After 30 years in the publishing industry, I mainly work for publishers of non-fiction books. However, my editorial skills and experience are transferable to any business sector and apply to digital media as well as print. I can also provide help to authors hoping to be published or planning to self-publish.
Specialising in illustrated reference books, I offer a collaborative and integrated approach to editing, working closely with in-house teams and creative professionals to communicate information in a clear and visually exciting way.
Depending on what is required, I can provide edited text as a Word document or work directly on page using the latest version of InDesign. Given that most authors I work with are experts in their field rather than writers, the editing process often involves rewriting or, in some cases, writing from scratch.
I have an excellent track record managing projects from concept to print, delivering on time and to budget. This role involves liaising with authors, designers and photographers (briefing and providing editorial input at photo shoots), as well as expert authenticators, proofreaders and indexers. It can also include researching, writing synopses, book planning, and devising and monitoring achievable schedules.
I am happy to take on proofreading between editorial projects and can return marked-up hard copy or take in corrections in Indesign if preferred.
With an Anglo-American background and decades of experience in international publishing, I can provide an Anglicisation service for US or Canadian publications.
If you’re producing text for a website, brochure or newsletter, I can ensure that your message is communicated clearly and accurately to your target audience and provide you with a professional, polished product that will be a credit to your business.
Even if you write well, know your grammar and have a good eye for detail, you’ll often be too close to your own work to spot mistakes. Once you have finalised your text, I will read through it carefully to identify and eliminate grammar, punctuation and spelling/ typographical errors. If the text would benefit from further work, I may suggest a copy-edit (see below).
As well as correcting grammar, punctuation and spelling/typographical errors, I will focus on the structure, content and style of your text. The editing process may involve making a few minor tweaks and fine-tuning, fairly extensive restructuring and rewriting, or anything in between. Here are just some of the things I may do when copy-editing, depending on the level of work required:
A company website should be simple to navigate and communicate its message clearly to its target market. However, many sites are poorly structured or written, or riddled with mistakes, all of which give an impression of sloppiness, frustrate the user, and reflect badly on the business. If you’re creating a new website, I can help with your text and ensure your site is well structured and user-friendly. Alternatively, I can undertake a thorough check of your current site, offering suggestions for improvements, including restructuring, rewriting and proofreading.
Many people around the world have a high standard of English and feel confident enough to translate a company website or brochure from their native tongue into English. However, even a C2-level bilingual can miss subtle distinctions and nuances in a language that is not their mother tongue.
Whatever your level of English, I can check your translation and ensure it reflects your message clearly in content and tone, flows naturally as though a native speaker had written it, and is free of errors. With a BA Hons in German (and having successfully completed the C2-level German language course in Berlin’s Goethe Institute in 2020), I can also provide help with translating from German into perfect English.
Have you written a book that you hope to have published or publish yourself? By now you’ve probably read it over and over again, have edited and re-edited it, and can’t see the wood for the trees any more. Perhaps you’ve struggled with the structure or particular sentences and need help, or would like someone who isn’t a friend or relative to read it through. Before you send your creation out into the world, you do need to have your work edited, or at the very least have it proofread by a professional. Being as close to the work as you are, there’s a very strong likelihood you’ll have missed some typographical errors and inconsistencies.
Whether you would like a structural edit, detailed copy-edit or simple proofread, please get in touch as I can help.
