Services to Other Individuals, Companies and Organisations
Writing, editing and proofreading services
There are many people, other than publishers, who need the services of a writer, editor or proofreader, for example:
- authors who have not yet secured a publishing deal or an agent and are possibly looking to self-publish
- students
- printers
- PR agencies
- advertising agencies
- charities, clubs and other non-profit organisations
- government bodies
- small businesses
- large corporations
- academic institutions
To these other individuals, companies and organisations I can offer the following services:
- project management including briefing designers, typesetters and printers
- authoring text from scratch
- revising, rewriting and condensing material to ensure clarity and conciseness
- editing draft documents to ensure a logical structure, and accuracy and consistency of spelling, grammar, punctuation, fact and style
- proofreading typeset documents to provide a final quality check before printing and circulation
- advising on style and layout
- developing a house style for documents produced in-house to ensure consistency and standardisation
At a later date I am planning to offer a research service.
Benefits I offer
Using me will save you time, money and mistakes. I can ensure that your documents:
- are effective
- communicate clearly
- meet the needs of your readers
- say what you want them to say
- are produced to time and budget and are free from error
As a writer I offer:
- the skills of an experienced technical writer who can write clear, concise and appropriate material in a variety of media to meet the various needs of a wide range of readers
As an editor I offer:
- an objective pair of eyes from someone detached from the writing process who can put herself in the reader's position and spot mistakes and inconsistencies which would distract the reader
- the ability to structure written material so that concepts are revealed in a logical order
- a detailed knowledge of spelling, grammar and punctuation and the ability to ensure consistency within a piece of work
- the ability to structure sentences in plain English to ensure clarity and conciseness
- the ability to check facts and spot inconsistencies
- the ability to ensure effective and consistent style and layout
- a professional finish to work which makes it stand out and gives a good impression of you, your company or organisation to your readers
- the ability to spot errors which could prove harmful to the public if the material is released unchecked e.g. in DIY manuals
- a saving in time and money at a later stage if errors are not spotted before printing and circulation
- a check of the suitability of the text for its intended readers and the ability to edit material if the readers change
- a knowledge of the technical side of publishing so I can discuss technical issues with a designer, typesetter or printer
As a proofreader I offer:
- a fresh pair of eyes to spot obvious and embarrassing errors which may be missed if you proofread your own work
- a knowledge of the production process and which changes would be uneconomical to make as they would cause unacceptable costs and delay
- careful preparation and a detailed final check of document proofs prior to printing and circulation e.g. for spelling, grammar, punctuation and page layout
Media
I have experience in handling the following media:
- distance-learning textbooks
- study guides
- test questions
- on-job training assignments
- training sessions
- scripts for audio cassettes
- magazine reviews
- newsletters
- reports
Other examples of media which I am willing to work on include:
- business documents, both for internal and external use, such as:
- annual reports and accounts
- audit reports
- corporate literature
- business proposals
- research reports
- press releases
- sales documents e.g. terms of trade and price lists
- promotional literature e.g. advertisements, sales brochures, and flyers for mailshot campaigns
- briefing papers
- minutes of meetings
- conference and seminar papers and handouts
- staff and customer newsletters
- manuals for training and management procedures
- joining instructions e.g. for new employees
- educational and academic material including:
- tutorials
- papers, theses, dissertations in English literature, music or other academic fields
- brochures and prospectuses for schools and universities
- inspection reports
- other material including:
- fiction and non-fiction books
- journals, periodicals and magazines
- local and national newspapers
- instructions e.g. operating instructions and user guides
- other guides and handbooks
- legal documents
- catalogues and directories
- menus
- programmes e.g. for concerts, theatre or film
- members' newsletters e.g. for clubs and societies