Copyediting/Proofreading

Whether you need someone to dot a few i’s and cross a few t’s on your final read or someone to roll up her sleeves and really get busy on a first draft, I can help. I have proofread and copyedited for a number of corporate and publishing clients. Freelance projects include business books, education books and healthcare newsletters. 

Typically I use clients’ house style in addition to the Chicago Manual of Style. Copyediting, to me, is more than just improving grammar and punctuation. It’s helping authors, editors and marketing executives spot inconsistencies, factual inaccuracies and organization/flow problems. I not only read the text, but also review artwork, captions, tables, footnotes, graphics and page numbers — making sure each chapter is consistent. 

Is information cross-referenced accurately? Are source names spelled consistently and correctly? Are charts, rubrics, headlines, captions, subtitles and running text styled consistently? Does the table of contents match up to the chapters inside? I’ll help you polish your work so it is ready to roll off the presses (or off your desktop printer).

Research/Fact-checking

Fact-checking may be a nit-picky business, but somebody has got to do it. I’ve fact-checked consumer magazine articles, book chapters and health newsletter articles for national publications. For example, I've checked the accuracy of content for National Geographic and Consumer Reports. 

What does fact-checking entail? I go through each and every line of an article and check every fact, stat, name, title — everything, you name it. Not only does fact-checking improve the credibility of a publication, it prevents plagiarized or libelous content from getting through. I check the accuracy of every quote with each source. 

I know what a primary source is and can find backup if your writers don’t provide all (or any) of it to you. I’ll work with your writers to help them maintain the integrity of their work. 

Ghostwriting

No fame, no glory? Bah! As much as I like seeing my name in print, I enjoy the writing and editing process whether I receive a byline or not. Clients who need help producing content, or who want someone to draft material in its entirety for them can rest assured — if you ask for discretion and the relinquishment of credit, I will take whatever measures necessary to make sure your material, and the details surrounding its production, stays confidential. I will never take credit for it. Not on a resume. Not in an interview. Never. 

Newsletter Production

One of the best ways to facilitate communication within your organization or with your customers is with a newsletter. In addition to helping you develop creative ways to feature content, I will manage the process from beginning to end by: establishing a preliminary outline with your team; working with contributors and writing articles; proofreading and editing all stages of content; collaborating with the design team on layout and production; and, collaborating with the required legal and executive teams throughout the approval process. Past experience includes managing and producing newsletters for a global aircraft manufacturer and producing newsletter content for a railroad leasing company. If you need help with design, I can bring in a professional design team to assist with the project.  

Corporate Marketing/Communications

From small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, I’ve contributed to or managed a variety of projects that help fulfill marketing/corporate communications goals. One of my main objectives with corporate clients is the production of clear, consistent and high-quality content. I’ll help your organization with projects of all sizes, whether it's taking over a component of a project that you just don't have time for, or want to delegate, or managing a project from start to completion. My experience includes managing contributors during the production of newsletters/website content, and producing or contributing to reports, presentations, press releases, executive-level letters/speeches, website content and even the big mammoths — Request for Proposals (RFPs).