Luke Finley

Luke Finley – Editor

Freelance copy-editing, proofreading and plain language support; working with publishers, businesses, charities, students and other writers.

Overview

I am a professional freelance copy-editor and proofreader based in North Shields, near Newcastle in the North East of England. I've worked on a wide variety of texts, including fiction, biography, websites and marketing materials as well as specialist or academic writing in a range of disciplines. I've completed training with Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP, of which I'm an Advanced Professional Member) and the Publishing Training Centre. I'm also experienced in applying plain-English guidelines (I co-wrote the CIEP training course and guide to plain-English editing). Whatever level of intervention your text needs, I can help you make it word perfect.

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Business & Management Economics Entertainment Humanities & Social Sciences Music Political Science & Current Affairs Psychology
Languages
English (UK) English (US)

Work experience

Self-employed

Jan, 2014 — Present
I am a freelance copy-editor and proofreader working for a wide range of clients: publishers, businesses large and small, charities and social enterprises, academics and students, and other individual writers. I've worked on hundreds of books and other texts: everything from full-length academic volumes to short papers and website text. My editorial role can range from a quick run-through to pick up minor errors and typos to substantial reworking of content, depending on your needs. I edit in all manner of subject areas but I particularly focus on social policy, development economics, politics and other areas of social sciences. I am an Advanced Professional Member of the UK's Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP). There are some examples of books I've worked on in my Portfolio. For examples of non-publishing clients and projects, please get in touch.

Various voluntary organisations; Newcastle City Council

Feb, 2002 — Sep, 2014 (over 12 years)
Before becoming a full-time copy-editor and proofreader in 2014 I had a career in social policy and community development in the voluntary and public sectors. I was involved both in policy development and in hands-on work with communities. But whether it was in my job description or not, I’ve always been the person others ask to check their spelling, grammar, punctuation and wording. I wrote, or rewrote, texts in fields such as anti-racism, community relations and community engagement. This included policy documents, project outlines, funding bids, public consultations and campaign publicity. This experience particularly enhances my ability to edit and proofread in social sciences, public policy, politics and related subjects, because I'm very familiar with the terminology, the conventions and the sectors concerned. It also fuelled my interest in plain English: in my view, making your writing more accessible to a wider audience is always a good thing.

Book publishers; County Durham, UK

May, 1999 — Mar, 2001 (almost 2 years)
After graduation I worked briefly for two small book publishers in County Durham. I was responsible for editorial and production processes, seeing dozens of books into print. This gives me some inside knowledge of book publishing. I also undertook some editing and proofreading during busy periods.

Portfolio

The Labyrinth of Illusions: Chasing success in financial markets

Alexander Kurguzkin

Big wins, big money – for most people, that’s the promise of playing the financial markets.Plenty of books claim they can tell you how to get rich quick that way. Most of them treat it as a technical challenge, as if the market were an ATM: press the right com... read more
Act now: A vision for a better future and a new social contract

Group, Common Sense Policy

Manchester University Press

Sustainability Assessment: Applications and opportunities

Current and expanding human activities are moving us towards ever deeper unsustainability. While there is no single, simple means of reversing the invidious biophysical trends and redirecting the distribution of benefits, one necessary step is to approach ever... read more
The Routledge Handbook of Media Use and Well-Being: International Perspectives on Theory and Research on Positive Media Effects

The Routledge Handbook of Media Use and Well-Being serves as the first international review of the current state of this fast-developing area of research. The volume provides a multifaceted perspective on the beneficial as well as the detrimental effects of me... read more
Culture and Activism: Animal Rights in France and the United States (Solving Social Problems)

Elizabeth Cherry

This book offers a comparison of the animal rights movements in the US and France, drawing on ethnographic and interview material gathered amongst activists in both countries. Investigating the ways in which culture affects the outcomes of the two movements, t... read more
Transcultural Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Anxiety and Depression: A Practical Guide

Andrew Beck

Transcultural Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Anxiety and Depression is a practical and accessible guide, drawing on current research in CBT and clinical practice. It aims to support therapists in taking a reflective and evidence based approach to genuinely im... read more
Evita: The Life of Eva Peron

Jill Hedges

Eva Perón remains Argentina's best-known and most iconic personality, surpassing even sporting superstars such as Diego Maradona or Lionel Messi, and far outlasting her own husband, President Juan Domingo Perón―himself a remarkable and charismatic political le... read more
The Lives of George Frideric Handel (Music in Britain, 1600-2000)

David Hunter

To evaluate the familiar, even over-familiar, story of Handel's life could be seen as a quixotic endeavour. How can there be anything new to say? This book seeks to distinguish fact from fiction, not only to produce a new biography but also to explore the conc... read more
Language, Education and Uyghur Identity in Urban Xinjiang (Routledge Studies on Ethnicity in Asia)

As the regional lingua franca, the Uyghur language long underpinned Uyghur national identity in Xinjiang. However, since the ‘bilingual education’ policy was introduced in 2002, Chinese has been rapidly institutionalised as the sole medium of instruction in th... read more
Forensic Psychology: The Basics

Sandie Taylor

This text provides an engaging overview to the core topics within Forensic Psychology, guiding the reader through this exciting and popular discipline. Combining a discussion of theory with information about the role of a professional forensic psychologist, it... read more
Literature, Film, and Their Hideous Progeny: Adaptation and ElasTEXTity (Palgrave Studies in Adaptation and Visual Culture)

Julie Grossman

This book appropriates Mary Shelley's metaphor for her book Frankenstein, 'hideous progeny,' for adaptation studies. Like the Creature made and then rejected because of its perceived misshapenness, adaptations are often reviled because they offer new perspecti... read more
Remapping Gender, Place and Mobility: Global Confluences and Local Particularities in Nordic Peripheries (Gender in a Global/Local World)

Luke has 2 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Helen P.

Helen P.

Dec, 2023

Luke was brilliant to work with. Patient and responsive. Thanks, Luke.
Ami T.

Ami T.

Nov, 2018

Working with Luke has been an absolute pleasure in every way! It's not just a question of his being an exquisitely skilled, organized, timely and intelligent editor, it's that he gets exactly where you're coming from and can help you express yourself in the best way possible. Any good editing p...
Read more

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