Home

Photo on 06-11-2015 at 11.55 #2I have two decades of editorial experience in the publishing industry, working with clients in the UK, Ireland, the United States and elsewhere to perfect projects, be they illustrated institutional histories, non-fiction trade publications, novels or anything in-between.

Qualifications

  • Member of the Association of Freelance Editors, Proofreaders and Indexers (AFEPI)
  • Master’s Degree in English from University College London (2010)
  • Interim Publishing Director of Third Millennium Publishing in London (February–June 2016)
  • Recipient of a 2015 Literature Bursary Award from the Arts Council (Ireland)
  • Author of Writers’ Retreats (published October 2021)

Clients include

  • Gill Books (Ireland)
  • Royal Irish Academy
  • Oneworld Publications (UK)
  • New Island Books (Ireland)
  • Head of Zeus (UK)
  • The Lilliput Press (Ireland)
  • Scribner Books (UK)
  • National Gallery (UK)
  • Kulturalis (UK)
  • Reaktion Books (UK)
  • Scala Arts & Heritage Publishers (UK)
  • Folens (Ireland)
  • Pushkin Press (UK)
  • Bonnier Books (UK)
  • Hurst Publishers (UK)
  • Wordwell Books (Ireland)
  • Edinburgh University Press (UK)
  • Eriu (Ireland)
  • Irelandia Press (Ireland)
  • Profile Books (UK)
  • Thames & Hudson (UK)
  • Medina Publishing (UK)
  • Harriman House (UK)
  • Quartet Books (Ireland)
  • Guardian Faber (UK)
  • Serpent’s Tail (UK)
  • Merton College, Oxford (UK)
  • The European Court of Human Rights, Strasbourg (France)
  • Royal Collection (UK)
  • The Grange School, Santiago (Chile)
  • Revenue (Ireland)
  • The Bush Theatre, London (UK)
  • Insurance Institute of Ireland
  • Dubai College (United Arab Emirates)
  • Blackrock College (Ireland)
  • Methodist College Belfast (UK)

Recent titles

  • Write to the Point: How to be Clear, Correct and Persuasive on the Page, Sam Leith (Profile Books)
  • Hogarth: Life in Progress, Jacqueline Riding (Profile Books)
  • Every Branch of the Healing Art: A History of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dr Ronan Kelly (Eastwood Books)
  • Guinness: A Family Succession, Arthur Edward Guinness (Scala Arts & Heritage Publishers)
  • The Successor: Boris Nemtsov, Vladimir Putin and the Decline of Modern Russia, Mikhail Fishman (Pushkin Press)
  • The Dublin Pub: A Social and Cultural History, Donal Fallon (New Island Books)
  • David Trimble: Peacemaker, Stephen Walker (Gill Books)
  • Not Making Hay: The Life and Deadlines of a ‘Diary’ Farmer, Frank McNally (Gill Books)
  • Irish Art 1920–2020 Perspectives on change, Catherine Marshall and Yvonne Scott (eds) (Royal Irish Academy)
  • Druid Theatre: Fifty Years, Patrick Lonergan (The Lilliput Press)
  • Pilgrim Soul: W.B. Yeats and the Ireland of His Time, Daniel Mulhall (New Island Books)
  • That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbles: The Americanisation of English, Matthew Engel (Profile Books)
  • Ulysses: A Reader’s Odyssey, Daniel Mulhall (New Island Books)
  • A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women, Emma Southon (Oneworld Publications)
  • Born to be a Footballer: My Autobiography, Liam Brady (Eriu)
  • De Valera: Rise 1882–1932, David McCullagh (Gill Books)
  • Benny the Blue Whale, Andy Stanton (Oneworld Publications)
  • Pure Gold: Stories, John Patrick McHugh (New Island Books)
  • How Are We Going to Explain This?: Our Future on a Hot Earth, Jelmer Mommers (Profile Books)
  • Hugh Lane Gallery: Director’s Choice, Barbara Dawson (Scala Arts & Heritage Publishers)
  • Victory in the Kitchen: The Life of Churchill’s Cook, Annie Gray (Profile Books)
  • Letti Park, Judith Hermann (Clerkenwell Press)
  • Mr Brennan’s Book of Household Management, Francis Brennan (Gill Books)
  • I, Maybot: The Rise and Fall, John Crace (Guardian Faber)
  • Rogues’ Gallery: A History of Art and its Dealers, Philip Hook (Profile Books)
  • The Price You Pay, Aidan Truhen (Serpent’s Tail)
  • Coming Home: One Man’s Return to the Irish Language, Michael McCaughan (Gill Books)
  • The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, Barry Ryan (Gill Books)
  • Rave On: Global Adventures in Electronic Dance Music, Matthew Collin (Serpent’s Tail)
  • On the Move, Charles Hindlip, former Chairman of Christie’s International (Scala Arts & Heritage Publishers)
‘Close-Up Magic’: 40 Yeaers at the Bush Theatre, edited by Neil Burkey
De Valera Volume 1: Rise 1882–1932, by David McCullagh
Francis Brennan’s Book of Household Management, by Francis Brennan
That’s the Way it Crumbles, by Matthew Engel
The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, by Barry Ryan
Coming Home: One Man’s Return to the Irish Language, by Michael McCaughan

Testimonials

‘Neil Burkey provides an absolute masterclass in the art of copyediting. Not only does he have an eagle eye for errors, and an enviable range of cultural references, he is also a delight to deal with – as punctilious as he is professional as he is personable.’
– Dr Ronan Kelly, author of Every Branch of the Healing Art: A History of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

‘Neil is that very rare combination, an editor and project manager who displays consummate rigour, flawless organisation and a natural ability to communicate with clients in a way that provides guidance and reassurance throughout the life of a project. He is, quite simply, the safest pair of hands you could wish for.’
– Neil Titman, Director of Business Development, Scala Arts & Heritage Publishers Ltd

‘A recent addition to the Profile freelance pool, Neil has been terrifically helpful. He’s courteous with authors, meticulous with detail and never misses a deadline. A joy to work with.’
– Penny Daniel, former Managing Editor, Profile Books

‘Neil is a reliable, efficient and thorough editor. He knows where the accents should be placed in the names of obscure football teams and who’s related to whom in Little House on the Prairie – his knowledge of trivia knows no bounds. He’s also pleasant to work with and always delivers on time.’
– Catherine Gough, former Managing Editor, Gill Books

‘Neil is reliable and efficient at all levels of the editorial process, from proofreading, to copy-editing and project management. I would thoroughly recommend him.’
– Patrick Taylor, Project Editor, Third Millennium Publishing

‘… a calm, empathetic and ultra-efficient copy-editor.’
– Matthew Engel, author of That’s the Way it Crumbles: The American Conquest of English

‘We could not have published this volume without Neil Burkey as project manager…’
– Averil Cameron, former Warden of Keble College and co-editor of Keble: Past and Present

‘Lastly I’d like to thank Neil Burkey at the publishers, TMI. As the work piled up on his desk, to be collated, checked and rechecked, he managed to remain his usual engaging self. No mean feat, as anyone who has tried it would know.’
– Catrine Clay, editor of SOAS: A Celebration in Many Voices