Overview
I took the decision to go freelance in 2018 after amassing over 25 years’ in-house project management, copy editing and proofreading experience. This experience came from working, first, on legal publications for Jordan Publishing (now part of LexisNexis) and, then, on academic and more general nonfiction for award-winning independent publishers Policy Press (now Bristol University Press). On going solo, my intention was twofold: to diversify the work I do to include the kinds of books I read for leisure, particularly biography and social and family history; and to have more time to undertake collaborative work directly with authors.
My aim has always been to make these collaborations a positive all-round experience, so I've been delighted to receive comments such as:
— 'You have been amazing. I have never been involved in such a stress-free book' (from a historian and senior academic at The Open University)
— '... a joy to work with - very efficient and very responsive and a great colleague' (from an emeritus professor in social work)
When copy editing, I try to tread gently, guiding, shaping and suggesting alternative approaches rather than imposing hard-and-fast rules (except where strictly prescribed by the publisher), and recognise the importance of staying attuned to each author's individual style.
My portfolio reflects a leaning towards themes of fairness, social justice and human rights and responsibilities; and I'm also interested in how learning from other cultures and eras may be applied to benefit the future.
I hold a BA in French, which helps me to resolve more specific issues facing francophone authors writing in English, and have previously enjoyed working with Dr Charles Devellennes on 'The Gilets Jaunes and the New Social Contract' and 'The Macron Régime' and Jean-Philippe Robé on 'Property, Power and Politics' (all published by Bristol University Press).
Services
Non-Fiction
Fiction
Languages
Work experience
Self-employed
• Pre-submission consultancy work on draft manuscripts
• Development editing
• Line and copy editing
• Proofreading (onscreen or hard copy)
• Managing outsourced publishing projects within time and budget, liaising with in-house contacts and engaging other professional freelance services as necessary
• Instructional design, making suggestions for formatting and layout of textbooks and other educational materials
• Legislation checking on legal texts
• Fact-checking
Bristol University Press/Policy Press
• Managing and coordinating book production throughout pre-press stages, taking responsibility for up to 40 titles per year
• Seeing through to publication projects as diverse as The Human Atlas of Europe (Dimitris Ballas, Danny Dorling and Benjamin Hennig); The Passionate Economist (a biography of Brian Abel-Smith by Sally Sheard) and Democracy Under Attack (an analysis of the influence of the media on social policy by Malcolm Dean)
Self-employed
• Occasional copy-editing or proofreading commissions undertaken for publishers including Hart Publishing and Puffin, and for non-profits such as SCIE (Social Care Institute for Excellence) and the Joseph Rowntree Fund
Jordan Publishing Ltd
• Managing production of all new book titles and revised editions
• Supervising a small in-house team
• Devising and implementing house style guidance
Prior to this I was a Desk Editor with responsibility for managing projects varying from monthly law reports to multi-volume looseleaf works on legal practice, also taking on directories and legal packs, in addition to books.
Portfolio
