kelowna. I have a Master of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of British Columbia (1995) and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in English from Queen’s University (1992). My hometown is Westbank, B.C.

I also volunteer a lot of my time, serving on the executive of the South Surrey Garden Club and the B.C. Council of Garden Clubs (and editing their newsletters, which is how they lured me in), organizing events and programs for my children’s schools, and coaching soccer. Other interests include animal rescue and welfare, climate action and cooking.

Selected Titles

Recent Fiction:

All the Bears Sing by Harold Macy

Death at the Savoy by Ron Base and Prudence Emery

Vile Spirits by John MacLachlan Gray

The Marriage of Rose Camilleri by Robert Hough

The Wild Heavens by Sarah Louise Butler

Recent Non-Fiction:

Have You Eaten Yet? Stories from Chinese Restaurants Around the World by Cheuk Kwan

Going the Distance: The Life and Works of W.P. Kinsella by William Steele

Passion and Persistence: Fifty Years of the Sierra Club in British Columbia, 1969–2019 by Diane Pinch

Slashburner: Hot Times in the British Columbia Woods by Nick Raeside

I Overcame My Autism and All I Got Was This Lousy Anxiety Disorder: A Memoir by Sarah Kurchak

Art:

Echoes of the Supernatural: The Graphic Art of Robert Davidson by Gary Wyatt with Robert Davidson

Sculpture in Canada: A History by Maria Tippett 

Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun: Unceded Territories by Karen Duffek and Tania Willard, eds.

Bill Reid and the Haida Canoe by Martine J. Reid, ed.

Charles Edenshaw by Robin K. Wright, Daina Augaitis and Jim Hart, eds.

Norval Morrisseau: Man Changing into Thunderbird by Armand Garnet Ruffo

Cooking:

My New Indian Kitchen by Vikram Vij and Jennifer Muttoo

Island Eats: Signature Chefs’ Recipes from Vancouver Island and the Salish Sea by Dawn Postnikoff and Joanne Sasvari

Sea Salt: Recipes from the West Coast Galley by Alison Malone Eathorne, Hilary Malone and Lorna Malone

Coconut Lagoon: Recipes from a South Indian Kitchen by Joe Thottungal

The Okanagan Table: The Art of Everyday Home Cooking by Rod Butters

Kids:

My Friend Mei Jing by Anna McQuinn

The Dirt Eaters by Dennis Foon

The Lynching of Louie Sam by Elizabeth Stewart

Patient Zero: Solving the Mysteries of Deadly Epidemics by Marilee Peters

The Great Motion Mission: A Surprising Story of Physics in Everyday Life by Cora Lee