Claire Cross – Editor

I've worked for over two decades as a freelance editor and copywriter for major UK book and partwork publishers, including Dorling Kindersely, Octopus Publishing, Routledge, International Masters Publishers, Creative Plus, MQ Publications and Lifestyle Marketing Ltd. My particular areas of interest include pregnancy and parenting (from birth through to teenagers and the transition to adulthood); complementary health and wellbeing; yoga and fitness; cookery (including the science of) and healthy eating; fertility and menopause. As well as project managing publications, working with authors, designers, photographers and editorial consultants, I'm happy to be part of the editorial support team, working under the project manager, and to take on commissions for copywriting and proofreading.

One of the great pleasures of editing is working with, often first time, authors, taking their raw text and guiding them step-by-step through the publishing process to help them hone their manuscript and add those extra touches that will see them produce a piece of work they're truly proud of. As well as carrying out the nuts and bolts editing to correct spelling, grammar and syntax for readability and flow, together with the author I'll review the structure of the manuscript, looking at headings and devices that reel the reader in and make text accessible; weed out repetition, trimming where needed to ensure text is concise and pithy; and make sure that copy is accurate and clear throughout. After the author's final check of their edited manuscript – a chance to make those crucial last-minute changes to perfect the text – I can proofread the book in its entirety to ensure it's print-ready.