Mike Horswell

Mike Horswell – Editor

Editor specialising in history writing, pop theology and works of non-fiction, especially modern and medieval history.

Overview

Who am I?


I am an experienced editor passionate about helping authors sharpen their ideas and share them with the world. Coming from an academic background, I specialise in editing nonfiction works, especially history and theology aimed at both popular and academic audiences.


I love getting stuck into a good project, rooting out interesting ideas and working with authors to present them with clarity and insight. And I’m enthusiastic to bring new understanding and critical thinking to wider audiences. As an editor I pair historical acumen with an appreciation for clear, logical, and engaging writing; I find great satisfaction in seeing projects through from concept to publication.


What do I offer?


I provide editorial services at all stages of the publication process – from editorial assessment of manuscripts, development editing, conceptual planning and book structuring to copy and line editing, proofreading and indexing. This can be tailored for individual projects to be as hands off or as consultative as required.


I work with publishers to review and edit works and I help authors distil their ideas, find their voice and communicate clearly with their audiences.


I offer editorial expertise in:

- historical writing

- Christian theology aimed at popular audiences

- general nonfiction works

- historical consultancy; especially for the crusades, Victorian and modern Britain, and uses of the medieval past


My experience


I have edited four volumes for Routledge, working with over twenty authors for the book series Engaging the Crusades; within academia I have reviewed book manuscripts for academic presses (Routledge, McFarland) and journal articles (First World War Studies, Religion, Open Library of the Humanities).


As a historian I have researched, taught and published on the modern use of the crusades in popular culture and political discourse, ranging from history books to Wikipedia, and from Punch cartoons to graphic novels. I am an expert in medievalism – the modern use of the medieval past – and have worked on Victorian and twentieth-century Britain, the medieval crusades, memory studies and modern pop culture. I am continually fascinated with the intersection between past and present, between history and contemporary culture.


I have a PhD in History from Royal Holloway (University of London) and I've taught modern history at the University of Oxford, King's College London, Royal Holloway, and the University of Bayreuth. In addition, I have worked as a tutor at a theological college in the UK teaching church history.


I've also published my own book on the modern memory of the crusades in Britain – so I have empathy for the hard work publishing a book involves!

Services
Non-Fiction
Christian Non-Fiction History
Languages
English (UK) English (US)

Work experience

University of Oxford

Oct, 2018 — Present

I teach a module for the Department for Continuing Education as part of a Masters in Literature and Art on the Victorian uses of the crusades. I supervise student research essays and provide clear, informed feedback.

Self-employed

Sep, 2018 — Present

I have edited four volumes for the series Engaging the Crusades, published by Routledge, working with academic contributors to develop concise, informative, well-written chapters which increase our knowledge of how the crusades are remembered and used today.
I have worked with over twenty authors on chapters in varying stages of readiness for publication: some have required substantial collaboration to distil and develop arguments while others have only needed formatting and proofreading.

King's School of Theology

Apr, 2023 — Present

I teach Pre-Reformation church history to theology students from the UK and around the world, covering the early church, Constantine, medieval Christianity, the crusades, and the early calls for reform.

Rohricht's Regesta Revised

Jan, 2023 — Present

I am involved in editing descriptions of medieval documents to be uploaded to the project's database. This includes checking for errors, proofreading and editing formatting to accord to the project's stylesheet.

Portfolio

Engaging the Crusades is a series of concise volumes (up to 50,000 words) which offer initial windows into the ways in which the crusades have been used in the last two centuries, demonstrating that the memory of the crusades is an important and emerging subje... read more
Engaging the Crusades is a series of volumes which offer windows into a newly emerging field of historical study: the memory and legacy of the crusades. Together these volumes examine the reasons behind the enduring resonance of the crusades and present the me... read more
Engaging the Crusades is a series of volumes which offer windows into a newly emerging field of historical study: the memory and legacy of the crusades. Together these volumes examine the reasons behind the enduring resonance of the crusades and present the me... read more
Engaging the Crusades is a series of volumes which offer windows into a newly-emerging field of historical study: the memory and legacy of the crusades. Together these volumes examine the reasons behind the enduring resonance of the crusades and present the me... read more
Engaging the Crusades is a series of volumes which offer windows into a newly emerging field of historical study: the memory and legacy of the crusades. Together these volumes examine the reasons behind the enduring resonance of the crusades and present the me... read more
Playing the Crusades

Robert Houghton

Engaging the Crusades is a series of volumes which offer windows into a newly emerging field of historical study: the memory and legacy of the crusades. Together these volumes examine the reasons behind the enduring resonance of the crusades and present the me... read more
Engaging the Crusades is a series of volumes which offer windows into a newly-emerging field of historical study: the memory and legacy of the Crusades. Together these volumes examine the reasons behind the enduring resonance of the Crusades and present the me... read more

Mike has 3 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Patricio L.

Patricio L.

Jan, 2024

I sent Mike a small writing sample and he sent me back thoughtful and valuable comments. His comments and proposed changes were very detail-oriented, which is not always the case. He was easy to work with. Highly recommend.
Mike H.
Great to work with Patricio - all the best with your future projects.
Jenny P.

Jenny P.

Dec, 2023

Mike was a joy to work with! He was incredibly kind, helpful, and insightful. His comments about my book were valuable, and I appreciated them. However, it was his editorial assessment that I found to be dynamic and supremely helpful. He showed an uncanny ability to see overarching themes and how they connected- or didn't. His tips for making the work better were of great assistance. I highly r...
Read more
Mike H.
Glad you are pleased with the work and good to work together. All the best for future projects!
Loni S.

Loni S.

Sep, 2023

Mike is incredible. He helped with so many things I didn't know I needed help with! He was flexible, kind, and invested in my project. Mike was willing to spend as much time as I needed talking through issues and helping me formulate solutions to any problems. He was patient with my lack of skills and indecisiveness. I can't recommend him enough. His knowledge as a historian was invaluable to m...
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Mike H.
Thanks Loni - great to collaborate on this!

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