Curriculum Vitae

Personal details

62 Bolling Road
Ilkley
West Yorkshire
LS29 8QD

Tel/Fax: 01943 816790
e-mail: oxgan@tesco.net

Date of Birth: 3 January 1961

Education

Sept '72 to June '79
Farnborough Grammar School and Farnborough VI Form College, Prospect Avenue, Farnborough, Hampshire.

"O" levels: Mathematics (A), Physics (A), Geography (A), Biology (B), Chemistry (B), English (B), French (C), General Studies (C).
"A" levels: Mathematics (B), Further Mathematics (B), Physics (B)

Sept '79 to June '82
University of Birmingham

Degree: B. Sc. Civil Engineering

Previous employment

April '83 to Jan '89
USBORNE PUBLISHING LTD, Usborne House, 83-85 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8RT

Editor of illustrated information books for children and young adults. We researched and wrote the books ourselves, commissioned designs and artwork, ordered typesetting and did rough paste-up, seeing the books through from concept to camera-ready artwork. In my first two years at the company, I worked on a wide range of computer and electronics books, for which I wrote software and designed electronic projects. I was responsible for the introduction of desktop publishing into book production.

Published titles: The Illustrated Dictionary of Physics, The Illustrated Dictionary of Chemistry, The World of the Microscope, The Mystery of Silver Mountain (computer adventure game), Computer Spy Games, Weird Computer Games.

Feb '89 to Nov '92
WHITE LINE PUBLISHING SERVICES, 60 Bradford Road, Stanningley, Leeds LS28 6EF

The company packaged a range of mainly sports and sports-related material, from books and periodicals to brochures and stationery. Duties included rewriting and editing, desktop-publishing work (most publications were produced in house using PageMaker/Corel Draw), and commissioning of design, artwork and printing. I also did design, illustration and paste-up.

Freelance work

1987-1992
Collins Children's Division; computer programming for the Hampshire Cricket Association (database software); David Bennett Books Ltd; Scholastic Children's Books

Present employment

From Nov '92
I have been working as a full-time, freelance editor and author of information books for children and young adults. I've written or co-written about two hundred titles to date. Clients have included Aladdin Books, Anness Publishing, BBC Educational, Belitha Press, Chrysalis, Dorling Kindersley, Heinemann Library, Henderson Publishing, Hodder, IMP, Ladybird Books, Larousse, Macdonald Young Books, Marshall Editions, Oxford University Press, Quarto, Studio Editions, Top That, Watts Books, World International Publishing, Wayland, Zig Zag Publishing

Other skills / interests

Word processing, desk-top publishing, web authoring
Full driving licence.
Qualified rock-climbing instructor

Photography, astronomy, science and technology, and helping to rescue ex-racing greyhounds!