Three people working at a laptop

Introduction to Services

Welcome!

I’m so glad you’ve landed here and am delighted that you’ve made the decision to engage a professional editor.  Writing a book is an amazing achievement and I am extremely impressed by anyone who manages to do it – congratulations!

It really is no mean feat, and if you’ve accomplished it with your nerves intact, you have my total admiration.

Working with me

When you decide to hire an editor or proofreader, it can feel like a step into the unknown. You want your work to be in the best shape possible, but you’re wary of letting an outside person into the world of your book.

  • What if they judge you, and pour scorn on your sentences?

  • What if they make changes you don’t like, and you don’t understand the reasoning behind them?

  • What if it’s really expensive, and you end up with spiralling costs you didn’t approve and didn’t budget for?

The good news is: none of that stuff will happen with me!

As your editor, I am your colleague and cheerleader. I’m not here to judge you or your writing; I am here to make your work better and to make you feel better about it.

I have the skills and the experience to bring clarity and polish to your writing, and the process will feel like a conversation, not a box-ticking exercise.

Publishers like Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster trust me with their authors’ words, and I bring the same enthusiasm and attention to detail to my work with indie authors.

Turn the page written on open books

A process you can trust

When you hire me as your editor, all the terms of our collaboration will be set out and agreed upon before the project begins.

My fees are based on the recommended minimum rates set by the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) and the total price is calculated per word, not as an hourly rate, so you will never receive an invoice from me with surprise costs you haven’t budgeted for.

Copyediting

Copyediting focuses on bringing clarity and coherence to a text, improving flow and readability while retaining the author’s unique voice and style. A copyedit will go beyond surface-level corrections: while spelling, grammar, and punctuation checks will be carried out, copyediting also involves making suggestions to improve sentence structure, word choice, and phrasing.

Good copyediting is a line-by-line process that should be almost invisible, using a light touch to remove errors, streamline sentences, and make suggestions for improvements. After a copyedit, the one statement I hear all the time from clients is ‘I don’t know exactly what you’ve done, but it just looks so much better!’

Fee: £200 per 10,000 words

    • Correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, and formatting errors

    • Ensure consistency in style, tone, and usage

    • Comment on word choice and phrasing, making suggestions for alternatives if required

    • Make suggestions about how to improve sentence structure and flow

    • Check that inclusive, appropriate and up-to-date language is used around issues such as gender, race, and disability

    • Carry out basic fact-checking and verification

    • A fully copyedited Word document, with all changes marked up using the Track Changes function and my comments and suggestions visible for you to review

    • A style sheet to act as a companion document to your text, listing details such as characters and their attributes, key locations, word choices specific to your text, and the spelling and grammar conventions used

    • One round of revisions after you receive your copyedited document, to give us a chance to go over anything you’re not sure of and to make additional changes to your text as necessary

Proofreading

Proofreading is the final polish your text needs before it’s sent out into the world. A proofread will focus on correcting spelling and grammatical mistakes, checking that chapter headings and page numbers are correct, and sorting out formatting issues like incorrect spacing and layout errors.

Unlike copyediting, proofreading won’t cover issues like word choice, phrasing, or sentence structure, so it’s important that, as the author, you have either self-edited to the point you’re confident your text is in great shape, or that your text has already undergone a professional copyedit.

Fee: £100 per 10,000 words

    • Correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors

    • Ensure consistency in formatting and layout

    • Check for typographical errors and inconsistencies

    • Verify accuracy of page numbers, headings, and captions

    • Final quality check before publication or submission

    • A fully proofread and checked Word document, with edits marked up using the Track Changes function and any comments visible for you to review

    • A style sheet to act as a reference document for your text, listing the spelling and grammar conventions used