Editing for Businesses and Non-profits

Editing and Proofreading for Businesses and Non-profits

I offer a full range of editorial services tailored to your specific needs, from basic proofreading to copy-editing in Word and beyond that to substantive editing – helping you knock your documents into shape by working on their structure and supporting your writers.

Get in touch and let’s talk about how I can help you.

Proofreading

When you’re ready to publish and need a final pair of eyes for peace of mind. I can provide a thorough last-minute check of your documents and pick up any small mistakes that somehow made it through. Because no matter how many of your staff worked on it, the spellchecker cannot pick up “their” when you meant “there”, or spot missing words or punctation problems.

Your clients and stakeholders know you are excellent at what you do – reinforce their perception by ensuring all your company documents are as good quality as your goods or services.

Note I chiefly work on PDF when you’re at this stage.

flagging stray typos or other errors such as missing words
checking your headings, captions and pull quotes look consistent
design issues such as odd word breaks, spacing, widows and orphans
checking the pagination and contents table match

Copy-editing

For when you’ve finished your final draft. I will provide a detailed copy-edit in Microsoft Word and do all of the following:

check spelling, punctuation and grammar
apply consistency for spelling choices, punctuation for lists, etc
apply consistency for styling and formatting
check all figures, tables and diagrams have consistent numbering and heading
check other illustrations and photos – captions, credits, etc
test hyperlinks to ensure they work
make suggestions where I think you can improve the document
flag any legal concerns – defamation, copyright, etc

I always use Tracked Changes in Word so you can see exactly what I have done – I will supply a clean copy (all changes “accepted”) on request as well as the tracked copy.

Substantive editing

Sometimes you will need editorial support with very large documents from the start. I have extensive experience in working with companies and their writing teams to help structure reports. I can assist with any or all of the following:

rewriting
putting into plain English, looking at when you need jargon or not
looking at the length of text, shortening if needed
moving sections around into a more logical order
looking at other structural issues such as paragraph length, headings, etc
editing for clarity and accuracy
creating a summary
working on tone for your intended readership
ensuring you’re communicating your message

My job here is to support your in-house team from the earliest stages.

In-house support

I can deliver in-house business English training for your staff to help them write better – a great investment that will save you money down the line. I can also create a customised house style guide for your comms team, so that your writers are applying a consistent style from the very first draft.

Get in touch so we can discuss your needs.

Outsourcing your comms

I have many years’ experience as a journalist, including being the editor of a daily news publication and of business newsletters.

If you are looking for someone to handle your newsletter, for example, I can commission, edit, work with your designer, find photographers and illustrators for you, and more.

I also have plenty of experience writing press releases – as the saying goes, journalists know better than anyone what makes a compelling press release. (Please note I do not provide a distribution service.)