Working together

You’ve put in time and hard work crafting your writing. The final step is getting the message across effectively to your audience.

I offer the following services:

  • copyediting

  • proofreading

  • quality assurance

  • fact checking and answer checking

  • Britishisation of US learning materials.

Please contact me by email or through my website.

Copyediting

Your document has been planned and written. You’ve worked through the development stage, and you may have also worked with a line editor. The writing is now almost ready for its audience. It’s in the final draft and ready for copyediting. At this stage, it will probably be in MS Word format. The focus will be on reviewing the written content for accuracy, grammar, clarity, consistency and tone. The copyeditor ensures that the text is free from errors and suitable for the intended audience.

Proofreading

The last stage before publication has been reached. Your document has been copyedited and a typesetter or designer has produced the final layout (usually in PDF format). Here, the focus is on giving the text its final polish and making sure it is in an excellent state to be published. Changes should only be made if absolutely necessary.

When you first contact me, it would be very helpful if you could provide a few details about your document:

  • What editing stages has it been through?

  • Is it fiction or non-fiction?

  • What format is it in (e.g. Word or PDF)?

  • What is the word count?

  • Does the text have additional features (figures, tables, references etc.)?

  • When would you like the copyediting or proofreading completed by?

Proofreading or copyediting a sample

I’d like you to send me a sample of 500–1,000 words from the middle of your text. I’ll then work through the sample free of charge. Once I’ve done this, I can assess how many hours it will take to work on the whole document. Your personalised quote will then be sent to you. If you are happy to go ahead, we can then start the project.

What does copyediting and proofreading usually cost?

My hourly fee is calculated using the rates suggested by the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP). If you require a very quick turnaround, then my quote will take this into account. Please find out more by visiting the CIEP website.

How will the changes be marked on the document?

I will ask for your preferred format e.g. PDF or MS Word. I can mark the changes:

  • on paper (using the BSI standard proofreading marks)

  • in Microsoft Word (using track changes and comment boxes)

  • on PDFs by annotating with text mark-up and commenting tools

  • on PDFs by using stamps to replicate the BSI standard proofreading marks.