Editor profile: Dola Basu Singh
Introducing: Dola Basu Singh, Associate Editor
I love stories. Give me a make-believe world and I will probe the foundation, inspect the interiors, pore over the façade, and help you tell your story the best you can.
I have been editing fiction since 2015—72 books and counting. I have helped many authors win publishing contracts and launched Indie writers into bestseller lists. Recently, two of my clients won the Amazon KDP Pen to Publish 2019 contest for short- and long-form. Another author won an honourable mention in 2017. I believe that editing is a crucial skill for all writers. In that regard, I have published a book, Editing Bootcamp (Part 1), to help writers self-edit their work, and I am currently writing the second part. Next in line is my fiction novel—a cozy mystery set in India.
I’ve volunteered as a Municipal Liaison of Asia (India) for NaNoWriMo until recently. I have also led the social media content team for a major political party in India in the past.
I’m a professionally trained fiction editor, and a member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP), UK. I am proficient in four languages and live in Punjab, India, with my family and other animals—eight people and four dogs.
My tip for writers? We all read for pleasure, but learning to read like a writer will help you gauge what’s working in a story and what’s not, so keep a pencil and notebook handy the next time you pick up that bestseller.
About the Darling Axe
Our editors are industry professionals and award-winning writers. We offer narrative development, editing, and coaching for every stage of your manuscript's journey to publication.
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Hello Dola:
I’m seeking a developmental editor for my literary novel, Until the Last Sunrise: Four and a Half Inches Apart.
The manuscript blends literary fiction, historical fiction, psychological mystery, and spiritual/philosophical themes against an Indian and Himalayan backdrop. At its core, it explores trauma, memory, redemption, faith, identity, and the fragile distance between love and loss.
The story follows multiple intertwined lives — including Dr. Jonathan Kingsley, a grieving American physician working at a Himalayan Ashram, a mysterious young woman named Gauri, and a child with Down/Savant syndrome whose existence appears tied to an unresolved past and a decades-old tragedy involving a Sati burning.
Stylistically, the novel leans toward atmospheric, emotionally layered prose with elements of magical realism and psychological suspense. I’m particularly looking for help with:
structural cohesion,
pacing,
transitions between timelines and tonal modes,
tightening repetition,
and strengthening emotional continuity without losing the lyrical/spiritual voice of the work.
I’m not looking for the manuscript to be commercialized or simplified, but rather refined by someone who appreciates ambitious literary storytelling while still being rigorous about craft.
I’d love to know whether the project sounds like a good fit for your editorial approach.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Best regards,
Sattar Memon