Meet our Commissioning Editor

Asteria Press just wouldn’t be the same without our amazing, plant-obsessed, knitting master Aimée Hill. Aimée is our wordsmith - the editor who spends time with our authors’ manuscripts, helping them to create their vision by making their stories the best they possibly can be. Let’s talk to Aimée to find out more about her ethos and role at Asteria Press.

What does it mean to be the Commissioning Editor for Asteria Press?

As Commissioning Editor I get to read all of the lovely manuscripts that come across my desk. I am with each manuscript from submission to publish, overseeing every level of editing. A lot of this is the fun, creative stuff to do with workshopping the plot and exploring the characters. I also get to chat with the author and realise their vision. There’s also the puzzle of the copyedit. Sure, arranging the more logistical elements of publishing might be less glamorous, but it all balances out to a pretty fun role!

What do you do outside of Asteria Press?

Outside of Asteria Press, I tend to around 30 plants, knit and sew clothing and run an editorial business. The editorial business is definitely what feeds into Asteria Press the most. I’ve spent hundreds of hours learning all about story construction and language. That’s most of what I bring to the table!

What do you love most about editing?

I love the puzzle of it. That is why developmental editing is my favourite of the lot. Developmental editing is all about getting into the perspective of the author and their characters and working out what their story is and how best to convey that to the readers. At its core, that is what editing is: communicating stories in the best way possible.

What type of manuscript makes you sit up and get excited?

A manuscript doing something different and clever while still managing to be comforting and familiar is what makes for the most exciting manuscript. Within the first few chapters, you can usually tell that an author has something really cool and unique they want to explore. What makes me turn the page is trying to work out how the author is going to explore it.

How do you work with authors to bring out the potential in their books?

Communication is key. I need to know the author’s intentions and visions behind a book as I’m editing. I can’t do that without asking them. My editorial process is bound together with inquisitiveness. Questions run right the way from the macros elements, what themes do you want wrapped up in this book, all the way down to the micro, where would a semicolon have the most impact? I can’t know unless I ask. And that communication goes both ways. I want to give each book I work on my all. This means explaining each suggestion I make, helping the author to have a broader view of the editorial decisions at play.