The best proofreaders for hire in the United Kingdom

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Editor/Writer with more than 20 years of experience in educational publishing, magazines, technical and web.

Genres: Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Education & Reference, Math & Science, Writing & Publishing, Children's, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, History, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Macmillan UK
  • Multimedia Communications, Singapore
  • Marshall Cavendish, Singapore
  • Educational Publishing House, Singapore
  • Horizon Knowledge Solutions Pte Ltd, Singapore
  • Shing Lee Publishers Pte Ltd, Singapore
  • Chacon Publishing Inc, Calgary, Canada
  • Self-employed

Emily 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

A Bookseller Rising Star and commercial fiction editor with 12 years editing experience at Penguin Random House, Hachette and HarperCollins

Genres: Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Fantasy, and Historical Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Quercus (Hachette UK)
  • Ebury & Del Rey (Penguin Random House)
  • Orion Publishing (Hachette UK)
  • Avon (HarperCollins)
  • Boldwood Books

Tom 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Highly experienced academic and educational book editor, previously worked as Senior Book Production Editor for a leading publishing house.

Genres: Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Medicine, Nursing, & Dentistry, Math & Science, Political Science & Current Affairs, Sociology, Education & Reference, and History.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • SAGE

Elizabeth 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

I am a freelance editor with over eighteen years experience. My skills include developmental editing, copy editing and proof reading.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Parragon
  • Robert Hale, Ltd.
  • Hodder and Stoughton

Julia 5 star rating

Cambridge, United Kingdom

I am an editor and writer with a mission to make everything I work on the best it can be. I specialise in non-fiction and children's books.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Nature, Middle Grade, Children's, Fantasy, and Education & Reference.

Work experience:

  • Reader's Digest
  • Macmillan Children's Books
  • HarperCollins Children's Books
  • Penguin Books, Ltd.
  • Harcourt Education
  • Orpheus Books
  • Self-employed

Sarah 5 star rating

Lincoln, United Kingdom

Specialist in Romance, Crime Thrillers, YA, Paranormal, LGBTQ+ and Historical. Former Senior Editor at Bonnier with 12+ years' experience.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, Women's Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Historical Romance, Psychological Thriller, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Totally Entwined Group (Bonnier Publishing)

Jenny 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Experienced editor of writing for children and adults (fiction, non-fiction, picture books, novelties) through all stages of editing.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Picture Books, Children's, Middle Grade, Children’s Non-Fiction, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Hot Key Books
  • Walker Books

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Joanna 5 star rating

Oxford, United Kingdom

Authors say I’m thorough, professional and prompt – contact me to find out why!

Genres: Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Political Science & Current Affairs, Humanities & Social Sciences, Psychology, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, History, and Health & Wellbeing.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Blackwell Publishing, Oxford

Deborah 5 star rating

Bexley, Kent, United Kingdom

Crime/thriller, romance & literary fiction editing for indie authors and publishers

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Romance, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Chris 5 star rating

Exeter, United Kingdom

I am an experienced copy- and developmental editor specialising in Business, IT and Physical Sciences for authors, academics and publishers.

Genres: Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Computers & Internet, Engineering, Math & Science, Music, Humanities & Social Sciences, Physics & Chemistry, Technology, Photography, and Economics.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Sophron Partners
  • McKinsey & Co.
  • Cambridge Consultants

Hannah 5 star rating

Oxford, United Kingdom

An editor with expertise in children's books, literacy and artwork design, I’ve worked with authors such as Julia Donaldson and Terry Deary.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Comics & Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Literary Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Education & Reference, Comics Non-Fiction, and ELT.

Work experience:

  • Pearson Plc
  • Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
  • Oxford University Press
  • Hamilton Trust
  • HarperCollins Publishers
  • Camel Publishing Ltd.
  • BBC
  • Oxford Inspires
  • Blue Tutors
  • University of Oxford
  • Forge Media, University of Sheffield

Niamh 5 star rating

Leamington Spa, United Kingdom

Professional editor, proofreader and project manager, specialising in educational publishing.

Genres: Education & Reference and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Scholastic Ltd

Donna 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Fiction and non-fiction. 20 years' publishing experience (regular clients include HarperCollins, Penguin RH, Hachette, Pan Mac)

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Women's Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Thriller & Suspense, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Harlequin UK Ltd
  • Little, Brown
  • Self-employed

Loma 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Friendly, efficient editor and researcher with a deep passion for books and authors. Reading is my pleasure as well as my profession.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Young Adult, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Travel, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Short Story, Mystery & Crime, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Claire 5 star rating

Chelmsford, United Kingdom

Reliable and versatile proofreader and copy editor with a passion for all things Sci-Fi and Dickens.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self employed

Nira 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Senior Editor, looking to help fiction writers with their novels. My books includes New York Times and Sunday Times bestsellers.

Genres: Women's Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Contemporary Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, African American Fiction, and Humor & Comedy.

Work experience:

  • Ebury, Penguin Random House UK
  • Icon Books, UK
  • HQ, HarperCollins UK

Tom 5 star rating

Plymouth, United Kingdom

I am an editor, a prize-winning author and creative writing lecturer with more than ten years' experience.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Short Story, Mystery & Crime, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • High-quality online journal
  • Plymouth University
  • Self-employed

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Hire the best proofreaders in the UK

If you’ve got the manuscript, we’ve got the proofreaders who can whip it into shape for you. In order to stand up (and stand out) next to traditionally published books, your story will need to be free of mistakes. And that includes the minuscule language details that may have evaded your detection, such as typos or spelling mistakes, punctuation errors, and grammar slip-ups — all of which can determine whether your book receives positive or negative attention from readers.

Proofreaders tackle the final stage of the editing process, guaranteeing that your work reaches readers in its best possible form. No matter your genre, your project will benefit from a thorough quality check on the language level, ensuring that the way you use words results in clarity and a smooth flow, while your style is of a standard that would be right at home among bestsellers. This part of the editing process doesn’t deal with content or structure, so you should only proceed with proofreading once your manuscript has reached its final form, and no further editing or research is pending.

Professional proofreaders are employed by traditional publishing houses and self-publishing authors alike. Quality proofreaders should ideally bring a host of abilities to the table of a collaboration, including patience, decades of experience, and a meticulous eye for detail. So if your intention is to publish a book that is the best that it can be, you’ll want to find the best proofreader for hire in the UK.

Here’s the good news: you’re one step ahead of the game, because you’re already in the right spot. Reedsy is home to the best professional proofreaders in the United Kingdom and the book business more broadly. Our publishing professionals have experience editing at Big 5 publishers under their belt and have frequently worked on bestselling books, and now’s your chance to work with them. Sign up for a free Reedsy account today to browse our professionals’ online portfolios and reviews from past clients who’ve used their services. Simply get in touch to request a quote from them today.

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Step 2

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Step 3

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Request quotes from up to five freelancers at any time. They’ll look at your sample pages to give you a tailored quote as well as a sense of how they work.

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Once you agree on terms and a timeline, you’ll start collaborating using the many communication and editing tools available on Reedsy.