The best proofreaders for hire in the United Kingdom

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Jude 5 star rating

United Kingdom

Multi-award writer & editor (MA Writing–Distinction). Published since 2004: Collins, Pearson & more. Expert fiction & non-fiction support.

Genres: Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, ELT, Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Biographies & Memoirs, Education & Reference, Young Adult, and Poetry.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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
  • Walker Books
  • Scholastic

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

Judith 5 star rating

Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

Children's book editor, specializing in middle-grade and picture books. Experienced in helping authors turn good ideas into great books.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, Middle Grade, Education & Reference, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Plurus Books
  • Oxford University Press
  • Jacaranda Literary Agency
  • Oxford Brookes University

Tamsin 5 star rating

England, United Kingdom

An expert in pairing words and pictures for internationally renowned institutions, galleries and publishers

Genres: Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, History, Antiques & Collectibles, Home & Garden, Philosophy, Design, Photography, and Architecture.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • National Portrait Gallery
  • Phaidon Press

Keith 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Nonfiction publisher (25 years) specializing in science; author of one nonfiction book, three scifi novels and many TV entertainment shows.

Genres: Computers & Internet, Non-Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Math & Science, Philosophy, Humanities & Social Sciences, Technology, Physics & Chemistry, Entertainment, and Earth, Space, & Environmental Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Oxford University Press
  • Addison-Wesley/Pearson Education
  • Pergamon Press
  • Self-employed
  • Penguin Press

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

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Editor/Writer with over 20 years of experience in educational, historical and children's fiction 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

Donna 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Fiction & non-fiction editor; over 20 years' experience including 'Big Five' (regular clients incl. HarperCollins, Penguin RH, Hachette)

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

Work experience:

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

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

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

Josephine 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Experienced editor within various genres, including Mind Body Spirit, travel, cookbooks, and fiction (YA, women's fiction and thrillers).

Genres: Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Sex & Relationships, Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Women's Fiction, and Action & Adventure.

Work experience:

  • Duncan Baird Publishers and Watkins Publishing
  • SPG Media
  • Rogers, Coleridge & White Literary Agency
  • Freelance

Copy editor and proofreader with experience in non-fiction books, arts and culture, biography, business, the environment and general history

Genres: Design, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Architecture, Earth, Space, & Environmental Sciences, Math & Science, Travel, Art, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Miranda 5 star rating

Oxford, United Kingdom

Supportive editor with a love of language and an eye for detail, with 10+ years of experience.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Parenting & Families, Nature, Literary Fiction, Fiction, Historical Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Thriller & Suspense, History, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Sarah 5 star rating

Lincoln, United Kingdom

Senior Editor with 14+ years' experience. Specialist in Romance, Thrillers, YA, LGBTQ+ and Historical for both new and established authors.

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

Work experience:

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

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

Editor and pitch writer for fiction and personal memoir. I will shape your manuscript and offer guidance on how to get it published.

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

Work experience:

  • Hachette
  • Penguin Random House

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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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