Who exactly is Bothersome Words?
A professional editor and literary agent, Abigail Nathan has run Bothersome Words Editing & Writing Services since 2004. She has edited for Australian publishers including HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Harlequin, Simon and Schuster, Allen & Unwin and Hachette, as well as UK publishers including Angry Robot, Hachette and Gollancz. She works regularly with emerging and self-publishing writers as an editor, mentor, and book coach. More information about the kinds of books and authors she works with as an editor can be found here.
In 2023 she added agenting to her list, joining Alex Adsett Literary as literary agent at large, with a focus on all things genre – from romance, crime and thrillers to science fiction, fantasy and even a touch of horror.
She is also the creator and founder of the Bothersome Words Writing Clinic, which began as a research project in 2014, and has since expanded into an 8-week course for self-driven authors who want to develop their writing and learn self-editing skills with a view to getting published either as a self-publisher or by pursuing traditional publishing.
A story nerd more than a grammar pedant, she can be found on various social media sites as @BothersomeWords, or in person at writing festivals and conventions locally and overseas. She is a member of the Freelance Editors’ Network and a mentor for Writing NSW and for Queensland Writing Centre.
