Frequently asked questions
Why should I trust you?
With a degree in English and Latin, and a good understanding of Italian, Spanish and French, I'm excited about language and working with words. A decade producing publications at St John's College, Cambridge, and 10 years working at Heffers Booksellers, introduced me to project management, editing, publishing and customer service.
And another 15+ years working as a freelance proofreader and copy-editor have developed my grammar and editing skills and shown me how to use my training, skills and experience to help my clients. Importantly, I don't use AI in my editing or writing. I use non-AI software (PerfectIt) to ensure consistency when I'm editing, but I don't use any AI tools (like Grammarly or ProWritingAid). I can guarantee you an all-human service.
In my spare time I run The Sanctuary Angels, a voluntary organisation that raises awareness and funds for animals around the world. We have raised more than £100,000 for animal rescues around the world.
Will my work be perfect?
​The better the condition of your work, the better the result we will achieve. And the shorter your document, the more 'perfect' it will be post-edit. In longer works (e.g. dissertations, book drafts) I will polish and strengthen your writing, working within the agreed time frame to make it look its very best.
Students should note that the role of the copy-editor or proofreader is to improve the work's clarity, consistency and readability, and not to alter its structure or content. When working with students, I will not check for plagiarism, check facts, citations or accuracy of content, make suggestions for overall improvement, or rewrite or change the structure of the text to improve the flow, logic or strength of the arguments.
What is proof-editing?
​Where budget and time allow, it is best practice to have two rounds of checks: a copy-edit followed by a proofread. This way the client can incorporate or reject changes from the edit and produce a final document for proofreading. Where this is not possible, a proof-edit (where the copy-edit and proofread are done in the same round) can be really helpful. I will return your work to you checked and polished – visualise that feeling when you emerge from the car wash.
Style, spelling, punctuation, grammar and syntax will be consistent throughout. Maintaining the meaning and tone of the text, I will correct sentences that contain syntactical, grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors or incorrect word use. And I will suggest ways to make your writing clearer and cleaner, using plain English where possible. Each round comprises two read-throughs.
What files do you work on?
I can work on Word files (using Track Changes), PDFs (using the built-in editing tools) or PPTs (making silent changes and writing any queries in comment boxes).
Any type of editing is best done in a Word file (or a PPT). Proofreading works fine on PDFs, where only minor changes are needed, but editing a PDF is not best practice. We will not achieve the best finish because of the limitations of working on copy that is already at the design stage. It also takes longer to edit a PDF than it does a Word file (or PPT), which will affect your budget. And it will take your designer longer to implement all the suggestions, which means your design budget will also be affected.
Which style guides do you use?
If you can send me a link to your style guide or house style, that will really help. If you don't have either of these things, I will follow the majority usage in your file, ensuring it is applied consistently throughout. I will correct typographical and literal errors, and address syntax and grammar, while ensuring that styling is consistent (e.g. British or American English, single or double quote marks, serial comma or no serial comma). I have created my own style guide, which I am happy to share with you.