The Book Specialist Blog

Standards in ebooks: proofreading and copy-editing

2012-01-16T05:10:00.001-08:00

During my training sessions with my editorial team in London this weekend we got talking about ebooks – a love ’em or hate ’em kind of discussion. As it invariably does among editors, the subject soon moved to the level of English in ebooks we’ve read. Sadly, the consensus was that the potential exists for ebooks to damage the high standards usually set in the British industry.

One of the editors had recently downloaded a top novel to her e-reader, and found it littered with mistakes – indeed, it seemed clear to her that the version she was reading was not the final manuscript that had been through the publisher’s full editorial process; she had the distinct impression she was reading a version that hadn’t been proofread. Embarrassing for the publisher, we agreed, and puzzling to those of our ilk, because we doubt that the publisher would have allowed the print version to be so messy.

It’s worrying enough that the self-publishing and ebook revolutions are creating an army of authors who don’t realise the need for copy-editing and proofreading to ensure consistent and accurate writing. It’s even more worrying when we notice a publisher lowering its standards as well. Of course, we must assume it’s a mistake (now and again a publisher skips a step in the editorial process, or publishes the wrong version of a book), and that the publisher in question is embarrassed by the state of the ebook version. Because to think the opposite – that it’s becoming acceptable to relax the rules of English when text is to be published for reading on a screen, rather than on paper; or that publishers are so concerned with the bottom line that they won’t spend a few hundred pounds on an edit/proofread and instead create a substandard product – is surely madness.

Book Specialist launch and training day

2012-01-15T03:01:00.000-08:00

The day: Saturday 14 January 2012.
The venue: Piccadilly, London – the bar at the top of Waterstones-without-an-apostrophe.
The group: Me, Marketing Man Ally and five fabulous editors.
The mission: To toast the launch of the agency, to hatch future plans and to do a training workshop on development editing.
The result: Lots of helpful discussion about higher level editing.
The post-launch plan: A glass of wine at All Bar One in Leicester Square, watching the world go by.
The post-launch reality: A glass of wine at All Bar One in Leicester Square, staring out at the building site that was once Leicester Square.
The aftermath: Feeling inspired and coming up with lots more ideas for developing The Book Specialist.
The verdict: Top day.

The Book Specialist agency launch

2012-01-13T09:46:00.000-08:00

Many moons ago on just such a dark, wintry evening I uploaded my very first website as a freelance proofreader and editor. Years later, here I am again, uploading a new website, but this time for something bigger, better and far more exciting.

I've been a lone freelance editor and writer for many years now, and while it's been an enjoyable journey, in recent years I've struggled to keep up with demand for my services. So I decided the time had come to expand, and the culmination is (drum roll please)... The Book Specialist editorial agency.

So, what's changed? Well, the essentials remain. I'll still do a whole lot of ghostwriting, development editing, copy-editing and proofreading projects for authors and publishers. The Book Specialist services will still be top quality and based on experience and creative ability. But it'll no longer just be me sitting in a room with my computer on my lonesome. I've gathered together a team of lovely and very capable editors to work with me.

For the past few months I've been working with my editing team to train them in The Book Specialist style of editing. They're a great bunch of professionals with a wide range of experience, and I'm delighted to be able to call on their expertise.

I've also been training my right-hand man, Ally, who's now handling all the admin side of the business, like accounts and marketing and file preparation and printing manuscripts - the stuff that was taking up valuable time I'd rather spend editing or writing.

All this help means The Book Specialist no longer has to turn away authors and publishers due to lack of availability, and it gives me more time and space to expand new areas of the business. So, I'm writing a book for authors. And I'm setting up a great new prize for authors. And I'm creating an editorial training course for proofreaders and editors. And I'm sourcing great book-related products to sell in an online shop. And I'm creating a resource hub for authors. Oh, and there are at least three novels floating about I'm meant to be working on as well...

If you'd like to find out more about the new Book Specialist, take a look at the new website at www.thebookspecialist.com. And drop me a line if you have questions or feedback or want to talk books.

Now I'm off to pop the champers. My husband tells me it's not ideal as an accompaniment to beans on toast, but I'm feigning deafness.

I've discovered word clouds...

2011-12-21T02:19:00.001-08:00

Hmm, write/edit or play with word clouds. It's a tough decision.

The Bookseller’s take on self-publishing

2011-10-31T01:02:00.000-07:00

The publishing industry has a history of turning its nose up at self-publishing, but it has been heartening, in recent months, to see more and more positive commentary appearing in the industry publication, The Bookseller.

I was delighted, then, this week to find a flagship feature on self-publishing written by Alison Baverstock (author of the new book The Naked Author, which is winging its way to me from the nice chaps at Amazon as I write).

When I first started out in publishing, ‘self-publishing’ was something of a dirty word, inseparable from the concept of vanity publishing. I’ve been excited to see how the industry is transforming, with authors taking control of the process themselves. I work with too many great authors who can’t grab hold of that elusive book deal from the traditional publishers that are narrow in what they’ll take on and prescriptive in what they think readers want to read.

I know from my own contracts with three separate publishing houses at present, and from my clients' experiences, that the onus is increasingly on the author to take hold of the reigns of marketing – to Tweet, to blog, to pitch articles to media, to attend author events, even to come up with the marketing angles themselves. One client signed with an American publisher is expected to blog and Tweet with such regularity it’s become her part-time job.

But in pushing authors to be a brand, and to market themselves, publishers have created a generation of business-like, entrepreneurial, creative, hard-working authors who realise (hooray) that if they’re capable of doing this much marketing themselves, they’re probably also capable of managing the entire publishing process. And hey presto, self-publishing flourishes.

What drew my attention most in the feature was the mention of publishers increasingly using freelance, rather than in-house, editors to shape a book ready for publication. Authors are increasingly recognising that they can access for themselves the editors (like me) used by publishing houses – as Alison points out “editorial rigour can now be purchased” (though I’m not convinced by her addition “... as well as self-administered” – to some extent, yes, an author can improve his/her writing by reading some books on the subject, but that will never replace the services of a professional editor).

The secret to successful self-publishing is approaching the entire journey as a business venture – and that means hiring the services you require to present a desirable, professional-standard product.

On a final note, I had to laugh when I read, in the News section of the same issue of The Bookseller, that Peter Bazalgette was “impressed by the work the copyeditor [no idea why they’ve styled this as one word] put into the book... She suggested 670 amendments...” No doubt the reader is meant to gasp, astonished by the level of changes in a well-written book. I’m sure my clients will agree, no matter how great the writer, there’s bound to be hundreds of edits in a book. Why? Because editors see what writers don’t; we do this all day, every day, and we can spot an inconsistency at fifty paces and will correct punctuation, spelling and grammar that the author never dreamed was wrong in the first place.

All in all, a big thumbs up to The Bookseller this week for its sensible portrayal of self-publishing and the associated editorial services.

Avoiding Americanisms in your UK English

2011-10-05T00:55:00.000-07:00

A common correction I make to UK authors' manuscripts is stripping out Americanisation, and ensuring the language is in UK English. Because we read so many American books, and watch so many American films and TV programmes, we're all familiar with US English, and I find that many authors unwittingly blend UK and US English.

Here are some Americanisms to watch for, and their UK English equivalents.

airplane	aeroplane
anymore	any more
apartment	flat (apartment can work for new-build developments)
Band-Aid	plaster
candy	sweets/chocolate
check (£)	cheque
elevator	lift
garbage	rubbish
gotten	got
highway	road
license (noun)	licence
movie	film
OK	okay
parking lot	car park
percent	per cent
restroom	toilet/bathroom
shopping cart	shopping trolley
sidewalk	pavement
soda	drink (e.g. lemonade)
subway	underground/tube (unless you mean an underpass)
sweater	jumper
takeout	takeaway
vacation	holiday
windshield	windscreen

The comma and the word 'if'

2011-09-07T03:16:00.000-07:00

You can use a comma to denote that a word is missing, and that's the easiest way to think about sentences that involve an 'if abc then xyz' kind of structure.

If you do this then that happens.
If you do this, that happens.

As you can see, in the second sentence the comma is taking the place of the word then. So it's either/or - if you use then in the sentence to connect the two thoughts (the if one and the consequence one) then you don't need a comma (like in this sentence). But if you omit the then, you need to use a comma (like in this sentence).

Using the word 'however'

2011-08-11T03:01:00.000-07:00

While editing and proofreading I often find myself adding a comma or a semi-colon near to the word however. Take a look at these sentences:

However I didn't like him.
I thought he was nice however when he gave me a biscuit.
I don't like him however I do like her.

Let's look at each one in turn.

There's nothing wrong with this sentence, but if you follow the rhythm of your speech you find yourself pausing after However, so a comma helps here: However, I didn't like him.
However here is parenthetical, which is a fancy way of saying it's slightly apart from the main thread of the sentence. When you read the sentence aloud, you find yourself saying, 'I thought he was nice... however... when he gave me a biscuit.' You probably find your voice changes as you say the however to denote that it's a sub-part of the main sentence. You can indicate this parenthesis by placing commas either side of however. So the correctly punctuated sentence is: I thought he was nice, however, when he gave me a biscuit.
Now this is the one writers commonly misunderstand. Here you have two separate sentences joined together: I don't like him and However, I do like her. Can you see that both parts can stand alone as sentences? The way you join two sentences that are closely related together is with a semi-colon. So the correct sentence is: I don't like him; however, I do like her.

So however you use however (see there, an example of when you don't need a comma because the sentence runs on), try to keep in mind these three rules.

When it comes to book writing, planning is everything

2011-08-06T00:49:00.000-07:00

I've recently been commissioned to write a book on parenting. The publisher was happy with the chapter outlines I provided in my proposal, and now comes the fun - and essential bit - sitting down and mapping the structure to the smallest detail.

Planning your book is an obvious stage in writing, right? Well, you'd be surprised how many of the books I edit/proof have very haphazard structures and no sense of cohesive flow, indicating a lack of careful planning. Novels are notoriously hard to plan because they can take on a mind of their own as you write, but still, you need a plan - even if you change that as you write. And as for non-fiction; well, fail to plan that book down to the content of each subsection and your book is very unlikely to be clear, logical and user-friendly.

Yes, planning is dull - especially when you're in the mood to sit down and write and write and write. But it's like making a cake or decorating a room: preparation is key.

For me, planning is an excuse to get out the A3 paper and coloured pens, get down on the floor and create huge and messy mindmaps I then pin to the walls of my office. My son loves this stage in my writing, and often offers his own crayon-based input.

And the beauty of planning your book? You can spot errors, omissions and dubious structuring before you spend countless hours enacting these problems, which then have to be undone (often to your cost, by an editor). Plus, you can send your plan to an editor like me, who will advise on the content and structure, enabling you to sail off and write that book with confidence that you're on the right lines.

UK authors need to improve the editorial quality of their manuscript submissions to publishers

2011-07-11T09:37:00.000-07:00

This week’s Bookseller contains an article on why commissioning editors are favouring US début authors over UK counterparts. Various reasons are explored, including one put forward by the Picador publisher that there is a “greater quality of submissions” from the US, because submissions are “more finished, with less editorial work to be done”.

In a nutshell, then, an unpublished author’s chance of publication is improved if s/he submits a polished manuscript to publishers/agents. Gone are the days where publishers are routinely willing to spend time/energy/money on developing rough, messy manuscripts. Authors can’t bank on an editor spotting something interesting in their writing and consequently taking them by the hand and leading them through a process of shaping a brilliant, marketable book.

The onus is on authors, then, to submit as polished a manuscript as possible – and that means authors investing in services like development editing, copy-editing and/or proofreading.

It’s all about having a professional approach. Just like taking any product to market, authors need to take pride in creating a good product, present it professionally to the distributor/retailer, and be prepared to market hard (Twitter, blogging, events etc.).

'Must of' or 'Must have'?

2011-06-28T07:20:00.000-07:00

Always 'must have' is the simple answer - never 'must of'.
Incorrect: I must of forgotten to turn off the oven.
Correct: I must have forgotten to turn off the oven.

Don't miss the 'had' in 'had better'

2011-06-25T01:56:00.000-07:00

A common mistake I see in authors' writing is to miss the 'had' in the phrase 'had better'.

Incorrect:
You better put the dog out.
I better go to bed now.
We better save our money.

Correct:
You had (or You'd) better put the dog out.

I had (or I'd) better go to bed now.
We had (or We'd) better save our money.

Comprised of / comprises / composed of

2011-06-23T02:13:00.000-07:00

A mistake I see frequently in the books I edit and proofread is in usage of the verb comprise. For example:

The group is comprised of women, men and children.

Is comprised of is always incorrect. Erase it from your mind! Instead, you can use the following:

The group comprises women, men and children.

The group is composed of women, men and children.

Marketing your book

2011-06-21T09:50:00.001-07:00

‘What, market it myself?’ I hear authors cry. ‘But that’s not my concern – that’s the publisher’s job.’

Wrong, I’m afraid. When you’ve spent months labouring over your manuscript and you finally hand it over to the publisher, it would be nice to think that’s the end of the slog – now you can just sit back and let the royalties pour in. But book marketing is just as much the responsibility of the author today as it is the publisher’s.

All publishers market a book to some extent. Some may go little further than notifying Bertrams of its release; others may go the whole hog and spend many thousands on high-profile media campaigns. Your publisher likely falls somewhere between the two, and probably towards the Bertrams end of the spectrum – publishers have little money and time to spend on marketing in the current climate.

So, having established that if you want your book to sell, you need to market it, where do you start? Here are some ideas you can explore:

Send a news release to media (try to find a good angle)
Write a blog and comment on others’ blogs
Try social networking like Twitter and Facebook
Run a competition
Solicit reviews
Seek endorsements
Do a publicity stunt
Organise a book signing
Man a stall at a relevant trade fair
Collaborate with a business whose products/services relate to your book
Carry out a survey on a related subject
Make a video for YouTube

And so on, and so on. I have a background in PR, so marketing doesn’t bother me, but I know some authors abhor publicity work. If that’s you, remember that there are always some things you can manage yourself – e.g. Twitter – but if you’re really struggling you can hire a book marketing specialist. Pricey, but worth it.

Finally, make sure you let your publisher know what you’re doing to marketing the book. You don’t want to duplicate their activities, after all. And the publisher can publicise your publicity efforts (!) to booksellers, who are always happier to stock well-marketed books than those that are invisible in the market.

Freelance Proofreading Talk, London, 21 September, 6.30-8.30pm

2010-09-14T03:24:00.000-07:00

If you want to find out more about how to build a successful freelance editorial business, I'll be running a seminar soon in London for Editorial Training. Find out more at http://www.edittrain.co.uk/freelanceproofreading.php

Sprang or sprung?

2010-09-12T02:22:00.001-07:00

Commonly confused, but the simple past tense in UK English uses sprang: I sprang, you sprang, he sprang, it sprang, we sprang, they sprang. Sprung, in UK English, is only used as a past participle: I had sprung, we have sprung.

Anymore or any more?

2010-09-01T01:28:00.001-07:00

An easy one for you: according to Oxford style, anymore is US English; any more is UK English.

Instinct versus learning

2010-08-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

Clearly, in developing as a writer, learning is essential. We aren't born knowing how to write; we have to learn. So attending classes and writing groups, reading technical books on language and writing, and working with a writing mentor are effective ways to improve your writing skills.

However, I'm always keen to encourage my author clients to also have faith in their own instincts, which are honed by reading, reading, reading (learning by osmosis). That's certainly the main way I've grown as a writer - I trust the process of the creativity, without arguing over the technicalities.

Earlier today I was reading an article on the split infinitive (when you stick an adverb between to and a verb; e.g. to boldy go). Old school grammarians over the past 100 years have abhorred the splitting of infinitives. Personally, it doesn't bother me as long as the phrasing makes sense and flows.

Language is there to be played with and shaped to the creative endeavour. So once in a while it's great the throw a grammar 'rule' out of the window.

Honest Book Critiques

2010-08-14T06:31:00.000-07:00

I remember back in my school days a book critique basically involved me writing lengthy accounts of the plot, characters and setting of a novel with no attempt at analysis. Those days have long gone! Now my job in a book critique is to critically appraise a book - what's working, what isn't, what's good, what's not - and, of course, answer the big questions: Is it marketable? Is it ready for publication?

I have a lot of respect for the authors who hire me to critique their books. As an author myself, I know how hard it is to let anyone - let alone a book professional - give opinions on your book. But it's a great way to really get to grips with developing your book and considering publication options.

For me, book critiques are about being honest, but diplomatic. I've never written a critique that didn't include suggestions for improvements; but I've also never written one that didn't contain recognition for good parts - it's all a question of balance. Every book has something going for it, though of course some are stronger than others. So I enjoy reading each book I critique, and I learn heaps about writing, about people and about all sorts of random subjects, from code-breaking to time machines, ancient princesses to modern-day politics. And I salute the authors who let me guide them in their journey to publication. They're some of the bravest souls I know.

Bored of, bored with or bored by?

2010-08-09T01:22:00.000-07:00

Formal, proper English uses bored by or bored with. Bored of is informal, and not yet accepted by authorities such as Oxford as being acceptable.

None: Singular or Plural?

2010-08-03T01:46:00.000-07:00

Which is correct:

I don't care if none of you believe me.
I don't care if none of you believes me.

The answer is, they're both acceptable - you can use a singular or plural verb with none. Some will say none should always take a singular verb; but the experts disagree, and as usual, I'm with Oxford.

Hanged or Hung?

2010-08-02T10:40:00.000-07:00

You can use hung as the past participle of the verb to hang at all times, but you only use hanged when referring to hanging by the neck (e.g. executions, suicides).

For example:

Incorrect: He had hanged his coat on the hook.
Correct: He had hung his coat on the hook.
Correct: The robber was hanged for his crime.
Correct: The robber was hung for his crime.

Being the Writer You Want to Be

2010-07-28T23:54:00.001-07:00

This morning over breakfast I was reading a letters page in a magazine for writers. A lady had written in to the mag, praising the quality of its content and saying how much she enjoyed reading it. She explained that since childhood she’d been itching to write – obsessed with writing, even – but that she lacked the confidence to do so. She had been buying the magazine for years in the hope that it would help her get over her fears and start writing, but she admitted her letter was the first piece of writing she’d manage to undertake. She confessed that she was somewhat intimidated by the contributors to the magazine – their experience, their skills, their involvement in the literary world, their accomplishments.

This letter made me sad. If this lady wants to write, she should do so – forget techniques and skill and publishing track record. Writing should be a personal joy, not something to worry about, I think.

The problem is, many people who want to write are put off by the thought that in order to write well, they need to

Read all the latest critically acclaimed books
Read books about how to write, and follow the guidance therein
Attend writing courses, residentials, workshops and tutorials
Join a writers’ group for writing critiques

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with doing these things if you want to and you enjoy them. But please don’t feel you have to! I believe that good writing comes from within – from instinct, from your muse, from enjoying the activity of writing. Too much time and effort spent trying to be ‘a writer’ can ruin the fun of actually writing.

If you want to write, write, then hire an editor to improve the text if necessary.

Shall or Will?

2010-07-26T06:21:00.000-07:00

Shall and will are forms of the future tense of the verb to be. But when should you use each? The rules (according to Oxford stlye) are as follows:

Shall: Use with I and we. (I shall eat that. We shall see you later.)
Will: Use for you, he, she, it and they. (They will listen to you.)

However, when you want to express determination or command (and so stress will/shall in a sentence), you reverse the rule:

Shall: Use with you, he, she, it and they. (I will eat that. We will see you later.)
Will: Use with I and we. (I shall listen to you.)

In modern usage, however, people rarely follow these rules. My advice is to take care when using shall that you’re consistently following these rules, and if in doubt stick to will.

One or you?

2010-07-23T08:55:00.000-07:00

A simple point for a Friday afternoon: one and you are both pronouns you can use to talk about people in general, but in modern usage one sounds rather distant and posh.

For example, compare these sentences:

One should always see a doctor if one finds a lump in the breast.
You should always see a doctor if you find a lump in your breast.

Can you see the difference in tone? My advice is that unless you're writing something that's intentionally haughty, or you're the Queen of England, stick to you.

Ghostwriters – who knew they existed?

2010-07-14T05:41:00.000-07:00

I was chatting with a client on the phone this week about my ghostwriting service, and he was telling me that until recently, he'd never even heard of ghostwriting, let alone known such a service existed. I was quick to assure him he's not alone - or remotely foolish - for his lack of knowledge. For a long time, ghostwriters have lived up to their name, and the small body of ghostwriters has remained publishing's greatest secret.

And with this secrecy seems to come an element of shame - that a ghostwritten book isn't a 'proper' book; that you've somehow failed if you hire a ghostwriter.

Nonsense, I say. In many cases, hiring a ghostwriter makes perfect sense:

If you have a book in you, but are happy to admit you lack writing skill
If you have a book in you, but simply don't have the time to write it
If you have a book in you, but have no interest in sitting down to write it

Notice the common theme? Many people have the ideas, the experience and/or the knowledge to create a book. Why should they be hindered by the simple act of writing? Just as a published author doesn't blink at the publisher sending their book through an army of editors, who work their magic on the text, so can a writer-who-doesn't-want-to-write send their 'book' out in concept form to be moulded into a book. It's very common, and it's completely accepted practice. And, in fact, it's a lot more sensible than having a go yourself if that's going to mean a load of stress and lost time and an unpublishable mess of a book at the end of the process!

The inner editor

2010-07-07T11:54:00.000-07:00

As a book critique specialist, development editor, copy editor and proofreader, my job is to be eagle-eyed and spot inconsistencies in a book. For example, yesterday I was looking at page proofs for an illustrated children’s book, and noticed that while the text described a character as having curly hair, in a nearby illustration the character’s hair was super straight. It’s this attention to detail, this constant quest to ensure all the pieces of the jigsaw fit, that makes a good book editor.

The problem with my job, however, is that I find it very difficult to turn off my inner editor when I’m not working. And nowhere do I struggle more than in the cinema. It never ceases to astonish me how many inconsistencies and continuity issues slip through in modern films. And adaptations of books are nightmarish for me. Being such a book lover, I can get pretty riled up when a film deviates from the book, or omits essential details, or completely misinterprets the book.

Needless to say, I’m not the easiest person to go to the cinema with (though I do try to save my ranting until after the film). My friends gritted their teeth and got through an advance screening of Eclipse with me this week, but I fear they won’t be banging my door down to drag me to the next Harry Potter film. Good book editor equals overly critical cinema companion, it seems.

Who proofreads street signs?

2010-07-05T10:35:00.000-07:00

The answer - in Canterbury at least - appears to be no one, judging by the state of the signs I came across during a stroll with my hubbie and son there yesterday. Who on earth signed off (excuse the pun) signs like 'St. Mary s Close' and 'St Peters Lane'? Proofreading is such a simple service to commission, and for three-word signs it's hardly going to be costly, yet it seems councils aren't that bothered about accuracy. Perhaps one day I'll find the time to write an irate, old-school grammarian letter to the council. Or perhaps next time we'll visit I'll slip a red marker in my handbag...

New: Free ebook 101 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Your Writing

2010-06-21T02:26:00.000-07:00

My new ebook, 101 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Your Writing, is a simple, concise guide to the mistakes I commonly find in my work as a proofreader and copy editor. At 30 pages, it's a quick read, but so far my readers are finding plenty of mistakes they had been unwittingly making in their writing for years! Enjoy, and give me a shout if you have any questions.

Now I'll get to work on the next ebook, which focuses on how to get published.

New website: Book Ghostwriter

2010-06-06T06:25:00.001-07:00

Announcing another website in the Perfectly Write family at http://www.bookghostwriter.co.uk/. The site contains details of my book ghostwriting service, and some writing samples.

Shrank or Shrunk?

2010-06-04T02:04:00.000-07:00

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids is yet another example of Hollywood throwing grammar out of the window (like the missing apostrophe in Two Weeks Notice). Actually, the title should read either Honey, I Shrank the Kids or Honey, I've Shrunk the Kids . . .

Shrink is the present form of the verb: I shrink, you shrink etc
Shrank is the simple past tense of the verb: I shrank, you shrank etc
Shrunk is the past participle: I have shrunk, you had shrunk etc

Amazon Widget

2010-05-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

A rather exciting lunch hour for me today (okay, in all honesty it doesn't take much) because I discovered how to add an Amazon slideshow to my sites illustrating some of the books I've worked on. I've long envisaged a web page that's a collage of book covers - a colourful, at-a-glance view of the diverse range of books I edit/write/proofread. But the collage option creates issues with copyright, so Amazon widgets are a good second choice.

Now I just need to remember to get on with some work rather than scouring Amazon for old friends - books I worked on years back!

When have you proofread enough?

2010-05-06T05:47:00.000-07:00

So you've written a book and you've read it so many times you're frankly sick of the sight of it. You've surely caught all the errors by now, right?

Probably not. Read it again, and then again, and then ask a friend or colleague to read it too. You'll no doubt find more corrections this way.

But if you then send it to a professional book proofreader, you're likely to be astonished by the amount of mistakes and inconsistencies still found after all your careful reading.

Why? Two reasons:

Professional book proofreaders are trained and experienced, and will spot mistakes you don't even realise are mistakes.
The professional book proofreader has a fresh eye, and will find the problems you've become blind to.

I've had clients who've dismissed the last reason, thinking they'd have spotted basic mistakes themselves, but the truth is, even the best writer/editor/proofreader in the world can miss mistakes in their own writing. You're just too close, and only an objective reader who's brand new to the material can get the necessary perspective.

So my advice is that while you should proofread, proofread and proofread some more on your writing, you also need an expert proofreader to really guarantee the standard of your text.

Colloquialism: a.k.a. chucking grammar rules out the window

2010-04-21T02:13:00.000-07:00

Cloakey-what? Colloquialism, in case you're wondering, basically means the kind of language you use when you talk, versus the language you use when you write.

In speech people use all sorts of ungrammatical constructions that they wouldn't dream of putting down on paper. For example, last night my toddler son cried in the night, and was standing up sobbing when I went in to him. I found myself - half-asleep - saying, 'Lay down, George.' It was only when I went back to bed - now wide awake, of course - that I wondered why I'd said that when the correct phrase is 'Lie down, George'. Yet somehow, lay was fine in that situation.

Here's another example of colloquialism in action. My husband is Scottish, and when we first got together I'd often be surprised or confused by some of his phrasing. For instance, he says 'I've ate-en my tea' (pronounced et-un) rather than 'I've eaten my tea'.

Colloquialism is rather confusing then, so it's no wonder authors struggle with this element of writing. As a development editor and copy editor, I look to make speech in language sound natural. So, for example, I copy edit I have been to the supermarket and they have no bananas into I've been to the supermarket and they've no bananas - using contractions, which are natural for speech.

Sometimes, using colloquialisms in writing means allowing grammatically incorrect language - something a copy editor usually avoids at all costs. A common example is something like Here's the bananas. This literally means Here is the bananas, which is incorrect - the verb (singular) isn't agreeing with the subject (plural). The correct sentence is Here are the bananas. Yet in colloquial speech, even the most educated people would often say Here's the bananas; thus the copy editor can leave this construction intact.

Ye Olde English

2010-04-16T01:56:00.000-07:00

This week I've been editing a book that incorporates lots of quotes from old texts - some super ancient (think BC not AD). And boy has it been hard to resist editing the quotes (which, of course, I can't do - a copy editor can never edit quoted material, because quotes must be identical to the original source).

Nowadays, English is standardised and there are plenty of style guides and dictionaries that dictate spelling, punctuation and grammar. But back in the day, you pretty much wrote however you fancied.

I've never waded through so much random punctuation and capitalisation in all my life! It's been a real exercise in restraint not to correct magik to magic, to decap in phrases such as the pursuit of Liberty and health, and to remove the totally bizarre comma additions in phrases like I said, to him begone or, be here.

That's probably why I opted out doing an English Literature degree despite my love of writing and books. Old English can be pretty infuriating for a copy editor!

How huge a book can get

2010-04-15T02:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, confession time.

I rather like the Twilight saga books.
I'm throwing a Twilight-themed party this weekend.
Thanks to the Internet, I am now the proud owner of a vast array of Twilight-themed tat for my guests, from plates and napkins to cake toppers, chocolate bars and red juice drinks that pretend to be blood.

Bonkers, no? But my goodness, as an author and book editor I find it very exciting that books these days can become so huge, so part of public culture. Many turn their nose up at this commercialism; not me! Anything that promotes books and authors and story-telling and reading is fabulous, I think.

Now, if only I could come up with an idea for the next bestselling sensation. Though heaven forbid they made an action figure of me!

New blog for freelancers

2010-04-11T04:44:00.001-07:00

I've just launched a new blog called Freelancing Tips for fellow freelancers. You can check it out at http://www.freelancingtips.co.uk/.

I do words, not pictures!

2010-04-11T01:18:00.000-07:00

Dear me, I've spent a rather exhausting weekend doing design work on websites and blogs. Ask me to write something and I can scribble down a darn-bear-ready-to-go first draft with no problems. But ask me to do something involving design and I fall apart at the seams! How is it I can write an article in an hour, but in the same time I only just about manage to change a font on a website? I find myself flashing back to art classes at school when in my head I'd visualise an amazing, beautiful painting but what I'd end up with on paper could be bettered by a five-year-old.

The more I attempt to do my own design work (I'd prefer not to pay someone else, you see), the more I realise that creative pursuits require innate talent. Writing, for me, comes naturally. It never feels a chore, and I often write quickly when in the right mood. Yet being capable in this creative field doesn't mean I'm also talented in visual creativity.

As a six-year-old pupil once explained to me earnestly back when I worked in a school, 'I do words, not pictures!'

Writers: hermits or sociable sorts?

2010-04-09T04:22:00.000-07:00

The classic stereotype of a writer is someone who holes up in their garret lost in a word of words, somehow detached from the world and reality and a recluse at heart.

For me, there's some truth in that - I love quiet and solitude as I write - but it's a fallacy to say all writers are shy, retiring or awkward (though of course some are).

In the course of writing and ghostwriting material, it's often necessary to don a journalistic cap and interview people. For example, next week I'm conducting an interview that I'll use as the basis for an article for a charity magazine. And that's where a good writer needs to be a people person - good at listening, at asking the right questions, at being compassionate and respectful towards the person sharing their story.

No writer can write in a vacuum. Imagine how dull a book would be if it only discussed nature or animals. It's people that bring text to life, so a freelance writer has to find a happy medium between space from the world, and throwing him- or herself right into the thick of things.

Practise or practice?

2010-04-06T02:28:00.001-07:00

In UK English, practice is the noun, practise is the verb. So you practise on the piano, but you avoid the practice of chewing gum.

In the US, practice is often used for both the noun and the verb form.

When proofreading your writing, look out for your spelling of this word - or do a global search.

Article on SYP's site

2010-04-05T12:30:00.000-07:00

My co-author Emma has penned an article for SYP's site to promote our upcoming book How to Succeed as a Freelancer in Publishing. You can check it out here.

New book

2010-03-27T06:40:00.000-07:00

This week's news is that I've signed a contract with US publisher O Books who are going to be publishing a self-help/mind,body,spirit book I've written.

I've had fun choosing an image for the front cover - oh the responsibility!

It's all systems go for this book and How To Succeed as a Freelancer in Publishing as I complete the final manuscripts ready to submit in the next month.

And then the marketing begins. No rest for the wicked!

A common mistake...

2010-03-12T04:16:00.001-08:00

This week I've noticed myself correcting a particular grammatical mistake over and over again in many different projects. Here it is...

Take this sentence as an example: This is a trading website where you can see what's for sale, track your purchases, sales and money owed.

Can you see the problem?

The author is currently incorrectly presenting the second half of the sentence as a list. So, on the trading website you can
1. see what's for sale
2. track your purchases, and
3. sales and money owed.

Clearly, number 3 isn't right. In fact, this is what the author means:
On the trading website you can
1. see what's for sale, and
2. track your purchases, sales and money owed.

So the correct sentence reads as follows: This is a trading website where you can see what's for sale, and track your purchases, sales and money owed.

Current work

2010-02-24T06:32:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a while since I posted a project list, so just for fun on a rainy Wednesday afternoon here goes. My current projects include:

- Critiquing a picture book
- Critiquing a historical adventure novel
- Copy-editing a fantasy novel
- Copy-editing and consistency checking two chicklit novels
- Proofreading an academic book
- Development editing a book on investing
- Development editing a book on persuasion
- Writing a book on freelancing

Oh, and at some point I need to get around to cleaning up my office, because I've eaten too many sarnies at my desk recently and my keyboard is rather crummy.

Updated website

2010-02-10T05:10:00.000-08:00

Today I uploaded my revised website, which will hopefully be clearer for clients to navigate. The site's homepage (www.perfectlywrite.co.uk) now directs the visitor to two separate areas of the site:
- Book services (for authors and publishers): proofreading, copy-editing, development editing, book writing, ghostwriting, author mentoring and book critiquing.
- Business services (for companies, charities, government and so on): copy-editing and proofreading.
I've spent a couple of hours proofreading and checking for glitches, but no doubt I've missed some. I'll come back and check again in a week or two, when I'm less close to the material and can spot problems. For now, I'm very happy to close Dreamweaver, Photoshop and Illustrator because my strength lies firmly with words, not techy design work!

Proofreading aloud

2010-02-09T06:40:00.000-08:00

Last night I printed off a couple of chapters of the book I'm writing, and I read some sections aloud to my husband to get feedback on the tone and flow. I was surprised just how many mistakes jumped out at me as I read, and it struck me that reading a hard copy of text aloud (slowly) really is the best way to proofread. The problem is, it's very time consuming, and a little dull for anyone who happens to be listening! I don't proofread this way for clients, but I think for your own writing - where you're prone to blind spots because you're too close to the material - proofreading aloud is a very good idea.

Blogging on a Saturday - get a life?

2010-02-06T01:56:00.000-08:00

Yes, here I am, 10am on a Saturday and at my desk ready to start work. Friends are often appalled at the hours I work, but this is the life of a freelance writer and book editor who also happens to be a mummy! The beauty of freelancing is that you can fit it around the rest of your life. My son goes to nursery every week day, but for short days, so he still gets Mummy time. And then I do hours in the evening and at weekends depending on my mood and workload. And because I'm only 'open for business' to clients Monday to Friday, 9 to 3, I really enjoy working in the other hours when I can shut out the world, turn off the phone and email, and get lost in writing, editing and proofreading.

Today it's fun 'work' - writing content for my freelancing in publishing book. I'm getting to the end of my first draft, and will soon be ready to swap chapters with my co-author, Emma, and provide input for hers. Shaping a book is an incredibly long, involved, tiring process, but I love it. I'm already pondering new ideas for my next book. Unfortunately, the ideas seem to come at night-time at the moment, which is rather exhausting and inconvenient!

Work avoidance

2010-02-04T05:21:00.000-08:00

Today has been a disaster. I set myself the task of writing half a chapter for my freelancing book - perhaps a little ambitious, but not impossible in the six hours I have to work while my son is at nursery. I've opened the Word doc, I've written some headings, I've even added in some keywords, and yet the doc is still alarmingly blank. The cursor is flashing at me in an accusing manner, and the autosave is periodically saving diddly squat.

Instead of getting stuck in, today I've been taken over by a nasty gremlin known as 'work avoidance' which has had me making cups of tea, putting a wash on, doing some admin, making a couple of calls and - oh - writing this blog.

It amazes me after all these years as a writer and ghostwriter, I still struggle with writer's block. It's not that I have nothing to write, it's simply that now and again the task of writing daunts me. Sometimes - especially if the clock's ticking on a deadline - I push on through and invariably find once I get started I'm away and running. But on a day like today, I just give in to the malaise and accept that I'm about as creative, energetic and directed as a drunken wood louse.

Latest news

2010-02-02T11:39:00.000-08:00

I'll gloss over the fact I've been incredibly shoddy at keeping up with this blog (okay, I abandoned it completely in favour of spending my time watching True Blood, drinking cab sav and building Duplo towers for my son to knock down), and will move swiftly on to Perfectly Write's news.

Last year I set up a dedicated book critique website at www.bookcritique.co.uk, which once more challenged my skills in Dreamweaver to the point of rage/tears/despression.

And amid such web design efforts (quite literally) and a great range of projects - from ghosting the memoirs of a phone sex worker to developing books like Anger Management For Dummies (handy!) – I've finally started work on my book: the co-authored title How to Succeed as a Freelancer in Publishing (published by How To Books, autumn 2010). I'm enjoying the writing process, and the experience of co-authoring with the lovely Emma Murray. No doubt I'll share plenty more about the book in future blogs.

Back to work

2009-04-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm glad to say I'm finally back into the swing of things and happy to be working on proofreading, copy-editing and copywriting projects again.

And I have plenty of exciting business developments in the pipeline - including a dedicated book critiquing business and co-authoring a book on how to succeed as a freelance proofreader, copy editor and/or writer.

And I'm somehow still finding time to play endless games of peek-a-boo with my son...

Back in business...

2009-01-28T01:21:00.001-08:00

Hello world! Happy New Year.

Not long now until I'm back at my desk and taking a break from nappies, drool and gurgling (my son's, I hasten to add, not mine) to get back to writing, editing, proofreading and critiquing - hooray!

Perfectly Write will be open for business again in March, and I will be working at my usual capacity.

Look forward to hearing about new projects late Feb/early March.

Charlie :)

Perfectly Write takes a break . . .

2008-06-04T00:23:00.000-07:00

Well, the time has finally come: I’m now officially on maternity leave and am not taking on any further work for a few months. Yes, I’m taking off my editor/writer cap and swapping it for a ‘new mum’ one.

After years of concentrated hard work on Perfectly Write, I’m stepping back and taking some time off. Not for a well-earned rest though – I have a feeling my baby son will keep me just as busy as my business has done for years now!

I’ll be back to work early next year, no doubt eager to take a break from nappies and get back to writing and editing.

So to all my clients, I wish you happiness and success for the second half of 2008, and look forward to working with you again in 2009.

Now, where did I put Parenting For Dummies . . .

Bought and brought

2008-04-23T06:58:00.000-07:00

Another source of confusion for many writers. Here's the lowdown: bought is the past participle of the verb to buy. Brought is the past participle of the verb to bring.

Consider this sentence: Jamie brought some shoes from the shop. Some authors may use sentence this in the mistaken belief that they are describing Jamie buying shoes. Actually, the sentence tells us that Jamie was bringing shoes, not buying.

Remember, bring and buy leads to brought and bought.

Lack of clarity

2008-04-07T02:08:00.000-07:00

A problem that I frequently address in my editing work is unclear writing. For example, consider the following: Steve and Matt slipped out by the back door. He shut the door quietly. Can you spot the question this example raises? Who is 'he' in the second sentence - Steve or Matt?

Often, when you write you get caught up in the world you're depicting, and you can forget that the reader isn't inside your head, seeing exactly what you see. You know exactly who shut the door, and your mind assumes the reader does too.

The simplest remedy for such lack of clarity is to read your writing back to yourself slowly, and when you come to pronouns (e.g. he, she, it, they), think carefully whether you need to clarify who exactly the pronoun refers to.

Whilst or while? Amongst or among?

2008-03-05T08:54:00.000-08:00

There's no grammatical difference; it's simply a matter of choice. Whilst and amongst are fancy, formal styling; while and among are simple, plain English. So if you want to strike a friendly, modern tone, drop the st.

Lead or led?

2008-02-22T06:39:00.000-08:00

Many people get muddled by these two little words. As a noun, lead can mean a metal or something Rover drags you along by on his daily walk. Notice the metal is pronounced 'led' and the dog's attachment 'leed'.

The verb form of lead is most likely to lead to confusion for writers. In the present tense, you say I lead, you lead, he leads etc, all of which are pronounced 'leed'. But in the past tense, the verb becomes I led, you led, he led etc, all of which are pronounced 'led'.

So, the sentence 'Jim lead me by the hand' is never correct - Jim either leads you or led you.

Society of Young Publishers

2008-02-14T08:27:00.000-08:00

For the past couple of years I've been writing a column on the highs and lows of freelancing for the Society of Young Publishers. It's been a great way to chart my business journey and share some of the lessons I've learned along the way, and I confess I rather enjoy the writing side as well.
Next month I'll be popping into the Big Smoke to give a talk on freelance editing and proofreading, which will be a nice break from the norm and will no doubt remind me why I usually avoid public speaking at all costs! Although I used to be something of an actress in my youth, these days I'm rather used to expressing myself via the written word rather than spoken. It will be great to meet other freelances though, and I grab any chance to spend a day in the city that can incorporate an afternoon in Waterstones on Piccadilly . . .

Proofreading toolkit

2008-01-11T02:12:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy 2008 so far - I've finally started work on writing a proofreading course/toolkit. In recent months it's struck me that many clients would benefit from some general tips on proofreading, and indeed some clients who approach me mention that they would like to improve their proofreading skills.

Everyone can benefit from brushing up on proofreading, and that's why I want to provide a course that really makes a difference in day-to-day writing. I've no interest in writing a dry, epic proofreading tutorial that's crammed full of hideously complicated and coma-inducing grammar rules. Instead, I'm creating a lively, simple, user-friendly 'toolkit' that's written in English rather than grammar-speak. It won't make a professional proofreader out of you, but it will certainly make a difference and will iron out the common mistakes writers make that I correct day in, day out . . .

Merry Christmas

2007-12-20T11:14:00.000-08:00

I've been a little quiet these past three weeks - been very busy with a host of projects including two book critiques, an intensive copy-edit, a copy-edit with global recommendations and the big one: development editing Tax Guide For Dummies.

Hey ho, I'm off to my work's Xmas do now - me, a mince pie and a mighty glass of red wine. What more could you wish for?

Have a lovely Xmas and New Year,

Charlie

Organise, organise, organise

2007-11-28T08:35:00.000-08:00

When you write anything - from a letter right through to a 90,000-word book - your utmost priority needs to be how you organise the content. Forget about pretty and accurate language for now - that can come later. You need to meticulously plan your structure before you even begin writing, and give a great deal of thought to how the reader will most easily access your information.

Unfortunately, many writers get the process topsy-turvy. If you're writing a stream of consciousness piece or highly creative poem then fine, let the muse take over and lead you wherever she likes. But for any other writing (and that's 99.9 per cent of your writing) you need to plan what you say before you say it. If you don't, your reader gives up on your beautifully worded piece after page one, because the material is chaotic and confusing.

Readers like organised, logical, coherent structures. They like to read your info in manageable chunks (not two-page paragraphs) and to know exactly where they are and where the text is moving to.

A writer who spends time creating a detailed plan for her writing and mapping out the structure of the piece is much more likely to create good writing. I am always happier to review a writer's initial plan and iron out any problems at that early stage than wade through the final piece and try to work out what the writer's haphazard structure should become.

If you want the best out of your writing, do the groundwork and you'll find everything else falls into place from there. If you want the best out of your writing and you don't do the groundwork, you may find yourself in the frustrating situation of having to go back and rewrite much of your beloved text.

Proofreading anthologies

2007-11-25T09:33:00.000-08:00

This weekend I've been proofreading a collection of short stories, written by various authors at the turn of the last century. The anthology brought up two editorial issues:

Where a book comprises works from different authors, the editor/proofreader must decide whether to impose a house style upon all the stories, so that the book as a whole is consistent, or whether to respect each author's individual style. Clearly, each story was edited by a different editor a century ago, so each had a differing style. For this book, we've respected the author's style in many cases, but made some overall changes where the inconsistency may have bothered a reader (e.g. style of ellipses).
Because these stories were written 100 years ago, the authors used grammatical and linguistic styles that we wouldn't employ today - e.g. 'inquire' where we'd use 'enquire' and spellings such as 'to-night'. In the main, we left these original styles intact, which gives a greater sense of the author's original work.

If you're a fan of crime fiction, the book's a must-read. Look out for The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes when it publishes soon.

The difference between proofreading and copy-editing

2007-11-02T01:18:00.000-07:00

I write a column for InPrint, the magazine of the Society of Young Publishers. The following is a column from earlier this year that explains the difference between proofreading and copy-editing in the world of publishing.

Freelance glance

I’m commonly asked to explain the difference between a copy editor and a proofreader and my answer is this: A proofreader ensures accuracy and style consistency; a copy editor goes one step further and also improves the text. Clear as mud? Read on.

Proofreading

Proofreading is the last stage in a book’s editorial process - the final check-through before it’s handed over to the typesetter/printer. To ensure effective proofreading, the book should be in pretty good shape when it arrives on the proofreader’s desk, having been professionally copy-edited beforehand. Thus the proofreader focuses on spotting those odd mistakes that have slipped through the net, rather than being inundated with a sea of errors that overloads the eyes, making it much harder to spot each and every problem.

Proofreaders look at two areas as they read: accuracy and consistency. Firstly, proofreaders correct errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar: catching all the misspellings, spotting that misplaced apostrophe and sorting dodgy verb agreements. We also check things like page numbers, headings, formatting and references, and may be asked to verify facts and indexes as well.

Secondly, proofreaders are sticklers for consistency. We bring the text neatly into line, ensuring a consistent style is applied in areas such as capitalisation, italicisation, hyphenation, punctuation, spelling styles and formatting. Elements such as numbers, abbreviations, titles, bulleted and numbered lists, and tables and figures must adhere to one global style, usually laid down by the publisher.

Copy-editing

A copy editor improves text, as well looking at accuracy and consistency in the same way as a proofreader. There are varying levels and styles of copy-editing, and a copy editor must be flexible and edit according to the publisher’s preferences. Work on the text may be light or intensive, restrained or hands-on. When I copy-edit, a publisher may give me free rein to roll my sleeves up and undertake major restructuring and rewriting, or I may correct only the most awkward phrasing and diplomatically suggest larger improvements in separate comments.

So what exactly does a copy editor focus on? Well, it varies depending on the style and level of edit, but the job typically includes looking at the overall consistency and effectiveness of the plot, characterisation and structure; considering the author’s voice and its interpretation by the reader; watching out for anything that may be offensive, inaccurate or on a shaky legal footing; and, of course, addressing any weak areas of writing. A copy editor may also be expected to take on jobs like laying out material; liaising with designers and typesetters; choosing artwork and arranging permissions; and managing budgets - it all depends on how the publisher defines the scope of the role.

Different publishers expect different things from their freelance copy editors, and an editor must carefully follow the publisher’s instructions. This means that if the publisher commissions me to do a light edit only, that’s exactly what I do - even if I’m itching to rework sections that I can see could be improved. Editing with restraint is hard work at times, but just as the customer is always right in business, so the publisher is king in the world of editorial freelancing.

Keeping to editorial guidelines, however, doesn’t preclude intelligent copy-editing, by which I mean discussing with the publisher any major issues you can see that fall outside the remit of your edit. Most publishers appreciate perceptive copy editors who flag up important issues. Laying out exactly when and how a copy editor should do this is impossible: intelligent copy-editing is about intuitively adapting to each publisher’s style and knowing where the boundaries lie. It’s about effective communication and, above all, a careful and sensitive approach.

Proofreading and copy-editing sound like cushy numbers - reading books for a living. The reality is not all that easy - knowing the English language inside out; reading material several times over at an eye-wateringly slow pace; being permanently unable to turn off ‘editor mode’ when you want to read for yourself, for pleasure; and understanding when to change something, and when to steer well clear.

Both copy editors and proofreaders are writers at heart - they have to know how to write and what constitutes good writing in order to spot mistakes and improve others’ words. But this improvement must be made with sensitivity and respect for the author’s voice, and this is the true challenge of proofreading and copy-editing. Both proofreaders and copy editors must be chameleons – matching their style to the author’s as they work and always taking care not to tread on the author’s toes and impose their personal preferences and style on the text. We must know when to step back, when to respect the creativity of the writer, when to simply let go.

Development Editing For Dummies

2007-11-02T01:01:00.000-07:00

This month I've undertaken a new role with John Wiley & Sons (the publishers of For Dummies guides). As well as a Wiley proofreader and copy editor, I will now be a developmental editor as well, which basically means looking at the 'bigger picture' of a book and working with the structure, organisation, flow, content and tone of the material, rather than purely the language.

My first developmental editing job is under way and is called Tax Guide For Dummies. Hopefully, I'll pick up some tips on saving money on my tax bill along the way . . .

Proof of my SEO writing skill . . .

2007-10-17T10:04:00.000-07:00

Several months ago, I rewrote the copy and meta tags on my website to improve SEO for my site. Today, I was thrilled to see my hard work had paid off and Perfectly Write had climbed high in search engine rankings.

On Yahoo, I was either second or first for UK searches on the following terms: proofreader, copy editor, proofreader editor, proofreader London, proofreader Kent, copy editor London, copy editor Kent and copywriter Kent. On Lycos, I was first for three of these terms, second for three, and fourth for two. On Google, my page rank for these terms ranged from first to 20th. For almost every result on the three search engines, I was placed above any other commercial website that offers copywriting, copy-editing and proofreading services.

So clearly the SEO writing that I employ on my website and its code does the trick. I'm glad, because this helps reassure my clients that my formula for SEO copywriting is tried, tested and proven.

Now I'm off for some fish and chips to celebrate . . .

Should a copy editor only edit copy?

2007-10-14T02:50:00.000-07:00

In a nutshell, no. A copy editor also needs to think about the content of what they read, and look for inconsistencies or inaccuracies. Often, I find problems with text that my client missed entirely, and even if they hire me simply to tidy language, I always feel it's part of my job to flag up other stuff that jumps out at me. So although 'All women hate chocolate' is grammatically fine, I'd still be writing a note for this sentence that says something along the lines of 'Really? Are you sure? Is this a fact?'

Freelancer in focus

2007-10-02T08:08:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that I'm not a huge fan of pictures of myself, but this month I've put that aside, rummaged in some albums and found a suitably blurry snap to accompany my 'Freelancer in Focus' profile. If you're wondering what I look like or want to read more about my freelancing, my plans for the future, or my favourite place in the UK, check out the article by clicking here. And no, sadly that's not my back garden behind me but a lovely pond in Amsterdam....

Cliches, colloquialisms and corniness in professional writing

2007-09-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

In a nutshell, for professional writing that's top-notch, does the job and gets it spot on, steer clear of cliches, avoid colloquialism like the plague, and give corny language a miss because putting pen to paper with these is just not cricket (unless, of course, you're doing it for effect like this).

These three Cs are markers of unimaginative writing that do not belong in professional writing. They make readers feel nauseous and uninspired.

Here are some phrases I've been mercilessly cutting from some professional text:
~ they're sitting ducks
~ you have to dot the Is and cross the Ts
~ needs must
~ at the end of the day
~ when all's said and done
~ it's all Russian to me
~ chipping away
~ progress was up and down
~ like a reg flag to a bull
~ split hairs
~ full steam ahead

The basics of good structuring

2007-09-13T00:23:00.000-07:00

All written material - from letter to novel, website to marketing literature - needs an organised, logical, clear structure. Without this, the reader becomes lost and frustrated, and is likely to abandon any attempt at reading early on.

In my work as a copy editor, I come across chaotic, wandering text pretty often, and it's my job to sort it out - sometimes reordering material, sometimes cutting bits entirely. This is not an easy job, which is why I do my best to remind authors of the importance of good structure in their writing, and the absolute necessity of planning all writing.

Flashback to your school days when your teacher told you things like 'you need a beginning, a middle and an end' and 'plan your essay using spider diagrams'. Most of us grow up and discard such valuable teachings, which is a real shame as your teachers were spot on and trying to impress on you the very fundamentals of good writing.

Here are the ten tips I give authors to help them create well-structured writing:
1. Your material needs a clear beginning, middle and end.
2. Opening and closing paragraphs have the most impact, so ensure they act as a neat frame for your piece.
3. You must plan your writing before you begin - ideally on paper, using a mind map or spider diagram.
4. Each paragraph should focus on one topic only.
5. Use headings and sections to help create a logical structure
6. Material must flow in a logical order - plan what goes where before diving in.
7. If it's applicable to the style of writing, consider using tables, figures and numbered/bulleted lists to present information in a structured way.
8. A little trick to test your structure - work your way through your nicely laid out piece giving each paragraph a heading, e.g. Intro, First argument, First argument deconstructed, Second argument, Quote, Second argument disproved, Conclusion. This will help you find any sections that you can't clearly label (which means they are confused and without a central point) and any areas where the order is chaotic, and help you check the overall direction of the piece. Once you've completed this and are happy with the structure, simply remove the headings.
9. When you've finished writing, go through the material with your plan beside you and check that all the material is relevant to the topic - if it isn't, be merciless and cut, cut, cut.
10. Ask someone else - a friend, colleague or copy editor - to read through the finished material. Ask them to be honest and tell you whether the points are clear and easy to grasp, and whether they are lost/frustrated/bored in any sections.

Proofreading systematically

2007-09-10T04:04:00.000-07:00

Proofreading is all about being methodical, systematic and organised. There's no way your eye can look for twenty different things at once, which is why a proofreader breaks down the proofreading into stages. Here's an example of a proofreading list for the proofs of a novel:

1. Check all page numbers.
2. Check all running heads.
3. Check chapter breaks and heads.
4. Check prelims.
5. Check endlims.
6. Scan whole book looking for inconsistency in alignment, spacing and font size.
7. Carry out first proofread (read whole text) looking closely at each word.
8. Make any global changes discovered through the first proofread - e.g. changing all instances of proof-reading to proofreading (removing hyphens).
9. Carry out final proofread to catch any mistakes left.

As you can see, proofreading is a lengthy, involved process and to maximise efficiency and accuracy, a proofreader must have a logical approach.

Company - it or they?

2007-09-04T09:51:00.000-07:00

Confusion over this is something I come across frequently. Usually, a company (e.g. Perfectly Write) is singular (see how I used is there and not are?). So 'Perfectly Write is a company providing proofreading services and is based in Kent' is correct; 'Perfectly Write' are a company that also offer copy-editing services and are pretty good at copywriting too' is wrong (well, the grammar is, hopefully the sense is not!).

Often, I look at material in which the company switches from singular to plural pretty frequently and the whole document smacks of inconsistency. Like this: Perfectly Write offer a range of services to publishers. They provide proofreading and copy-editing, and the company has experience in publishing. Perfectly Write are dedicated to ensuring consistency in text - its ethos is to make things 'perfectly write'. I would correct this to: Perfectly Write offers a range of services to publishers. It provides proofreading and copy-editing, and the company has experience in publishing. Perfectly Write is dedicated to ensuring consistency in text - its ethos is to make things 'perfectly write'.

The writing muse

2007-09-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

When I was a child, I was fond of art but would become very frustrated very quickly by my inability to translate the image in my head onto the paper. In my head was a Van Gogh; on the paper a splodge. Learning to let go of such frustration and trust the process (and my muse) has been a journey for me.

Copywriting for a living is a funny old business. Obviously, I love writing (not much point being a copywriter otherwise), but writing my own stuff for my own amusement is very different from writing for a client. Why? Well, rather than waiting for your muse to seek you out, you have to get out there and find it on a daily business (and some days my muse loves to play hide and seek!).

I recently proofread a book called Muses, which got me thinking more deeply about how to be in touch with my own. And thanks to some heavy pondering, some experimental writing exercises and a willingness to change my attitudes to 'work' writing, I have found my muse visits much more frequently.

None of this means I don't believe my writing is my own, but I have long been fascinated by the writing process. Today, I sat down and wrote five marketing documents in one go. Before I began, I had a vague idea how I expected them to turn out; as I wrote, I felt myself relax and stay in the moment, going with the flow of my ideas and typing like fury to keep up; and at the end (as is always the case), I was pleasantly surprised by the direction I'd taken and the final result.

Writing must be structured, planned and well-formed. However, on the flip side of this, writing must also be creative and from deep inside. It's about balance. You have to trust that muse to take you there - even if there is somewhere rather different to your expectations.

And that ends today's deep and meaningful moment . . .

It's not just a job, it seems...

2007-08-31T10:05:00.000-07:00

Back from the land of baguettes and fromage, terrifying drivers, marvellous wine for £2 a bottle and siestas that seem to last most of the daylight hours, I've encountered mountains of work on a par with with beautiful Cevennes I've returned from, hence the lack of blog entries recently.

Switching my brain from French to English has been far easier than switching it off at night, and recently my sleep has been invaded by my work. I find myself typing my dreams out (!) and then copy-editing the written dream, followed by a meticulous proofread.

They say if you eat and sleep writing, you're a writer. I've certainly ticked one of the boxes now, but am slightly concerned about the other - perhaps I will soon find myself trundling back from the supermarket with bags full of Alphabetti and Alphabites, and spend my mealtimes writing marketing material out of pasta and articles out of potato shapes.

Proofreading and languages

2007-08-08T07:08:00.000-07:00

When I learned French and Spanish at school, I expected to use them on holiday mainly, certainly not as part of my work one day. Yet in my proofreading, copy-editing and copywriting, I have been surprised just how useful my learning in these languages is.

First, there are the times I'll use the languages directly - for example, spotting a typo in a French cookery term in this week's Dummies book, or noticing a missing accent on a top bridalwear designer's name in Bridal Buyer.

Then there are the times that my French and Spanish will help me see the root of a word in Latin, and find synonyms quickly without picking up a book.

But finally, I think it's the discipline and process of learning languages that helps me most to proofread, edit and write well. My English education was actually rather lacking at school, and I have my foreign languages teachers to thank for my grounding in grammar, spelling and punctuation - in order to learn a new language, it helps greatly to know how your own works down to the nuts and bolts.

One of these days I will find the time to improve my French and Spanish, and perhaps move on to Italian. German would also come in very handy, I'm sure. It's not just the English language I'm passionate about, but language in general, and I'm pleased to see when I work on QCA material that more and more languages are starting to come onto the national curriculum. As my five-year-old niece would say, Muy bien.

Technology: It's a love/hate thing

2007-08-06T05:39:00.000-07:00

It's been a pretty rough few days for Perfectly Write thanks to the untimely death of my work computer. Thank goodness for back-ups and my laptop, without which all work would have ground to a shuddering halt.

In the interim period while I wait for a resurrected or brand-spanking-new computer, I'm remembering why technology is so essential for copywriting, copy-editing and proofreading. For example, I'm currently proofreading Bridal Buyer magazine, which is emailed to me in pdfs. I usually print the pdfs straight off and proofread them on paper and on-screen which helps me catch all the mistakes, and means I can mark up the proofs ready to feedback changes. But my laptop refuses to connect to our printer, leaving me wasting valuable time each day copying the files onto a USB pen, loading up our geriatric PC, opening the copied files (which takes several minutes) and then coaxing the over-wrought computer to print them.

Frustrating, yes. Inefficient, yes. Here's hoping it's not for long...

Professional writing, grammar and proofreading

2007-08-03T04:57:00.000-07:00

Check out my recent Q&A with Self Made Minds at http://selfmademinds.com/200707/professional-writing-grammar-proofreading-10/#more-295.

Business blogs

2007-07-31T02:30:00.001-07:00

Blogs are big for business. Firstly, they improve SEO (search engine optimisation) for a website through the constant addition of new, relevant, keyword-rich copy. Secondly, they are a great way to let customers/clients know a bit more about you and your business.

Whichever style of blog you choose to go with - formal, professional, educative, news-packed, article-driven, diary-style, chatty - if it's a business blog, you need to pay attention to the standard of writing. Your potential and current clients will be judging you on each post you make, so if those posts are poorly written and riddled with typos and grammatical mistakes, you're going to do more harm than good.

If you're serious about writing a regular blog for your company, and you're prepared to admit you aren't a strong, accurate writer, you may want to think about brushing up your writing and proofreading skills. Or hiring a proofreader, copy-editor or copywriter for your blogging, which is becoming more common.

Like they say, If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing properly.

Semi-colons and colons

2007-07-29T01:39:00.000-07:00

Many people get muddled over the usage of colons (:) and semi-colons (;).

In simple terms, a colon is an introducer. It points forward and introduces:

a list (as above)
an extended quotation or sometimes direct speech. Mr Jones says: “I’m delighted by this promotion. . .”
an explanation or amplification of the preceding part of the sentence. There was only one thing to do: run.

The last use is the one most people struggle with. Basically, a colon is a rather dramatic punctuation mark: it makes the reader pause and theatrically announces something to come which will add new information to the part of the sentence before the colon. Usually, the part of the sentence before the colon is a complete sentence in itself, and the colon could be replaced with words like namely, that is, for example, for instance, because and therefore.

The semi-colon is a little like a comma but with special powers. It has two main jobs:

It can join two separate sentences that are closely related. It was his first job as a salesman; before this, he had been a teacher.
It can help divide up long and complicated lists that may otherwise be confusing. I ordered a prawn cocktail, not with salad; a steak, chips and peas; an ice cream sundae without nuts; and a pitcher of beer.

Correct usage of both colons and semi-colons is important for good, accurate writing. These days, some writers view them as old-fashioned and abandon them altogether, littering the page with dashes and comma splices instead. If you want to be taken seriously in any form of communication, I advise sticking with the rules of English grammar.

Lose and loose

2007-07-28T11:08:00.000-07:00

These two words are commonly muddled , and often writers have no idea that they are using them incorrectly.

Lose means to misplace something. Loose is the opposite of tight.

So the following are not correct:
Dropping my handbag made me loose my place in the queue.
I can't afford to loose this job.
The Hawaiian shirt was loud, lose and lousy.

How much easier it would be if they were spelled looze and loose, but that's the English language for you.

Common mistakes in writing

2007-07-23T04:30:00.000-07:00

They rear their ugly heads daily as I proofread and edit, worming their way into document after document as if sticking a tongue out at me goading, Catch me if you can. And I do catch them, day after day - mistakes I find so often they jump out at me from the page as if 3D.

Here's my top five:

Comma splices: It's amazing how many writers join two sentences together with a comma, and rather alarming how prevalent this has become in published books (take a look at this weekend's HP finale).
Missing/incorrect apostrophes: Did you notice the apostrophe in weekend's above? Many seem to feel the apostrophe is either optional, or something to plonk anywhere in the vicinity of the word in question.
Random capitals: I spend an impressive amount of my day decapitalising words.
Inconsistent styling: It's thirteen miles to London, but three lines later it's 15 days until Christmas.
Spellchecked nonsense: Just because that word is spelled correctly, doesn't mean it's the right word. This morning I found the following while proofreading a serious article on a church: The chap is a plaice for queer time (The chapel is a place for quiet time).

The spice of life

2007-07-20T02:02:00.000-07:00

Children's fiction to consumer-enticing web copy; 'how to' guide to publicity-grabbing news release; seo article to action thriller; copywriting and critiquing to copy-editing and proofreading: variety is one of the things I enjoy most about Perfectly Write.

In the last two weeks I've written articles on health and safety and barge racing; proofread books on John F Kennedy, Adidas, Sherlock Holmes, and a bridal magazine; copy-edited material on educational reform, educational resources and models for website redesign; and critiqued a website.

Next week I will be copy-editing and copywriting material for internal and external corporate magazines; rewriting a 30-page website to ensure search engine optimisation; proofreading a cookbook for diabetics, and anything else that lands in my inbox. It's an eclectic mix, but it keeps me on my toes.

Potty about Harry

2007-07-18T03:11:00.000-07:00

The clock is ticking, counting down the days, hours, minutes to the release of the grand finale of Harry Potter. It's with a sense of mounting excitement yet knowledge of a sad finality to come that I count down.

With the end of the series so close now, it seems an appropriate time to marvel at the phenomenal success of these books. Thanks to HP, reading has, at times, been the new TV. When I worked at a school it was often a struggle to get many kids interested in reading, but get them into these books and they were away - never mind the fact it took them a school term to get through each one.

I am an unashamed fan. You know those columns in magazines/papers/websites where they ask such-and-such celebrity/professional what they're reading, and most of them list a wonderful assortment of serious, weighty, wordy (boring?) 'literature'? I'd quite happily shout about HP (and many other children's books).

I dare say Saturday evening I shall be moping about like a child who's unwrapped her Christmas presents, played with them all, eaten turkey until she's bursting and watched every film on TV, and is now mourning the loss of anticipation, suspense and excitement. Until then, I watch the hands on the clock.

Random capitals - the Most Common misTake

2007-07-16T08:44:00.001-07:00

I can't even begin to tell you how many times each day I hit 'shift + F3' in Word to decapitalise a word/phrase. Many, many writers out there are trigger happy on that shift key as they type. In my years as a proofreader, capitalisation is the issue I come up against more frequently as I work with authors' texts - yes, far more so than spelling and just that bit more than punctuation. Today I've been marking up proofs, and I'd estimate 75 per cent of my changes are to decapitalise words - my hand is cramped from scribbling the BS 5261 proofreading symbol for 'make lower case'.

Perhaps it's that feeling of power as a writer that does it, to make Some Word Seem Very Important. The downside to a penchant for caps lock, however, is that overuse of upper case is off-putting to a reader, and very often grammatically incorrect.

My advice to the writers I work with is simple: Please do use a capital letter for the first word in a sentence and the name of your hometown, but if you're straying into the realms of 'capitals because I feel like it rather than because they are actually required', take a step back and resist. Your writing will be much stronger as a result, and my F3 key may just survive a few more years of proofreading.

If you need to brush up on the rules, dip into a grammar guide. I recommend Oxford guides, and also English Grammar For Dummies (I edited it, so can guarantee it's a great oracle for things like this).

Testing proofreading skills

2007-06-29T09:01:00.000-07:00

Recently, I posted a proofreading test on a networking website and invited people to see how many errors they could find in the short article. Most people rubbed their hands in glee at the chance to play teacher with mistaken-laden text, but what was surprising was just how many mistakes people missed.

Granted, I had been a bit cruel stuffing so many errors into four paragraphs, but people did miss some rather obvious things - such as an extra full stop at the end of a sentence. The absolute killer seemed to be that three months' worth needs that apostrophe after months. Not a single respondent spotted that - the only one who did, in fact, notice something amiss was a fellow professional proofreader who took great pleasure in informing me and the rest of those involved that I had missed three month's worth. It's completely wrong, but I was kind enough not to humiliate him by pointing that out in public.

Another major issue was the amount of changes people made which were completely unneccesary. I had people fiddling with every aspect of the article and changing things that did not need to be changed at all. One of the essential elements of being a good freelance proofreader is to know when to make changes, and when to leave alone - and to respect an author's writing style. Some, I think, got rather carried away with their red pens and made the kind of changes which would get them fired by a publisher asking for a proofread.

A great exercise for me which brought home the fact that, realise it or not, many people need some support with their writing and proofreading.

Leave the complex writing to Dickens...

2007-06-27T10:11:00.000-07:00

Good writing is clear, concise and simple. Good writing is not about how many fancy, long words you can ram in a 70-word sentence. It's not about feeling smug that your reader will need a dictionary to fathom your meaning. It's definitely not about confusing, boring or exhausting the reader, or trying to appear clever.

When I write, I try to keep it simple. I know that my readers will be more impressed by copy that's accessible and easy to understand than pompous writing. Just because I know a longer, weightier word for something, doesn't mean I have to use it. I trust that people know my worth as a writer and my intelligence without shoving a regurgitated dictionary down their throats.

Sometimes, it's appropriate to use formal language, for example my terms and conditions are worded formally. But formal writing can still be simple and clear, something which too many people forget.

I was once approached by a student who wanted me to rewrite his theses to make it 'more wordy'. His well-written plain English work was losing him marks from his university tutor because it wasn't 'complex enough'. I was rather glad I couldn't take on the project (it would constitute plagiarism) as to deliberately complicate text seems ridiculous to me.

If you want to win a literary award for a beautifully-written but fairly incomprehensible novel, pick up that dictionary. If you want copy that sells or informs, don't be afraid to keep it simple.

Think editor, think detective

2007-06-26T00:13:00.000-07:00

Being a copy editor is much more than just looking for spelling mistakes or rephrasing an awkward sentence. Copy-editing is about being a detective and tracking down mistakes and inconsistencies and flights of pure fantasy (in a non-fantastical genre).

I confess, it's an element of the job I rather enjoy: getting to page 67 and declaring Ah-ha, why is this character casually eating peanuts when on page 22 we're told he's allergic, or Hang on, how can she be admiring the sunset when she's just finished lunch?

Such detective work is a key element of an expert copy-editing service - your words may be beautifully crafted and free from typos, but a reader will be frustrated by inconsistencies and factual errors (such as setting a book in the Peak District but describing flat-as-a-pancake vistas throughout).

Professional copy-editing demands high levels of concentration, an enquiring mind, the ability to retain snippets of information from many pages ago and cross-reference against the current page, and having and building upon general knowledge so factual inaccuracies jump out.

It's all in a day's work for a freelance copy editor.

Five things you may not know about the world of publishing . . .

2007-06-23T07:52:00.000-07:00

You go into a bookshop and browse the titles in the chart, then choose one because after all, it's in the bestselling section so must be good, right? It may well be, but bear in mind that publishers pay some bookshops money to have a title displayed in the chart (and indeed in special offers and beautifully laid out on tables). What you are buying into is good marketing.
Not all published authors can write, at all! If you've wandered into your local bookshop and picked up a new book by such and such celebrity, chances are it has been 99.9% ghostwritten by an invisible and uncredited writer. In my time, I've done this on one book which shall remain nameless, and found it a very frustrating, badly paid and unrewarding process.
Not all published writers can write well. Rumours abound that some of the highest-earning authors in the world are actually poor writers who scribble out ideas which are formed by a good editor. In my job as a proofreader and editor, it's astonishing how much work I have to do on material written by 'proper' journalists, copywriters and authors.
By a certain point, some publishers will give up on perfecting text in the rush to get it printed. Once text has been typeset, changes take time and cost money, and proofreaders may be instructed to only pick out the 'worst mistakes' and ignore the rest.
Some publishers don't seem to give a Dickens about the state of their text - I recently bought a best-selling book and was appalled at the amount of mistakes that jumped out at me. The odd one or two is standard - after all, no editor/proofreader is perfect - but this was up to three a page in places. Sad as I am, I began marking them up, and finally sent the corrected book to the publisher in question suggesting they may need a better proofreader. I'm still waiting to hear...

Proofreading/copy-editing before approaching publishers . . . it's essential.

2007-06-21T10:10:00.000-07:00

Occasionally, I'll come across an author who'll tell me the following: I don't need to have my book proofread or edited before I send it out to agents and publishers. I know it's great, and I've proofread it myself and caught all the mistakes. Besides, there's no point doing too much to the text as the publisher will have an in-house copy-editor and proofreader who will do all that for me. Why should I pay to have someone work on the story or style and weed out any mistakes when the publisher will do it for me? It's a waste of time and money.

Gently, I have to break it to them that this approach is very, very, very unlikely to result in a published book. Firstly, you're unlikely to get past the slush pile if the publisher's reader is faced with typos, inconsistencies and issues in the style and content. A rare few may get through this on the basis of being a fabulous idea, but not many - what publisher wants to spend the time (and money) weeding out all those basic problems? If your book is littered with mistakes and problems, these will stand out a mile to the publisher and put them off greatly.

Secondly, you want the publisher to be impressed by both you and your book. They want to deal with a professional writer, and presenting an error-free manuscript is the ideal way to convey this. It's true that some books you see on the bestseller lists have been heavily edited and proofread in-house, but if you want to sell your book to a publisher, why not save them much of that effort?

Finally, no matter how well you think you've edited and proofread your book, unless you are a professional writer and editor, I can assure you there will still be mistakes and problems. You're too close to your own book to see the issues, and a professional proofreader and copy-editor will be looking for things you may never have thought of.

By all means edit and proof the book as much as you can, but if you are serious about getting that book published, let an expert take a look as well.

Writing critiques, advice and coaching

2007-06-12T07:06:00.000-07:00

Critiquing, by the very sound of the word, can be a terrifying concept - it sounds a lot like offering your writing up for fierce and painful criticism. But a good critique has little to do with criticism, and a lot to do with positive, affirming, encouraging advice and constructive pointers for your writing.

Critiquing writing, and offering writing advice and coaching for writers is a job I enjoy greatly. I see it as my role to encourage people to write, and there's nothing more rewarding for me than watching (and helping) writers grow in their skill and craft.

No writer is so brilliant at writing that they don't require plenty of pointers from others' reading the text - from the target audience to an experienced and sensitive editor. Writing advice, writing coaching and writing critiquing are not just about improving the bare bones of a writer's technique, but also about inspiring, motivating and generating new, exciting ideas.

Writers are often very possessive about their words: by its very nature writing is very, very personal and can feel like an extension of the writer themselves so making it harder to take on board comments and advice. However, this is something I encourage my clients to get past, and understand that constructive, realistic advice can only improve writing and confidence in the long run.

If you want to grow as a writer, and see your writing improve, critiquing, advice and coaching is an important part of this process.

Proofreading services in Kent, London, the UK, all over

2007-06-06T06:16:00.000-07:00

How big a deal is location when hiring a freelance proofreader? Well, it rather depends on your needs. Some clients like to meet and discuss copy face to face, and this can be useful in determining whether the material would benefit best from proofreading or copy-editing. But many of my clients prefer to work with me remotely.

I provide proofreading services in Kent, where I'm based, and some of my more local clients like to meet and discuss projects with a Kent proofreader.

I also provide London proofreading services, and some clients like the fact that I can travel to meet them in London, but usually after the initial meeting the project continues over email and the phone.

But the beauty of a freelance proofreader is that geography isn't limiting, meaning I can offer UK proofreading services across the country, working remotely with clients. Many of my clients are scattered far and wide, and yes, some as far off as Sweden. As long as the internet connection is up and running, I'm a proofreader on any client's doorstep.

Of course, the flip side of this for me is that one day I will settle in a cottage away from it all, and proofread happily in the countryside.

Should copywriters, copy-editors and proofreaders be experts in the material?

2007-06-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

This is a common question. Clients often feel reassured hiring a writer, editor or proofreader with a background in the genre of the material.

Obviously, this makes the process easier, but I'm always keen to show clients that any copywriter, copy editor and/or proofreader worth their salt will be flexible and practised in researching their subject matter. Thanks to the Internet, checking facts and reading up on particular areas is easier than ever, and most editorial and writing professionals refer to a bulging shelf of reference books, dictionaries and style guides.

You'll often be hard-pushed to find a freelance writer or editor with an exact background that matches your material, and for that very reason freelance writing and editing is all about adaptability and learning new things daily. Part of the make-up of a successful professional editor and writer is their research ability, and their willingness and commitment to making the effort to learn about new things.

For copywriting there are, of course, some areas where a specialist writer may be required, but the majority of copy can be provided by a skilled and flexible copywriter. For copy-editing and proofreading, there are few limits on the type of material suitable. Editing and proofreading is a process applicable to all material, and as long as a thorough dictionary or glossary is available, there is no reason why a professional copy editor and proofreader can't effectively and efficiently check the material.

Flexibility creates variety, and it is this essential component of the editor and writer's job that I enjoy most. This year alone I've gained a wealth of knowledge, an eclectic mix that demonstrates my adaptability as a freelance proofreader, editor and writer. Here's a snapshot: Romans, parenting, animation, property investment, drugs awareness, GCSE curricula, pesticide testing, anxiety, gardening, environment, economics, grammar, Doctor Who, football, muses, digital marketing. And that's just the non-fiction . . .

The difference between copywriting, copy-writing and copy writing

2007-06-04T08:10:00.000-07:00

This is where most of my clients come unglued - hyphenated (copy-writing), spaced (copy writing) and compound (copywriting) words.

If you look at my website, you'll see my three key services are exactly these sorts of tricky words: copywriting (copy-writing, copy writing), copy-editing (copy editing, copyediting) and proofreading (proof-reading, proof reading) - and this includes permutations like copywriter, copy editor and proofread.

Sometimes, this is a matter of style and is open to interpretation; sometimes there is a right style and a wrong style. So how do you know the difference? Two words: the dictionary.
Copyediting, for example, is not correct, but copy editing and copy-editing are, although most dictionaries agree the correct style is copy-editing.

Because there are no clear rules governing styles such as these, you're only hope of getting it 'perfectly write' is to pick a dictionary, and then stick with its particular style. I use Oxford style (although you may go with Chambers or Penguin), which means I style my services copywriting, copywriter, copy-editing, copy editor, copy edit, proofreading, proofreader, proofread.

The golden rule, however, is consistency. Pick a style for a word or phrase, check it in a dictionary, then stick with it in your writing. Nothing is more off-putting for a reader than a copywriting service by a professional copy-writer.

My idea of heaven . . .

2007-05-25T11:57:00.000-07:00

Today has been one of those days I remember why I chose to be a freelance writer and editor. As it was a beautiful day in Kent, my partner had the day off and I had no pressing deadlines, we decided to jump in our geriatric car and pooter off to the seaside for the day - bliss.

After an al fresco lunch and a meander down by the sea, we decided to mooch about the shops, and discovered my favourite of all places - a real, authentic, characterful, crampt bookshop - my idea of heaven. I spent a good half hour immersed in shelves of books scattered through windy corridors and up wonky stairs, finding titles you just wouldn't come across in your local chain book store.

I could have spent the afternoon there, but I eventually realised my partner was bored beyond belief (sadly, he's not a bookshop aficionado). I did, however, come away with some great additions to my already stuffed-too-full bookcases.

I also played my favourite bookshop game - hunt the books I've edited/proofread. Today the total was four - which isn't bad going for a small, independent shop.

But the best part of the trip was discovering a wonderful new children's picture book series which had me laughing out loud in the shop (to my partner's embarrassment). Yes, there's nothing more inspiring and fun for me as a writer than spending time in bookshops.

So thank you, Whitstable, for reminding me how much I love books, writing, reading and my job.

Spellcheckers are not a way around proofreading

2007-05-19T10:38:00.000-07:00

A pet peeve of mine is people relying on spellcheckers to ensure their written material is accurate and error free. Although useful for picking up on the odd typo, spellcheckers will miss many, many mistakes.

This poet hits the nail on the head:

Eye halve a spelling chequer by Sauce Unknown
I have a spelling checker.
It came with my pea sea.
It plane lee marks four my revue
Miss steaks aye can knot sea.
Eye ran this poem threw it,
Your sure reel glad two no.
Its vary polished in it's weigh.
My checker tolled me sew.
A checker is a bless sing,
It freeze yew lodes of thyme.
It helps me right awl stiles two reed,
And aides me when I rime.
Each frays come posed up on my screen
Eye trussed too bee a joule.
The checker pours o'er every word
To cheque sum spelling rule.
Bee fore a veiling checker's
Hourspelling mite decline,
And if we're lacks oar have a laps,
We wood bee maid too wine.
Butt now bee cause my spelling
Is checked with such grate flair,
Their are no fault's with in my cite,
Of nun eye am a ware.
Now spelling does knot phase me,
It does knot bring a tier.
My pay purrs awl due glad den
With wrapped word's fare as hear.
To rite with care is quite a feet
Of witch won should be proud,
And wee mussed dew the best wee can,
Sew flaw's are knot aloud.
Sow ewe can sea why aye dew prays,
Such soft wear four pea seas,
And why eye brake in two averse
Buy righting too pleas.

My article Spellchecker: Friend or Foe has more detail on the dangerous assumption that these tools get it ‘perfectly write’.

Nothing replaces careful, thorough proofreading, so for more tips on how to do this, check out my article Ten Top Tips for Proofreading.

Proofreading is not synonymous with speed-reading

2007-05-17T10:33:00.000-07:00

The Society for Editors and Proofreaders believe a professional proofreader can read an average of ten pages an hour, with 300 words per page.

That’s ten pages, not sixty odd. It never ceases to amaze me that people think anyone, let alone a proofreader, can do a top-notch proofreading job if reading at speed.

Yet, that seems to be the case. I’ve certainly encountered it, and a fellow proofreader recently recounted to me the bawling out her boss gave her for missing a mistake (just one mind) in a long document she had been forced to speed-read with constant interruptions of, ‘Are you done yet?’

Proofreading by its very nature is slooooooooow and methodical. Speed-reading may seem an efficient way to get the job done faster, but it comes back to bite you in the end if you want a good, accurate result.

As a professional proofreader, I can’t really see the point at all of hiring a proofreader and then asking for speed-reading: You may as well not bother having the document proofread in the first place as it won’t finish up error-free.

That’s one of the things I love most about working for myself, and in my home office. I can take as long as I need over thoroughly reading material, and there’s no one hovering over my shoulder distracting and pressurising me.

To coin a phrase, more haste less speed, and if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing properly.

It's bigger, better and . . . er . . . bluer

2007-05-16T07:39:00.000-07:00

Fanfare please . . . today is the grand launch of the shiny, new Perfectly Write website with:

more about my copywriting, copy-editing, copywriting and critiquing services
more writing tips and resources for authors
more about me, including what makes me stand out in the crowd
more detail on clients I work for and projects I’ve done
more links to useful sites
more pictures, including a wee one of myself (which will thankfully be replaced shortly with a professional head shot that doesn’t make me look like Casper the ghost).

Perfectly Write has come a long way from its first website (comprised largely of clipart and liable to crash the average computer so overly complex was the code) – I look forward to seeing how it evolves from hereon.

Not waving, but drowning

2007-05-15T06:59:00.000-07:00

Phew, what a fortnight it's been. My poor blog has been sadly neglected thanks to the distraction of my house flooding (very long, soggy story).

Copywriting, copy-editing and proofreading amid floating possessions (okay, okay, that’s pushing it as my office is upstairs – but I’m a writer, poetic licence is a must) has been an exercise in focus and concentration. It can be a challenge to write, edit and spot mistakes to the dulcit tones of seven workmen trampling about beneath me, using an industrial pump to make my house a home once more, rather than a paddling pool.

But being a professional is about rising above these things – so thanks to earplugs and wellies, Perfectly Write sailed through the whole debacle.

This particularly rainy cloud has had a silver lining in helping to reinforce some things for me . . .

Firstly, it’s reminded me exactly why a quiet, calm environment is essential for a copywriter and editor. That’s exactly why many of my clients outsource their writing and editorial work – because offices are too distracting for efficient and accurate proofreading, editing and writing.

It’s also made me appreciate the comfort and tranquility of my home office all the more – now that life has returned to some normalcy and I’m copywriting snug and dry this afternoon accompanied by Ella Fitzgerald.

Finally, and probably most importantly, it’s taught me the location of our exterior stopcock and just how noisy industrial dehumidifiers can be . . .

A professional bookworm

2007-05-04T08:03:00.000-07:00

For me, one of the best things about being a freelance copywriter, copy-editor and proofreader is the variety of material I work on, and how much I learn from that material.

I’ve always read widely, but my reading and knowledge has expanded dramatically since I went freelance. I work for such a diverse range of clients, I learn heaps from their material and from the work I carry out on it.

Most projects necessitate a degree of research – usually a click away via Google although occasionally I’ll convince myself it must be done in my homes-from-home, local bookshops and the library.

So, for example, when I’m copywriting a website or marketing material, I’ll read up on the company, its sector and competitors, and the target audience – which just this month has included finding out about property investment, pesticide testing and the classification of illegal drugs – all things I never would have known about otherwise.

Then there’s the books I proofread and copy-edit – a fantastic mix of genres and subject matter. I’ve read of Romans and secret societies; animators and grass-eating lions. I’ve delved into the worlds of design and football, professional gambling and royalty. I’ve edited true life stories of crime, passion and domestic violence, and escaped into fantasy with tales of humanised animals and the devil himself. I’ve journeyed to Vichy France, 1930s academia, Prohibition-era Illionos and 15th-century Wales. And I’ve brushed up my business skills with titles on marketing and bookkeeping, learnt how to live green and how to overcome anxiety (which came in very handy while completing my tax return this week).

Thanks to Perfectly Write, I’m fast becoming a mine of useful (and also fairly useless) information and am seriously running the risk of overdoing the phrase Did you know? with friends and family.

It’s something that keeps me challenged and enthusiastic about each new project.

My top ten* children's authors (in no particular order)

2007-05-02T11:00:00.000-07:00

One of my current writing projects for myself is a series of illustrated children’s books for young readers. I find it a great way to wind down after a day of proofreading, editing or copywriting – doing something deliciously fun and fairly ridiculous with words. It usually involves vibrant felt-tips, an enormous sheet of paper and some stick men drawings my two-year-old nephew would scoff at.

So reading (and rediscovering) children’s books is something I’m particularly into at the moment. Earlier today I was chatting with a client about which children’s books his grandson may like, and I enjoyed myself so much suggesting authors, I thought I’d share some of my favourites here.

Roald Dahl – the man was a genius
Terry Pratchet – especially the recent Wee Free Men books
J.K Rowling – obviously
C. S Lewis – for the Narnia series
Philip Pullman – I especially like the Sally Lockhart quartet
Dr Seuss – try reading Fox in Socks aloud quickly!
Hans Christian Andersen – beautiful
L. Frank Baum – his Oz books are much better than the film
Enid Blyton – her books have a certain charm
Judy Blume – because she was one of the first authors to stop talking down to kids

Thinking about it, I rather disagree with labeling children’s books as that at all. I think the world would be a far happier place if adults read this stuff more as well (and no, I don’t mean at your wee one’s bedtime when, in order to tuck them in quickly, you skip whole paragraphs, speak so fast your tongue cramps and turn over the pages ten at a time!).

* For today at least. There’s so many to choose from!

Thanks Nelson

2007-05-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

Believing in your talent as a writer (or indeed as anything) is not always easy – especially when we live in a world peppered with negativity and criticism. Every writer has days when they think I’m not good enough, who am I kidding? or I’ll never make it, I may as well give up.

My number one aim with the writers I work with is to encourage them to write, write, write. If you want to write, then write – it doesn’t matter how good you think you are, all creativity is important, valid and inspiring. So what if you read it back and it’s nonsense? – that was a good exercise for the next piece. So what if you can’t spell or punctuate? – that’s what copy-editors and proofreafers like me are there for! And so what if your doormat is carpeted with rejection letters? – that doesn’t mean you should stop writing if it’s what you love to do.

When I’m having a my-writing-is-only-fit-for-the-compost-heap kind of day (yes, even professional copywriters get those days), I read the following quote from Nelson Mandela, and somehow it always inspires me.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? . . . Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do . . . It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

My favourite kind of phone call

2007-05-01T05:02:00.000-07:00

There’s nothing that brightens my day more than a call from an author I’ve worked with telling me a publisher is interested in their book. Today one of my authors has been contacted by three reputable publishers asking for more, more, more material and meetings.

I know from my own writing that books are often your babies, and it’s very hard to let someone else in to offer advice or improvements. This particular client is a real gem who welcomes my comments, changes and creative ideas, and trusts my expertise.

She had already sent these stories to the publishers in question before working with me, and been rejected. Which just goes to show the benefits of letting a copy-editor and proofreader help – publishers are interested in books that are accurate, consistent and properly laid out, as well as being well-written, of course.

I share her excitement and pride and wish her much luck in her journey ahead.