Businesses and organisations

Services

You’re a busy professional. You’re publishing a book or report, and you want it to be the best it can possibly be. You know good work when you see it, and you like to be impressed. Imagine the peace of mind knowing that your project is getting a high level of attention and care. After twenty years doing this kind of work, this is what I can guarantee. Do feel free to set up a complimentary 15 minute call to discuss working together and use the inquiry form to send me more information about your project. Here are the services that I provide which are most appropriate for businesses, public bodies, governmental and non-governmental organisations:

  • Project consultation

  • Content development and structural editing

  • Copy-editing

  • Typesetting

  • Proofreading

Project consultation

Who is this for?

You think your project is ready for an editor, but what do you really need and what could you do without? How much will it all cost? How long will it take? Booking an hour-long project consultation is a great way to brainstorm how to allocate your resources and plan your road map to publication success.

What will you get?

Over an hour’s video call, we will discuss any of your questions about publishing your book or report: e.g., who is your audience, what is the document’s purpose, what constitutes a realistic schedule, appropriate word counts, illustrations, permissions, cover design, etc. Having a good plan in place could mean a stress-free project with a successful outcome where your organisation’s time, energy and budget are spent wisely and well.

What will it cost?

This service is €100 for a one-hour video call.

How to book

You can book and pay for an appointment here and tell me more about your project via the inquiry form or by email.

Content development and structural editing

Who is this for?

This service is for authors and organisations who are ready to work closely with an editor. You send me your draft, and I’ll work with you to shape it for publication. That could mean smoothing together the work of a team of authors into one unified tone and voice. Or cutting and restructuring a longer document or series of documents down to fit into one publication. Or arranging the material in a compelling way for readers and stakeholders. Or helping your writing to shine.

What will you get?

At the end of stage 1, you will receive an edited Word file, full of queries, suggestions and comments for you to work through, and stage 2 will finish with a clean, edited document, ready for design and layout. I’ll also provide you with a style sheet showing all decisions made regarding spelling and style.

What will it cost?

My rate for content development and structural editing is €80 per 1,000 words plus 23% VAT if applicable.

How long will it take?

A typical turnaround for a 10,000-word article would be three to four days (with prior booking). A 80,000-word book would need five to six weeks.

How to book

Tell me more about your project, and I will be in touch to confirm availability and interest and to set up the next steps.

Copy-editing

Who is this for?

If the content and structure of the document is finalised and signed off, it’s ready for copy-editing. Note that copy-editing doesn’t address structural, writing or content issues that may be present so it could be worth considering the content-development service if you have concerns about this.

What will I do?

Essentially, I prepare the typescript for a smooth ride through typesetting and proofreading. This means cleaning up and tagging formatting, checking spelling and applying a consistent style, as well as reading for good sense and clarity. I edit in Word, using a range of macros and tools like Editorium and PerfectIt to speed up mechanical tasks. This allow me lots of time for close line-by-line reading. If there are footnotes and a bibliography, they will get a thorough check and be made consistent with a style such as Harvard or APA. Getting these elements right early in the process really saves time and teeth-grinding in proofreading and final revisions. I’ll also indicate where to place illustrations and tables and edit captions.

What do you get?

After copy-editing, you’ll have a clean edited document (styled in Word styles or <tagged>), ready to be imported into your typesetter or designer’s page-layout software. I will also send a second copy of the edit showing all tracked changes made to the original, a style sheet showing decisions made on spelling and style, running heads and any other relevant information.

What will it cost?

My rate for copy-editing is €40 per 1,000 words, plus 23% VAT if applicable.

How long will it take?

A typical turnaround to copy-edit a 10,000-word article would be one day (given prior booking). A 80,000-word book would need three weeks.

How to book

Tell me more about your project, and I will be in touch to confirm availability and interest and to set up the next steps.

Typesetting

Who is this for?

After we have finalised the text, I can do the layout, aka typesetting, for you.

What will I do?

I work in InDesign as well as Word, depending on what is needed. (I recommend InDesign unless you’ve a need for it to be accessible in Word.) I’ll place images, tables and illustrations, and lay out the text in line with best publishing practice. 

What will you get?

You will receive a set of proofs in PDF format for correction and approval, and the final deliverable is usually a print-ready PDF.

What will it cost?

I charge €5 per page plus 23% VAT if applicable. This is usually enough for the design and a couple of rounds of light corrections. Hours beyond that are chargeable at €60 per hour plus 23% VAT.

How long will it take?

A typical turnaround for a 10,000-word article would be one day (given prior booking). A 80,000-word book would need one week.

How to book

Tell me more about your project, and I will be in touch to confirm availability and interest and to set up the next steps.

Proofreading

Who is this for?

Proofreading is the final quality-assurance stage and involves a careful checking of the final typeset pages to ensure all the elements are present and correct, then a close reading to hunt for any remaining errors.

What will I do?

First I check running heads and folios, page size and margins, lists such as the table of contents and lists of figures and tables, widows, orphans and bad word breaks as well as placement of images, tables, captions, etc. Then I read the text carefully to check for typos and anything else that pops out. Depending on the format the document is in, and who is looking after the typesetting, I’ll usually insert the corrections into the file.

What do you get?

Usually the deliverable here is a marked-up PDF with a list of queries for the author (for InDesign files), or I put corrections into a Word file using Tracked Changes.

What will it cost?

My rate for proofreading is €27 per 1,000 words plus 23% VAT if applicable.

How long will it take?

A typical turnaround for a 10,000-word article would be one day. A 80,000-word book would need two weeks.

How to book

Tell me more about your project, and I will be in touch to confirm availability and interest and to set up the next steps.