Luke Finley – Editor

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.

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.

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.