kk.editor

If you're reading this, you're likely looking for someone who can polish your manuscript or perhaps design a report you and your team have just finished writing. I work in three main areas of text production and I can help you at each of those steps.

1. Copy-editing

Copy-editing requires in-depth engagement with the text. I'll read your work for sense and clarity, looking out for anything that weighs it down and makes it hard to follow: repetition, awkward grammar, inconsistent spelling, ambiguity, missing information, missing (or too many) references. Perhaps it’s too formal or too colloquial for its intended purpose? Perhaps the sentences go on forever and by the end you've forgotten what you wanted to say in the beginning? Or perhaps it was written by a bunch of authors and each section reads like an individual piece of work, with no consistent voice? We’ll address all that.

If I spot any gaps in your argument, I’ll point them out. When working, I’ll put myself in your reader’s shoes and if anything seems unclear to me, I'll ask you to explain or I'll suggest how it can be reworded. If your publisher (or organisation) has a house style, great – send it over and I’ll follow it with delight. I’ll work on the structure of the text, its logical progression; I may suggest moving some sections around or introducing subheadings. I can also apply formatting if you need me to. We’ll work on the text until you’re happy to submit.

During the editing process, I'll likely have questions for you, so please factor that in when planning for copy-editing. You’ll need time to think about them.

2. Proofreading

Proofreading is a less intensive form of text checking. It comes at a final stage of production, just before the document is sent to print or submitted for publication. It’s an essential step to ensure high-quality final product. It can be done both on a typeset proof (PDF or hard copy) and on a manuscript. Publishers and journals will send typeset proofs to a proofreader, but if you’re working on a report that will only be produced in Word then I can also proof a finalised (signed off) Word version.

No matter the format, the principles are the same: I will read the text to look out for typos, punctuation errors, anything that may have slipped out at an earlier stage (e.g. a table has disappeared or an image has moved to a different page and its text reference doesn’t make sense any more – things like that). I’ll check the table of contents, chapter titles, running heads, index, pagination and bibliography, and make sure everything is as it should be. The document should be copy-edited before it is sent to a proofreader, because proofreading is not the time to make any major corrections – there may not be enough room in the production schedule and the cost of correcting a typeset proof is considerable. So plan your work well and make sure you have it edited first.

3. Text design

I love designing documents, so if you have a report that needs a fresh look or a book to typeset, then please take a look at my portfolio. I work in professional typesetting software, Adobe InDesign.

I work with a range of clients and offer:

• copy-editing (in MS Word using track changes and notes, using tags if needed)
  • journal papers, book manuscripts, book chapters, reports
• language editing (for authors whose first language is other than English)
• proofreading
  • PDF proofs, Google Docs, Word documents, on paper using standard BSI copy marks
• text design
  • creating bespoke layouts
  • creating templates for documents, books, booklets, invitations, reports
• polishing translations
  • I work on texts translated into English from the European languages (Polish, German, French, Norwegian, Russian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Belorussian) as well as Hindi and Arabic
• editorial consultancy
  • manuscript assessment
  • house style creation
• typesetting.

I work to fixed rates, which depend on your requirements. We'll agree a fee upfront, so you can budget for the work and there'll be no surprises down the line — talk to me about your project and I'll prepare a quote.

Q1. How long does copy-editing take?

This depends on the length of the manuscript and how much work is required. In general, an average length journal paper (8,000 words) takes a couple of days to edit, plus your time reviewing any editing queries. If you need me to do a second run after you've answered all my queries, then we'll need one more day for that. So in total, depending on what else we both have on and how long you'll need to review my edit, I recommend putting aside 7–10 days for copy-editing a journal paper.

Proofreading a journal paper of similar length takes one day and usually there will be fewer, if any, editorial queries, but you'll still need time to review and sign off the proof.

A report of about 30,000 words will take about a week to edit, plus any time you may need at your end to review the text and answer my queries.

A book manuscript (80,000 words) takes about a month to edit (3–4 weeks, depending on complexity). Then, 1 or 2 weeks for you to answer my queries should be plenty, and I'll need 1 or 2 more weeks to go through your comments and finalise the text. Overall, you should have an edited book ready for submission after about 2 months of working with me.

Q2. When to employ a copy-editor?

Perhaps counter-intuitively, working with a copy-editor will be most effective, both time- and cost-wise, at a final draft stage, when you’ve finished revising. The tidier the manuscript, the less work there will be for a copy-editor (fewer rounds of revisions, fewer queries = less time) and the cost will be lower, too.

Q3. Will you make my text perfect?

I'll do my best! But I'd like you to consider what the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading has to say about perfection.

Q4. I was told by a reviewer that my manuscript needs to be proofread, why are you saying it needs copy-editing?

Proofreading can sometimes be used as shorthand for copy-editing, which can lead to misunderstandings. If your copy-editor and reviewer are at odds here, it's best to get back to the person handling your paper at the editorial office and ask for clarification.

Q5. I only have an idea for a project/a first manuscript draft so far, will you be able to give me an estimate of the cost of you copy-editing/proofreading/designing it?

I'd love to hear about your project and if it's in its early draft stages, I can offer you a manuscript assessment. I'll read your work and make recommendations on the next steps forward, advise on any additional reading material that may be useful for you at this stage and generally help in any way I can. If it's too early for us to work on a copy-edit, then I'll do my best to refer you to a colleague who can offer a developmental edit. Then, if you like, we can schedule some time for a proper copy-edit when your manuscript is in its final draft.

Q6. I'd like to know how you work. 

To get us started, drop me an email about your project, mentioning your needs, aims and timelines (we can also schedule a telephone chat). Please also include a sample, preferably from somewhere in the middle of the work. If you are a new client, I'll edit a 2-page (500-word) excerpt, so that you'll see how I work and whether we're a good fit. If you like what you see, I'll provide a cost estimate, we'll set our dates, and I'll get down to work!