Developmental Editor and Publishing Consultant: Cultural Anthropology and the Narrative Humanities
Hi, I'm Dr. Andrew Hodges
The Narrative Craft helps scholars in anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, and adjacent disciplines improve their manuscripts, from drafting through to revising and publication.
I help academic writers by offering:
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Writing support while drafting a book or journal article
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Academic developmental editing for feedback on book manuscripts, book proposals, and journal articles
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Academic substantive editing for heavy line/copyedits combined with content feedback
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Academic writing and editing workshops across Europe
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A structured academic coaching program (the Book Cocoon)
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A nonjudgmental voice in your corner, offering kind, direct, and honest support
My work as an academic developmental editor and publishing consultant is grounded in the following principles:
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Human creativity and human editorial judgement are at the heart of quality academic research and writing
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Academia and the publishing worlds can be liberating and exciting, but they are often elitist and capitalist, too, and this situation disadvantages many authors—let's try to change this!
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While coaching and editing can't solve academia's structural problems, there is room to make a positive difference, for instance by editing otherwise
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Anyone can learn to write well—writing is not a “natural gift”
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Stories and narratives, like people, are social and live in ecosystems
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Words and tropes can cause harm, so we should choose them carefully
Working with an Academic Developmental Editor
Many academics learn to write from copying other scholars they like. There is very little emphasis on the craft of writing in PhD programs and beyond—it's often assumed you'll find your way through the occasinal workshop, osmosis, mentor feedback, and a strong network.
But not every scholar has all those things, and it's even more challenging if you're working across multiple systems or countries and traditions of writing. As an ex-scholar who has experienced these challenges firsthand, I set up the Narrative Craft to demystify academic writing and help scholars cultivate a sustainable writing habit.
I'm trained in cultural anthropology, but I work across the narrative humanities, especially on projects with social justice, queer, or feminist themes.
Hi, I'm Dr. Andrew Hodges. I left my job as a research academic in 2019 and set up the Narrative Craft with a mission to help scholars engaging with Anglo-American academia to make confident, informed choices about how to navigate these systems and communicate their ideas clearly.
My approach is honest, direct, kind, and supportive. Unlike peer review, there is no gatekeeping here—I'm solely invested in helping you improve your writing and arguments and find the right audience for your book.
Since 2019, I've worked with hundreds of scholars in cultural anthropology and related disciplines to refine their arguments and style in their books, journal articles, and book proposals.
My clients have landed contracts with university presses, including Cambridge University Press, Indiana University Press, Stanford University Press, Bristol University Press, University of Minnesota Press, I.B. Tauris, CEU Press, University of Toronto Press and many more.
I am a coaching provider for Yale University's Coaching for Success Program.
I'm fluent in Croatian, German, and Spanish, and love collaborating with writers with these language backgrounds.
I run workshops on academic editing and publishing across Europe, most recently at the Free University of Berlin, the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, University of Frankfurt, and the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
My Academic Editing Business
My academic writing
I'm the author of three anthropology monographs, including one on queer approaches to football fan activism in Croatia (Routledge) and more recently, a coauthored monograph on shipyard ethnography (University of Toronto Press). I've discussed my work on national television in Australia and in Red Pepper magazine. I've written a dystopian fantasy novel, and I'm currently writing a queer contemporary novel. I've published a few short stories and many academic journal articles too. You can find my publications here.
My academic and editorial credentials
I have a PhD in social anthropology from the University of Manchester and an MA in Natural Sciences, specializing in history and philosophy of science, from the University of Cambridge. I worked as a cultural anthropologist for over ten years in Croatia and Germany, from 2008–2019.
I'm the author of many journal articles, two anthropology monographs and a coauthored monograph on shipyard ethnography, published with University of Toronto Press in 2025. You can find more details about my academic background and publications on my ResearchGate and Google Scholar pages.
I have completed editorial training courses in both developmental editing and copyediting, including the industry-leading courses at the University of Chicago. I'm fully trained in the Chicago Manual of Style and prefer to edit in US English, although I can handle UK English too.
Somewhat unusually, I'm a fully trained fiction developmental and line editor as well, having completed courses with Club Ed and the Editorial Freelancers Association. This training complemented and enhanced my academic consulting and editing skills with a focus on the musicality of prose, voice, style, and dialogue—all factors that are helpful when editing ethnography. I run workshops applying these techniques, where appropriate, to creative academic and other nonfiction texts too.
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