About us

Our name

In Greek mythology the sun was personified as the god Helios; the Romans knew him as Helius. Helius lived at the eastern edges of the earth, and emerged each dawn to drive his chariot, pulled by fiery winged steeds, to the west, where he descended each evening. During his daily course, Helius bestowed light and knowledge.

Our name is a reminder that publications are primarily about communication – and our job is to impart your message clearly and effectively.

Our history

Helius was set up by Julie Gorman and Rich Cutler in 1988 to offer a bespoke service to publishers.

After obtaining degrees in chemistry, the partners in Helius worked for large scientific, technical and medical (‘STM’) publishers as desk editors in journals and book production. They became freelances just at the time when the publishing industry was beginning to embrace computer technology, and saw the opportunity to expand their skills and interests within the field of printed communication materials.

Beginning with the addition of technical writing to their experience of editing, proofreading and project management, over the years they expanded their skills range to include typesetting, illustration and design. Initially, their work was mainly in the field of scientific and medical books and journals, but this has expanded to include a wide range of subjects and publication types.

From the sciences to the arts

Julie Gorman’s interest in language led to a spell of formal study, and to certificates in Teaching English as a Foreign Language and English for Special Purposes. Among other assignments, she has taught English language skills to science students at the University of Ferrara, Italy. Her first job in publishing was in 1985, as a journals production editor for Elsevier. She later joined Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, again as a journals editor.

Rich Cutler has had a life-long interest in the visual arts, and is an Associate of The Royal Photographic Society, exhibiting internationally. He is also fascinated by language, and helped to write the Bloomsbury English Dictionary and the Collins English Dictionary. He started his publishing career in 1985 as a journals production editor at Pergamon Press, leaving to become a books production editor at Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. He is an Advanced Member of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders – and holds its highest qualification of Registered Copy-editor.