Don M.E.

Don M.E. – Editor

Editor for Routledge. I work on academic research in cultural studies, anthropology, philosophy and other humanities. Experienced (12 yrs).

Overview

I work mainly with fiction books and academic research. Closest to home for me are books and research papers in the humanities (as I have published my own work in cultural studies, musicology and philosophy), but I have plenty of experience copyediting science subjects as well as historical and literary fiction.

I do not rely on AI. I offer a guaranteed, human editing service.

I'm a trained academic (Master's degree with first class honours), with a background in education. I am also a published author so I'm familiar with the 'other side' of the process.

I can help you with:

line editing

copy editing

developmental editing

proofreading

I strive for consistency and clarity in your text, logic in reasoning and general flow. I work meticulously, immersing myself in one project at a time so that it shines. My rates are reasonable. I work in UK, US and Canadian English.

About me:

I have trained in copyediting with the Chartered Institute of Editors and Proofreaders (CIEP) of which I am a Professional Member, and often work with Cambridge Proofreading—one of the most well-regarded editing firms in the world. I have edited books for Taylor & Francis, Bloomsbury, Manchester University Press, CUNY Press and others.

Services
Non-Fiction
Art Economics History Nature Philosophy Physics & Chemistry
Fiction
Cultural & Ethnic
Languages
English (CAN) English (UK) English (US)
Certifications
  • MA
  • Cert in Copyediting (CIEP)
  • MMus
  • BMus
  • LRIAM

Work experience

Self-employed

Aug, 2023 — Present
I copyedit books for Routledge, mostly in the humanities.

Self-employed

Sep, 2009 — Present
I have worked on many PhDs theses (the last of which was awarded with no corrections), academic articles (STEM) in preparation for peer-review from university academics. I have worked on monographs in the humanities and fiction also. Previous clients have included hemsleyfraser.com, The Polytechnic University of Valencia, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Agricultural Sciences, Agronomy.

Don has 4 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Zacc B.

Zacc B.

Mar, 2024

Pinned
Very well done, looking forward to working more with Don in the future.
James G.

James G.

Dec, 2023

Pinned
Working with Dónal was straightforward and he communicates well. He edited the manuscript professionally by normalizing stylistic preferences to standard style guide suggestions. He also posed questions and provided opinions on style and wording.
Igor K.

Igor K.

Nov, 2025

Very thorough and knowledgeable, is how I experienced the editing received by Don. And completed well within schedule. I am very happy with the major increase in quality that the edit gave to my manuscript.
Don M.
Thanks Igor! It was a pleasure to work on such an original manuscript. I'm looking forward to seeing it published.
Lesley W.

Lesley W.

Sep, 2024

As a first time writer I was a little apprehensive about the whole system and what to expect. Of all the editors reedsy offered I chose Dónal, believing that his field of interest, knowledge and experience would best suit my project. I proceeded and agreed to work with him. I've recently had my...
Read more
Don M.
Thanks for your remarks, Lesley. It was a pleasure to work on your book and I'm looking forward further collaboration in the future.

Most recent contributions

What tools or apps actually make a difference in streamlining the writing process?

Today we have a plethora of excellent software programs for writing, such as Reedsy Studio, Scrivener, and Grammarly. Some writers use ChatGPT, although I would not recommend using an AI generative language model to help writing. This is because it bypasses the process altogether, replacing the w...
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How can an author balance factual accuracy with narrative style in creative nonfiction?

Of course, no writer has an objective viewpoint. But the nonfiction writer still must present things as they are without changing the facts. Some methods for making nonfiction compelling include: playing with structure, not in terms of cause and effect, but in the storytelling exploring the int...
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What daily writing routines can help authors maintain consistent productivity?

There are four things that I consider before settling in to write. What sounds are there? The best is silence, but in a city environment this is impossible. If there are specific loud that I want to block out, I listen to drone music. This consists mostly of long, sustained notes (no melodies) a...
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