What Do I Offer?
Your Writing is Unique
Your voice is the only thing that matters. Making it heard, making it accessible and making it ‘reader friendly’ is why I am here. Whether you are a novelist, an academic, a student, a business professional or an aspiring author, my sole purpose is to listen to what you wish to achieve, take time to understand for whom you are writing and help you shape your writing for your audience.
Your story matters
My services will help you enhance your writing. As an advisor, coach, editor, proof-reader, and copy editor, my goal is to help you communicate clearly and effectively while ensuring your story and your ideas are delivered with style, finesse, precision and impact.
My Services
Writing is never about one single thing. Many different elements blend and combine to create the finished piece we send out into the world for everyone to read. I offer a comprehensive range of services tailored to meet your specific needs:
- Writing Coach: I am a partner on your journey – a collaborator, advisor and mentor who encourages you to develop your skills and talents to write the book you have it in you to write. With extensive experience in publishing and editing, I can offer insights, perspectives, training and coaching to help you grow and flourish as a writer.
- Proofreading: This is the ‘nitty gritty’ of getting a book ready for publishing. I will help you identify and correct errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and syntax. I will also ensure there is consistency in formatting and style.
- Copy Editing: I think of this as being akin to donning a pair of blinkers and going through your writing with a fine toothcomb. The aim is to improve the quality and readability of your writing. I can help you, for example, with clarity of expression, coherence of ideas, consistency of characterisation, eliminating contradictions and challenging you in character and plot discrepancies.
- Substantive Editing: This is where we stand back and reflect on the piece as a whole. I will examine the organisation and structure of your work. I will make suggestions to enhance its impact. We will consider the ‘psychology of the reader’ and how they may react to what you have written. This includes, for example, looking at the way the plot or the argument unfolds and how characters evolve and interact with each other.
- Book Proposals: as a multi-series editor for a number of publishers, I can help you put together a formal proposal for a book, chapter, thesis, contribution to an edited collection and many other formats.
- I have a humorous approach to comments and suggestions. You have been warned!
Freelance Content Writer
I am also a writer, commissioning editor and reviewer, as well as a radio show collaborator and meetings organiser. I am available for reviews (book, literature, and music), articles, promotional materials, reports, chapters, blog posts – all forms of creative and academic freelance writing.
Why Choose Me?
I am friendly, professional, flexible and responsive. I believe that courtesy, cooperation and commitment are of the utmost importance in any relationship between an editor and a writer:
- Expertise: As you will have seen from the Who Am I? page, I am a versatile professional with a wealth of experience in publishing and dissemination. I have a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of the nuances of the English language.
- Personal Approach: Every writer has unique needs. That’s why I take a personal approach to each project, ensuring I understand your specific needs and expectations.
- Timely Delivery: Delivering to deadlines is vital and I always strive to deliver work within an agreed timeframe. At the same time, it is important to acknowledge there are times when speed and haste hinder good writing. If a task is going to take longer than originally anticipated, I will tell you. I will tell you why and I will tell you when you can expect to receive it.
- Confidentiality: I will always respect your privacy and guarantee the confidentiality of your work. Your work will be handled with care and discretion.
- Affordable Pricing: I believe professional editing expertise should be accessible to everyone. Writing is not a job: it is a vocation. I will always do my best to offer you a price which does not compromise on quality. I do this because I want to, not because I have to.
- In the End: when all is said and done, we finish where we started. This is your voice. I can suggest, advise and recommend. But you will always be free to accept or to reject any and all of the suggestions I make. I am nothing more and nothing less than a companion who joins you for a part of your journey.
Begin the Conversation Today
Whether you need help with proofreading, copyediting, substantive editing, proposal writing or whatever it may be, I am here to help. Drop me a line, let’s talk and let’s see where it takes us.