Sarah Dunstall

Sarah Dunstall – Editor

25+ years' editing experience. UK/US English, CMoS whiz! Genres: health & wellbeing/psychology/business. Copywriting diploma (distinction).

Overview

I'm a full-time copyeditor and proofreader with more than 25 years’ experience under my belt. Between 2014 and 2023, I edited approximately 3,212,000 words for my principal client. Though I specialize in health & wellbeing, I’ve worked on all kinds of subject matter, from arts (philosophy, architecture, education) to medical and techie material. Additionally, I trained in-house for 2 years at a biomedical publisher, where I gained hands-on experience of copyediting medical papers and books. In recent years I've taken on a significantly more business-related jobs (e.g. reports/website copy), so I've developed a strong skill set in that area, too. I have the ability to absorb information quickly, or read around a particular topic, even if it's an area in which I'm not particularly knowledgeable.

You might say I'm a good all-rounder...

Aside from my work, I’m interested in art & design, antiques & collectibles (mid-century, retro, Art Deco), photography, reading, botany, nature & the natural world, spirituality, and music of all genres - from electronic to classical. I also play keyboard and flute: to a 'pretty ok' and amateur standard, respectively!

PAST & PRESENT CLIENTS: Baillière Tindall, Cambridge University Press, Demand Media, Edanz, Ediket, editorr, Holt Saunders, Oxford Language Editing, Oxford University Press, Purecontent, The Charlesworth Group, University of Plymouth, Wordy.

If any of the above resonates with you, please feel free to message me. I look forward to working with you - or simply having a chat about the possibility of working together :)

Services
Non-Fiction
Education & Reference Health & Wellbeing Parenting & Families Psychology
Languages
English (UK) English (US)
Certifications
  • BSc (Hons) Science - psychology + education + business: University of East London
  • Copywriting diploma

Work experience

Create Academy

Jan, 2022 — Present
In 2022/23, I completed a number of projects for Create Academy, which delivers video courses in food, interiors, gardening and craft. For each of the following courses, I copyedited the workbook that accompanied the course: - Gemma Moulton: How to Make Beautiful Curtains - Lisa Dawson: Introduction to Resourceful Interior Styling - Annie Sloan: Furniture Painting Masterclass - Helen McGinn: An Expert Guide to Enjoying Wine - A Year of Cut Flowers with The Land Gardeners - Nina Campbell: A Definitive Guide to Decorating - Jason Ingram: Garden and Landscape Photography Masterclass I also copyedited "The Wine that Lived Forever" - a novel by Clay Stobaugh

Self-employed

Jan, 2013 — Present
Since 2013, I have copyedited/proofed countless books, journal articles, abstracts, conference proceedings, university publications (prospectuses, reports, magazines), web content, blogs, and more! In more recent years, I have edited numerous articles, reports, and web copy in the fields of business/ education/ technology, among others, for my client Wordy. To attest to the high quality of my work, I have received countless complimentary reviews from satisfied clients :-)

University of Plymouth, UK

Sep, 1993 — Nov, 2012 (about 19 years)
The careers role involved editing and proofing web content and numerous careers publications. The web content role involved editing web copy and numerous other university publications.

Self employed

Jun, 1993 — Nov, 2012 (over 19 years)
In these years, I continued my copyediting odyssey with Churchill Livingstone, Academic Press and John Wiley, among others. I also parented two offspring - now all grown up!

RAPRA Ltd (Rubber and Plastics Research Association), Shropshire, UK

Sep, 1989 — Jul, 1991 (almost 2 years)
I was required to 1) commission new authors and publications, and 2) compile and proof a variety of journals (e.g., Cellular Polymers, Engineering Plastics, Progress in Rubber and Plastics Technology) and books (e.g., Rubbicana - the European Rubber and Polyurethane Directory, Toxic Properties of Polymers and Additives, Japanese Rubber Technology).

Self-employed

Mar, 1987 — Aug, 1989 (over 2 years)
I copyedited various titles for Churchill Livingstone, Academic Press and John Wiley, among others.

Holt Saunders Ltd (CBS Group)

Jan, 1984 — Jan, 1987 (about 3 years)
The birth of my publishing odyssey! I completed a comprehensive 2-year training programme in copyediting/proofing medical and biomedical books (e.g. Mental Disorder: Its Care and Treatment; Jack Lyttle) and journals (e.g. Clinics in Anaesthesiology, Clinics in Oncology, Progress in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Progress in Child Health, Progress in Clinical and Biological Research). A great company and a great foundation for my future career :-)

Portfolio

Made with Reedsy
Daring Love: Cultivating Compassion For Those Fighting Addiction

Stewart, Dr. Warrick

Dr. Warrick Stewart

Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
The Blended Home

Karen Browning

Key Vitality Publishing

Blended families dream of love, but disconnection can dim that hope. As a bonus mom and energy expert, Karen Browning offers a heartfelt guide to creating a home where every heart thrives. Ble... read more
Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
The Essential Guide to Interoceptive Exercises for Laughter Yoga

Slash Coleman

Laugh for Life Media

Discover a transformative approach to laughter yoga with this definitive guide for integrating interoceptive exercises into your sessions. Rooted in The Storiflo¿ Method, this groundbreaking a... read more
Copy Editing
SBAs for the MRCOG Part 1

Babu Karavadra

Oxford University Press

SBAs for the MRCOG Part 1 is a question-and-answer style revision guide designed to help candidates prepare for Papers 1 and 2 of the MRCOG Part 1 examination. Mapped to the exam syllabus, the... read more
Copy Editing
All children are born with emotional talent. But if left untended, those talents can wane during the first five years of life. Children are sensitive and social beings from birth, exhibiting a... read more
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Self-help organizations across the world have attracted millions of individuals seeking to address addiction problems with drugs or alcohol. This book provides an integrative, international re... read more
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Biotechnology

Smith, John E.

Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Many millions of people are affected by the trauma of war. Psychologists have a good understanding of how experiences of war impact on memory, but the significance of external environmental in... read more
Copy Editing
Despite its prevalence, insomnia remains poorly understood because of the lack of clear scientific data supporting the many treatment approaches used. This book is the first to collate the up-... read more
Copy Editing
The growth of evidence-based medicine has occurred against a backdrop of health care reform, managed care, cost containment, and quality improvement. Clinicians have been urged to adopt the ri... read more
Copy Editing
This publication surveys the profound and far-reaching ramifications that have arisen from the very significant advances in our understanding of the genetic basis of familial breast and ovaria... read more
Copy Editing
This book provides a comprehensive account of the emotional and cognitive aspects of Parkinson's disease, derived from the neurological and psychiatric assessment of hundreds of patients by th... read more
Copy Editing
Socially excluded youth with mental health problems and co-occurring difficulties (e.g. conduct disorder, family breakdown, homelessness, substance use, exploitation, educational failure) attr... read more
Copy Editing
Sleep disturbances and sleep deprivation are increasingly common in modern society. Epidemiological methods of investigation have shown that sleep deprivation is associated with a variety of c... read more
Copy Editing
Although adjustment disorders (AD) have been included in the major psychiatric diagnostic classifications for over 50 years, no book devoted solely to the topic of AD's has been published to d... read more
Copy Editing
Music is central to human cultural and intellectual experience. It is vitally important for the welfare of human society and - this book argues - should become more widely accepted in our comm... read more
Copy Editing
The Oxford Textbook of Medical Mycology is a comprehensive reference text which brings together the science and medicine of human fungal disease. Written by a leading group of international au... read more
Copy Editing
Depression is ubiquitous, but the number and range of physical and cognitive symptoms associated with major depressive disorder (MDD) means that many people do not present with emotional sympt... read more
Copy Editing
The Oxford Handbook of Palliative Care returns for a third edition, maintaining the concise yet comprehensive format suited to the busy practitioner for quick access to key information, and fu... read more
Copy Editing

Sarah has 6 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Slash C.

Slash C.

Dec, 2024

Pinned
Working with Sarah was like hiring someone to clean my windows and then discovering they also polished the sun. I thought I was bringing her on board to simply catch typos, but she went so far above and beyond that I’m still wondering if she secretly has superpowers. Sarah’s attention to detail ...
Read more
Sarah D.
Slash, I'm not even going to try to match the eloquence of your review. Suffice to say, I was extremely touched by it. From the start, I felt there was a synchronicity to our styles and approach. ...
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Jodi C.

Jodi C.

Aug, 2026

Working with Sarah was one of the best decisions I made during the publishing process. She is exceptionally knowledgeable and meticulous, with an incredible command of grammar, punctuation, style, and consistency. She caught issues I would never have noticed and improved my manuscript while alway...
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Jared K.

Jared K.

Nov, 2025

Sarah was simply amazing! We had a great collaboration and she offered insight,advice and was a sounding board to my nueric observations and questions. I can not recommend Sarah enough.
Sarah D.
Thank you for your kind words, Jared - I enjoyed working with you. Even though the content was emotive, I feel we managed to maintain a sense of humour throughout! I'll finish by saying I hope life...
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Karen K.

Karen K.

Sep, 2025

Working with Sarah has been an absolute pleasure! She recently edited my book, and I was so impressed with her thoroughness, insight, and professionalism. Every question and suggestion she made was thoughtful and well-considered, helping to elevate the manuscript while still preserving my voice. ...
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Sarah D.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Karen, and for taking the time to compose such a thoughtful review. It's very much appreciated. Not only has it been an enjoyable project to work on, but in a...
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Caireen M.

Caireen M.

May, 2025

Sarah made the process of editing my book smooth and straightforward. I really appreciated her flexibility and easy-going nature. She always took the time to answer questions and her edit suggestions were thoughtful, considered, clearly explained and improved on my initial work. I would have no h...
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Sarah D.
Thank you for your kind review - it means a lot. Working with you on this project has been a joy, from start to finish. Please keep me in the loop with your progress. I wish you every success with ...
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