The best proofreaders for hire in the United Kingdom

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Karen 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Award-winning editor & publishing consultant. Launched bestselling series like Beast Quest. Specializes in adult, YA & children's fiction.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Women's Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Mystery & Crime, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Little, Brown Books For Young Readers
  • Working Partners

Clare 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

A freelance copy-editor and proofreader specialising in cookery, craft and other lifestyle titles.

Genres: DIY & Crafts, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Home & Garden, and Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits.

Work experience:

  • Cico Books
  • New Holland Publishers
  • Clare Sayer

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

Atalanta 5 star rating

Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

Editor | Proofreader | Writer (arts humanities, education, fiction, nonfiction, corporate and nonprofit publishing and comms)

Genres: Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Classics, Fiction, Short Story, Education & Reference, Design, Business & Management, Contemporary Fiction, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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

Caroline 5 star rating

Durham, United Kingdom

A flexible non-fiction editor with an eye for detail and consistency. I make sure that the little things don't distract from the big things.

Genres: Mathematics & Statistics, Math & Science, Non-Fiction, and Technology.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Selena 5 star rating

Preston, United Kingdom

Highly experienced proofreader and copy-editor of healthcare/biomedical, academic, business and miscellaneous subjects at competitive rates.

Genres: Health & Wellbeing, Non-Fiction, Medicine, Nursing, & Dentistry, Math & Science, Humanities & Social Sciences, Nature, Education & Reference, and Life Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • I.M.S. Health (now IQVIA)
  • Elsevier Science (Pergamon Press)

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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

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

Jim 5 star rating

Basingstoke, United Kingdom

Drawing on more than 20 years of editorial experience, I offer proofreading and copyediting services. Let's work together.

Genres: Travel, Non-Fiction, Education & Reference, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Paranormal Romance, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Automobile Association
  • Self-employed

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

Elizabeth 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Full-service editor with 20+ years experience. Specialising in fiction, including fantasy, crime & historical novels. On time and efficient!

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

Anna 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

I have 20 years' experience working on children's and YA writing at UK publishers including Hachette and HarperCollins.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Fantasy, Middle Grade Fantasy, Contemporary Fiction, Coming of Age, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Picture Books, and Social & Family Issues.

Work experience:

  • Octopus (Hachette)
  • Carlton Books
  • Orchard (Hachette)
  • Egmont
  • 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

Tess 5 star rating

Shoreham-by-Sea, United Kingdom

Friendly and sensitive editor specialising in self-development, wellbeing and mental health, women's narratives, and memoir.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Health & Wellbeing, Inspirational, and Business & Management.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Sandy 5 star rating

Hampshire, United Kingdom

Sandy is a seasoned editor of non-fiction and fiction titles, and has been helping authors 'give birth' to their books for 20 years.

Genres: Health & Wellbeing, Non-Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Sex & Relationships, Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Parenting & Families, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Godsfield Press
  • Tigerprint Limited
  • Self-employed
  • AA Publishing

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