John Marr

John Marr – Editor

Hello, I'm a professional copyeditor and proofreader with 10+ years of experience in academinc and fiction publishing.

Overview

Hello, I'm a professional copyeditor and proofreader with 10+ years of experience in publishing, working across both academic and fiction texts. If you're looking for someone to polish up your paragraphs and make your copy sing, I'm always happy to get grammar-nerdy with a new or returning author.

Sometimes it strikes me how lucky I am to be in this line of work – I get to read books for a living! As the eagle-eyed reader may be able to deduce, I'm an enthusiastic editor who's always excited to take on new projects, be they technical academic treatises or whimsical adventure novels. I bring a careful and consistent eye to all aspects of copyediting and proofreading, but I'm also flexible in my approach, not slavishly following a style guide if it goes against the author's preferences. I like nothing more than discussing a knotty linguistic problem with an author in order to unearth the most elegant way to capture their message.

I work with a large number of prestigious publishing houses (Cambridge University Press, Routledge, Thomas & Mercer, and many more) and bring a wealth of experience to the table, covering a wide breadth of academic subjects and fiction genres. I've also worked within the publishing industry itself, giving me an insider's view of the needs and drives underlying the world of publishing.

I'm friendly and approachable, so please do reach out if there's anything you want to discuss. I'd love to hear from you, whatever your editing needs!
Services
Fiction
Fantasy Historical Fiction Science Fiction Thriller & Suspense
Non-Fiction
History Life Sciences Medicine, Nursing, & Dentistry Psychology
Languages
English (AUS) English (UK) English (US)
Certifications
  • Professional member of CIEP (Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading)

Work experience

Self-employed

Sep, 2013 — Present

Copyediting and proofreading a range of documents of various types, including both fiction and nonfiction.

Future Science Group

Sep, 2009 — Sep, 2013 (about 4 years)

Manager of a team of editors, overseeing the production of 4+ journals per month.

John has 3 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Nokukhanya T.

Nokukhanya T.

Dec, 2021

John was absolutely fantastic to work with! He was professional, warm and friendly, punctual, and his method improved the fluidity of my story a great deal. He worked diligently on my manuscript, pointing out areas that needed my attention more and even offering some quality advice. Looking forward to using his services again for the next manuscript!!
John M.
Thanks so much for your lovely comments, Nox! It was a pleasure working with you, too, and I look forward to collaborating on the next instalment of your series!
Chris H.

Chris H.

Aug, 2021

Excellent work from John, again. In addition to the edit, which was spot on, he spots inconsistencies in plot developments, character actions and dialogue, even from previous chapters. This is incredibly valuable. I can't recommend John's work highly enough.
Chris H.

Chris H.

Aug, 2021

I was so impressed with John's work. He was supportive and interested in the project throughout. The line edit of my first chapter was fantastic, but he also spotted inconsistencies between dialogue and character descriptions, noted areas that were opaque, even commented on tone, marketability and plot structure. It's impossible to overstate the value of his insight. He's taught me lots already...
Read more
John M.
Thanks for your kind words, Chris! I look forward to collaborating with you again soon – you've been a pleasure to work with.

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