Since going freelance in 2013, I have copy-edited a range of non-fiction books on subjects as diverse as insects, guitars and World of Warcraft. I also copy-edit role-playing games for Osprey Publishing. Below is a list of the books I have copy-edited by publication date.
Jackals: The Fall of the Children of Bronze
John-Matthew DeFoggi (Osprey Games; 2021)
Blurb: You ask what the Jackals do in the Zaharets. I ask you, what happens if they do nothing?
– Nawsi Namar of Orsem Honess, speaking to the Sar of Ameena Noani
The Fall of the Children of Bronze is a grand campaign for Jackals, and includes 14 adventures spanning 9 years. Players will explore the ancient myths and legends of the War Road, from the bustling streets of Ameena Noani in the north and Sentem in the south, to abandoned temples in the wastes and mansions deep within the earth. They will encounter beings and powers from the past – ancient but far from dormant – and come face to face with the hidden hand that would the Law of Men torn down and chaos brought to the Zaharets.
Link: https://ospreypublishing.com/jackals-the-fall-of-the-children-of-bronze
Jackals
John-Matthew DeFoggi (Osprey Games; 2021)
Blurb: The Zaharets, the land between the Vori Wastes and the Plains of Aeco, is well-known as the Land of Risings. Dominated by the rising city-states of Ameena Noani and Sentem, facing each other along the great War Road, the Zaharets has always been home to powerful civilizations. Beastmen ruins dot the landscape, a constant reminder of the Kingdom of Sin and the fragility of the Law of Men. Even older are the great ruins of the Hulathi, the legendary sea peoples, and the Hannic mansions sealed beneath the mountains, awaiting those who would seek out the Lost Folk. Scars abound from the wars between ruined Keta in the north and Gerwa in the south. And, far to the east, the legends of Muadah still beckon occultists and Jackals who seek to plunder its corrupted ruins.
Inspired by the myths, cultures, and history of the Ancient Near East, and by such ancient texts as the Iliad, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and the Old Testament, Jackals is a Sword & Sorcery roleplaying game set in a Fantasy Bronze Age. With mechanics based on the popular OpenQuest system, the game places players in the role of Jackals – adventurers, explorers, sellswords, and scavengers – and sends them out into the peril-filled land of the Zaharets to make their fortune… or perhaps fulfill a greater destiny…
Link: https://ospreypublishing.com/jackals
Condition Evolution 3
Kevin Sinclair (Self-Published; 2020)
Blurb: The misfit crew of the Uprising are in need friends fast, as they battle through a hostile galaxy, moving even further away from Earth.
But there is a plan! Grow, train, learn and conquer.
Join Shaun, Ember and their budding crew for the next part of the adventure.
Link: https://kevinsinclair.co.uk/
Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades
Brendan Davis, Jeremy Bai (Osprey Games; 2020)
Blurb: Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades is a roleplaying game of dark adventure and heroic thrills inspired primarily by the wuxia stories of Gu Long. Players assume the roles of eccentric heroes who solve mysteries, avenge misdeeds, uphold justice, and demonstrate profound mastery of the martial arts. Character creation is designed to produce fleshed-out, potent individuals who can follow several paths, including those of the physician, beggar, assassin, thief, soldier, bandit, and more. These characters inhabit a unique martial world, or Jianghu, set in a romanticized ancient China. The towns, temples, and inns the characters can visit, and the sects and factions with whom they interact, will bring their own character to the game and provide a host of opportunities – and threats.
Link: https://ospreypublishing.com/righteous-blood-ruthless-blades
Those Dark Places
Jonathan Hicks (Osprey Games; 2020)
Blurb: Those Dark Places is a rules-light, story-focused roleplaying game about the darker side of space exploration and the people who travel the stars in claustrophobic, dangerous conditions. Starships, stations, and outposts aren’t havens of safety with clean, brightly lit corridors – they’re potential deathtraps, funded by budget-conscious corporate interests and running on stale, recycled air and water. The stars may be the future of humanity, but they are also home to horrors and terror the human mind cannot comprehend.
Link: https://ospreypublishing.com/those-dark-places
Paleomythic
Graham Rose (Osprey Games; 2019)
Blurb: Paleomythic is a roleplaying game of grim survival and mythical adventures in the land of Ancient Mu, a harsh prehistoric world full of mysterious ruins and temples to explore, huge and terrible creatures that roam and spread fear across the land, and nefarious mystics and sorcerers who plot dark schemes from the shadows. It is a world of biting cold winters, of people hunting and foraging to survive, and tribes that wage relentless war.
Taking on the roles of hunters, healers, warriors, soothsayers, and more, players will navigate a world of hostile tribes, otherworldly spirits, prehistoric beasts, and monstrous creatures lurking in the dark places of the world. Players have huge scope in sculpting the game experience that best suits them, whether it’s a gritty survival story without a trace of the mystical or a tale of grand adventure and exploration in a mythic setting.
Link: https://ospreypublishing.com/paleomythic
I am Orazachi: Diary of a Game Master
Ben Werbner (Self-Published)
Blurb: This is a book about Ben Werbner’s experiences at Blizzard Entertainment Europe while working as a Game Master (GM) for arguably the greatest online game ever conceived, World of Warcraft (WoW).
This book is a story of close relationships, both among the tight-knit communities of online gamers and within the Blizzard ‘family’ itself in Paris. It describes the fun and hard work involved in making the game work for millions of players, and in serving and policing the gamers who have dedicated themselves to building up living communities in WoW. It describes in detail the challenges of the job, the tricks and skills it involves, the friendships forged, as well as the treachery, cheating and skulduggery of some unscrupulous players. It uses the ‘insider’ language of gamers to evoke their shared experience of the game. The author also takes a critical look at recent developments in WoW, eliciting comments from GMs, guild masters and veteran players.
Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Orazachi-Diary-Game-Master-ebook/dp/B00W5EACB6
Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society, Volume 2
Robert G, Foottit, Peter H. Adler (Wiley; 2018)
Blurb: Volume Two of Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society presents an entirely new, companion volume of a comprehensive resource for the most current research on the influence insects have on humankind and on our endangered environment. With contributions from leading researchers and scholars on the topic, the text explores relevant topics including biodiversity in different habitats and regions, taxonomic groups, and perspectives.
Volume Two offers coverage of insect biodiversity in regional settings, such as the Arctic and Asia, and in particular habitats including crops, caves, and islands. The authors also include information on historical, cultural, technical, and climatic perspectives of insect biodiversity.
Link: https://www.wiley.com/en-gb/Insect+Biodiversity:+Science+and+Society,+Volume+2-p-9781118945575
Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society, Volume 1, 2nd Edition
Robert G, Foottit, Peter H. Adler (Wiley; 2017)
Blurb: The second edition of Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society brings together in one comprehensive text contributions from leading scientific experts to assess the influence insects have on humankind and the earth’s fragile ecosystems. Revised and updated, this new edition includes information on the number of substantial changes to entomology and the study of biodiversity. It includes current research on insect groups, classification, regional diversity, and a wide range of concepts and developing methodologies. The authors examine why insect biodiversity matters and how the rapid evolution of insects is affecting us all.
This book explores the wide variety of insect species and their evolutionary relationships. Case studies offer assessments on how insect biodiversity can help meet the needs of a rapidly expanding human population, and also examine the consequences that an increased loss of insect species will have on the world.
Guitar EXP
Armand Serra (Self-Published; 2015)
Blurb: An exclusive insight into a private collection that features a host of extremely rare vintage guitars, as well as many celebrity-owned instruments that have been rediscovered and are shown here for the first time. The myriad of sought-after and unique treasures date from the birth of the solid-body guitar in 1950 all the way to 2014.
This focused rock ‘n’ roll collection includes instruments and amplifiers played by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Keith Richards, Mick Taylor, Pete Townshend, Ritchie Blackmore, Tony Iommi, John Entwistle, Martin Barre, Robin Trower, Steve Marriott, Steve Jones, Mick Ralphs, Ginger Baker and many more.
Detailed information on each instrument’s history and discovery is provided alongside close-up, high-quality photographs. Intermission pages include unpublished concert photos and memorabilia relating to classic rock bands and guitar heroes, forming a unique collection that has been devotedly assembled over 40 years.
Link: https://www.guitar-exp.com/
Learning to Teach Art and Design in the Secondary School
Nicholas Addison, Lesley Burgess (Routledge; 2014)
Blurb: Learning to Teach Art and Design in the Secondary School is established as the key text for all those preparing to become art and design teachers in the secondary school. It explores a range of approaches to teaching and learning and provides a conceptual and practical framework for understanding the diverse nature of art and design in the secondary school curriculum.
Written by experts in the field, it aims to inform and inspire, to challenge orthodoxies and encourage a freshness of vision. It provides support and guidance for learning and teaching in art and design, suggesting strategies to motivate and engage pupils in making, discussing and evaluating visual and material culture.
Lewis Packwood 
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