Services
What do you want done today?
To book my services, ask a question, or get a quote, just email me your document.
I’ll check the word count, and assess the difficulty level of the text.
Then I’ll get back to you within 24 hours with an estimate of how soon I can do the job, and how much it will cost.
My range of services is outlined below.
Proofreading
- Correct any obvious errors in grammar, spelling or punctuation.
- Check end-of-line word divisions for bad breaks; check page ends for widows and orphans, etc.
- Check accuracy of elements such as headings, table of contents, cross-references, captions, etc.
- Check accuracy of numbers, tables, figures, etc.
Copy Editing
- Follow the style guide provided, OR create a style guide for the project.
- Correct all errors or infelicities of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and other mechanics of style, including similar-sounding or commonly confused words, and wrongly used idioms or phrases.
- Query any inconsistencies in logic or facts, or in spelling of proper names.
- Query any missing text elements, such as captions, headings, URLs, sources, etc.
- Check for consistency in terms of abbreviations, measurements, Canadian/American spelling, etc.
- Check for consistency in treatment of numbers, statistics, percentages, imperial/metric conversions, totals in tables, etc.
- Create a list of acronyms used in the document.
Stylistic Editing
- Eliminate all redundancies, empty phrases and unnecessary modifiers.
- Replace the passive voice with the active voice.
- “Activate" language by replacing nouns with verbs.
- Break up long or complicated sentences into shorter, simpler ones.
- Translate jargon into understandable terms.
- Rewrite to resolve any ambiguities, ensure logical connections, and clarify meaning.
- Ensure that transitions between sentences and paragraphs are smooth and logical.
- Reorder sentences to ensure that paragraphs have a clear focus.
- Make sure that the language is appropriate for the intended audience.
- Check that tone, style, and authorial voice are consistent.
- Make unparallel constructions parallel (especially in lists).
Structural Editing
- Reorganize material to give a coherent structure and sequence, a logical progression of ideas, and a narrative or expository flow.
- Cut repetitive or superfluous material, and expand other material to fill gaps in content or to strengthen transitions.
- Recast material that would be better presented in another form, such as number-laden text as a table, descriptive material as a diagram, a long series of points as a list, a lengthy digression as a footnote or an appendix, etc.
Layout & Formatting
- Check for typographical and formatting errors.
- Check that design is consistent in terms of items such as font size and style, line length and spacing, alignment of page elements, hyperlinks, etc.
- Ensure that all tables, photos, and other visual elements effectively convey the intended meaning.
Charts & Tables
- Make sure that layout, formatting, styles, fonts and spacing are consistent.
- Increase the padding of table cells, if necessary, to make them easier to read.
- If tables contain figures, check the numbers for accuracy.
Writing, Rewriting or Ghostwriting
- Create new material to the client’s specifications, from their input or original material.
- Rewrite an existing text in a different style, in order to:
- Create a “common look and feel" for text provided by a number of writers.
- Repurpose text that appeared in one format or publication, for use in another.
- Convert text written in a formal or complicated style into Plain Language.
- Improve the quality and style of the document.
- Create a “clean" version of the text, with all Tracked Changes accepted.
References
- Ensure that your preferred style – Oxford, Harvard, MLA, ASA, APA, etc. – is followed consistently in all in-text citations, footnotes, references, and bibliography.
- Flag any discrepancies in spelling, dates, places, factual accuracy, etc.
Manuscript Evaluation
- Evaluate a manuscript in terms of story-telling elements such as pacing, flow, dialogue, characterization, exposition, point of view, structure, story arc, writing style, imagery, consistency, word use, psychological development, flashbacks and back stories, narrative voice, motivation, and plausibility.
- Prepare a written critique (“Fix Note"), outlining the steps the author can take to improve the manuscript.