Editing and proofreading services

Make your writing as good as it can be

I’m a former Sydney Morning Herald editor and journalist who has covered almost every subject area – including travel, health and science, business, IT, entertainment and hospitality.

I then worked for a wide range of organisations to help them improve their content before launching my own consultancy.

Over the past 25 years I’ve edited:

• website copy
• email newsletters
• ad campaigns (print, web and email)
• news stories and features for magazines, newspapers, blogs and social media
• proposals
• annual reports and strategic plans
• press releases
• company announcements
• short books.

I’ve also taught sub-editing at the University of Technology, Sydney and the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism (and now teach editing and proofreading courses through Media Survival).

What to look for in an editor

There’s a lot more to editing than just correcting grammar.

For starters, it requires making countless judgement calls, from what tone of voice to use to deciding what to change – and what to leave alone.

It involves understanding what the reader needs to know and what they would find most important.

More than anything, an editor needs to know how to make copy flow so smoothly and effortlessly that the reader doesn’t even notice the words – just the message you want to get across.

When it comes to online content, a good editor also needs to:

• know how to edit with search engine optimisation (SEO) in mind
• make sure it meets web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG)
• structure it to improve conversions
• advise on any usability (UX) issues.

A good editor should also understand:

• defamation law
• compliance issues
• copyright.

In other words, it pays to hire an editor with the maturity and experience needed to make your content as effective as possible.

Proofreading with a passion

If you need someone to make sure your copy’s clean, I can help.

I can work with whatever style guide you have – and if you don’t have a guide, then I can make sure the style is consistent with your existing content (or make style suggestions).

Everything I look at remains confidential. Since I do the proofreading myself rather than outsourcing it (which is what many others do), I can guarantee I’ll be the only person who’ll be looking at your work.

A copy editing service suited for business, government departments and individuals

Every industry has its own requirements.

Financial organisations need to make their writing compelling while also meeting compliance issues.

Australian government departments (and other government-funded organisations) are legally required to follow web content accessibility guidelines.

Universities need to make their content easy to read for an international audience.

Science and medical organisations need to get across complex, technical information in a way that’s easily understood by the public.

As someone who’s worked across almost every industry, I can make your writing work for your audience – regardless of who they are.