If your question is not answered here, please don't hesitate to get in touch; I am happy to answer any questions you may have about the process.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
CAN I TRUST YOU TO EDIT MY WORK?
I am a trained and experienced proofreader and copy-editor. I have a BA in English and Latin, and I understand basic Italian, Spanish and French. A decade producing high-quality publications at St John's College (Cambridge) and 10 years working at Heffers Booskellers taught me about fundraising, events management, editing, books, publishing and customer service. A further 15 years working as a freelance proof-editor have honed my grammar and editing skills and taught me about the highs and lows of running a small business. I have successfully completed various grammar, editing, proofreading and copywriting courses; and I love learning and blogging about grammar and developing my business. I am an Intermediate-Level Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP), and I am currently upgrading my membership to the next level. In my spare time I run The Sanctuary Angels (thesanctuaryangels.com), a small voluntary organisation that raises vital funds for animal rescue around the world. We have raised more than £97,00 for animals since we set up in 2008.
WILL YOU MAKE MY WORK PERFECT?
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The better the condition of your work, the better the result we will achieve together. And the shorter your document, the more 'perfect' it will be post-edit. In longer works (e.g. dissertations, book drafts) I will check, polish, elevate and sharpen your writing, working within the agreed time frame to make it look its very best. Students should be aware 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. Students should also check with their supervisors that hiring a professional to check their work is allowed. Please note (students) that I will not check for plagiarism, check facts or accuracy of citations, check 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 DOES YOUR PROOF-EDITING SERVICE INCLUDE?
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I will ensure that your work is returned to you (on time) checked, polished and looking its very best – visualise that feeling when you emerge from the car wash. I will ensure that style, spelling, punctuation, grammar and syntax are consistent throughout. While maintaining the meaning and tone of the text, I will correct sentences that contain syntactical, grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors or words that are used incorrectly. I will also suggest ways to make your writing clearer and cleaner, using plain English where possible, always keeping your reader in mind. My clients generally require proof-editing, a combination of proofreading and copy-editing that comes as standard as part of your hourly rate.
WHAT ABOUT PAYMENT?
​I charge by the hour, which reflects the time spent on your work. I have three tiers of hourly rate: student (£25); individual (£30); organisation (£35). These apply to proofreading, copy-editing, proof-editing, copywriting, formatting – whatever you require. My clients generally benefit from proof-editing, which is a combination of proofreading and copy-editing. I can give you an estimate for the total job, based on your hourly rate and what needs to be done. If we haven't worked together before, I will need to see a sample. New student and individual clients will receive their file/s upon receipt of payment in full (within 24 hours). For larger jobs, I may ask for a 50% deposit before work commences. Regular student and individual clients, and organisations, will be invoiced when their work is delivered and are expected to pay within the terms stated on their invoice (7 days for students and individuals; 30 days for organisations). Payment can be made by bank transfer, PayPal, wise.com or BACS (organisations). A small fee is added for payments made by PayPal (approx. 5% of invoice amount) and non-UK bank transfers (approx. 5%).
AND HOUSE STYLE AND FORMATTING?
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​Clients often have business or academic style 'rules' that they need to follow. Please provide me with a link to your style guidelines or house style, if one is available. If none is provided, I will adopt the predominant style in your document, ensuring it is applied consistently. I will correct typographical and literal errors, and address syntax and grammar, while making sure that styling is consistent, for example British or American English and single or double quotation marks. I have also compiled my own (Perfect Words) house style, which I am very happy to share with you.