I'm an editor based in Matapōuri, Aotearoa New Zealand. I have a master's in English literature from the University of Auckland and a graduate diploma in publishing from Whitireia. I was an in-house editor at Huia Publishers before going freelance in 2025. I've since proofread and edited for Allen & Unwin NZ, Auckland University Press, Auckland Libraries, Bridget Williams Books, Harper Collins, Moa Press, Action Station NZ, Te Whatu Ora as well as unpublished authors and postgraduate students. I also do manuscript assessments. Novels, non-fiction, poetry, reports, theses — I'm interested in the many textual vehicles of life. Get in touch here → hello@bettydavis.co.nz
Here are some things people have said about my work. From authors: ... your tender and thoughtful comments.
... your very careful and really helpful work here. It is excellent!
... your eagle-eyed questions.
From publishers: Your suggestions tighten and clarify the text.
Your mark-up looked brilliant.
So helpful and you really have just done a stellar job ... I'm sleeping so much better.
From a PhD student: Your feedback genuinely felt like supervisory-level feedback.
*Click on the image to go to the publisher's website.
Adam Perry. Every Lake. Allen & Unwin, 2026.
Louis Davis. The Modern Dad. Allen & Unwin, 2026.
Sarah Ell. A Sky Full of Fire. Bateman Books, 2026.
Anne Cleary. The Nowhere Boy. Allen & Unwin, 2026.
Zephyr Zhang, Loretta Riach and Anuja Mitra. AUP New Poets 12. Auckland University Press, 2026.
Mason Durie. Whiti Ora: Māori Health in Aotearoa. Huia Publishers, 2026.
Gavin Strawhan. Slash. Allen & Unwin, 2026.
Ashley Anderson. Malachite. Moa Press, 2026.
Raina Ferris. Karanga – Te Reo Wairua o Ngā Wāhine The Spirit Voice of Māori Women. Huia Publishers, 2026.
Elizabeth Smither. The Interview Rose. Auckland University Press, 2026.
Helen Rickerby. My Bourgeois Apocalypse. Auckland University Press, 2026.
Kelsey Waghorn. Surviving White Island: An inspiring memoir of physical and mental recovery after surviving the New Zealand volcanic eruption. HarperCollins, 2026.
Daniel Devenney. Counting Down With Theodore Brown. Allen & Unwin, 2026.
Miriam Lancewood. Alone in the World. Allen & Unwin, 2026.
Craig Renney. The Good Economy. Bridget Williams Books, 2025.
Damien Levi (ed). Tāmaki Makaurau 2025: Essays on Life in Auckland. Auckland City Libraries, 2025.
Rebecca Macfie, Graeme Whimp and Brigitte Bönisch-Brednich (eds). Pakukore: Poverty, by Design. Bridget Williams Books, 2025.
My friends and I formed a translation collective in early 2025 called Al-Rifaq Translations. We translate contemporary writing from Arab scholars, journalists, and organic intellectuals, which we publish online at alrifaq.substack.com. It's a joy to work with Anisha Sankar and Faisal al-Asaad on this project, and my role is editor, project manager, book designer, and whatever's needed. Our first book, Of Weapons and Words, is being republished by Toronto-based press Between the Lines as part of their Provocations series. They're calling it an important intervention into international publishing on Palestinian solidarity.
