What can I do for you?

I offer a free sample edit of around 1000 words.

I am trained to edit using Word track changes and comment boxes, and in PDF files using Adobe mark up tools.

All my services include a Zoom discussion. You decide when would be most useful. Before or after the completion of your project or both (or during).

I have experience of editing in UK and American English.

If we make the decision to work together, we will sign clearly defined and agreed terms and conditions. This ensures we both know exactly what to expect, including timings and scope of the project.

Your project is unique.

Send a few details and I’ll let you know if I can help.

Useful information to include in your initial query:

  • your proposed deadline

  • type and length of your work

  • your intended audience

  • the service you think you require

  • anything else I should be made aware of

If I’m not the right editor for you I can suggest other professional editors.

Get in touch!

Yes, it can be hard to know what kind of edit is needed.

You might be a small business, a charity, or an indie author, wondering how an editor or proofreader might improve your writing.

There are different levels of editing and it can be confusing to work out what you really need, especially if you are working with a tight budget.

We have developmental editing, copy editing and proofreading. I’m looking forward to offering developmental editing in the future but for now I offer copyediting, proofreading and proof-editing.

At the copyediting stage the editor is looking for consistency, sense and readability. For example, here is where an editor might pick up things like a tall character wearing a jacket at the start of the chapter but becoming small and wearing a coat by the end of the chapter.

Proofreading is the final stage your writing will go through - the end polish to catch any small but important errors that might have been missed in previous rounds.

Have a look below for some more detail.

A woman (Lizzie Gowans, the editor) in a red coat and striped shirt bending down to take a photo on the sandy beach with her dog in the water nearby, under a cloudy sky.

Proofreading

I check for typos, grammar errors, inconsistency, correct punctuation, clarity, and design and layout.

As a human proofreader, I am better placed to spot errors in context than an AI grammar and spellchecker. The human brain has the advantage of common sense over the computer.

To give clients an idea of pricing for a professional proofreader, the suggestion from the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) is £30.75 as a minimum hourly rate.

Currently I am offering introductory rates while I build my business but these will be finishing soon. Get in touch before they end!

Close-up of wet sand with ripples and footprints on a beach with calm ocean waves in the background.

Proof-editing

Proof-editing is a relatively new term which describes the combination of a copy-edit and proofread. It is a kind of hybrid which combines copy-editing and proofreading.

This can be especially useful if your budget is tight and your text needs just that bit more work than a proofread. Sometimes it is only when an editor sees the project that it becomes clear that the text is not quite ready for the final proofreading stage.

Proof-editing improves the flow of the text and can strengthen the message.

This is where a sample edit is useful because it allows us the chance to discuss and agree what your text requires.

My logo features a daisy. The word ‘gowan’ is a Scottish noun, meaning a wild white or yellow flower, especially a daisy.