Sarah Newton-John

Sarah Newton-John – Editor

Creative copy editor and precise proofreader. CIEP member. Providing pure concentration on your book. Medical, memoirs, self-help and more!

Overview

Dear Author Joining Us On Reedsy,

Hello, nice to meet you! I’m Sarah, an Australian who has been living in Spain since 2018. I work as a copy/line editor, freshly minted developmental editor, certified proofreader, blog writer, and occasional free time heartfelt poet.

I love what I do each day for regular clients, and new ones like you! :)

I hold a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Literature from the University of Sydney and a Postgraduate Diploma in Librarianship from the University of New South Wales. In 2020, I passed the examination at the Proofreading Academy to further my professional development.

I find the process of editing brings me close to the soul and voice of the writer. It is an intimacy that leads to mutual goodwill and professional positivity.

Here is my focused approach to your manuscript:

– I will developmentally edit your MS and provide you with a report and marked up version if you need developmental editing.

- I will copy edit/line edit to creatively improve the text in each phrase, sentence, and paragraph to enhance natural (and human) English flow and readability.

- I will add shape to your text to bring out the distinct flavor of your writing, offering suggestions on structure and content, and asking questions as an educated and engaged reader.

- I will fact-check and arrange your citations in proper order according to an agreed style.

- I will proofread for errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, syntax, lexical choice, repetition, and consistency, etc.

- I will sustain open-minded concentration on your pages until I am satisfied that my revisions, suggestions, and comments have immeasurably improved your manuscript.

(There is more...!)

For my employment background, here is my current and recent activity:

—Proofreading medical and allied health textbooks with global science publisher, Elsevier, since 2008.

—Copy editing and proofreading the peer-reviewed medical journal, Pathology, for former in-house employer, the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia, since 2020.

—Copy editing the academic journal Education for Health since 2024 (USA)

—Lead Copy Editor at Asia Research Media since 2022.

—News writing experience in eight-hour shifts, six days a week at Euro Weekly News, Spain (2023)

—Sub-editing and writing for the mass market magazine That’s Life! including compiling crossword puzzles (in a previous lifetime!)

My career began with a role marketing academic books for Allen & Unwin on campus for some years, (I am still suited to working with persuasive content). I eventually settled into 12 years of specialized (non-medical) medical sector roles (Woolcock Institute of Medical Research; Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia; Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand).

I live in Spain´s rural northwest, Galicia, with my lady partner, two dogs (one Australian and one Spanish), three hens. And a cat. Our darling Julio, the Siamese tom.

I will provide you with a significantly enhanced, more appealing, and error-free book.

We will make your book the very best it can be!

I look forward to hearing from you.

Warmly,

Sarah :)

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Education & Reference Health & Wellbeing Inspirational Medicine, Nursing, & Dentistry Religion & Spirituality
Fiction
LGBTQ Fiction Magical Realism
Languages
English (AUS) English (UK) English (US)
Certifications
  • BA (Hons) English Literature
  • Postgraduate Diploma - Librarianship
  • Proofreading Academy - exam pass
  • Non-Fiction Developmental Editing, CIEP

Work experience

The Network: Towards Unity for Health

Jan, 2024 — Present
Copy editing material for the quarterly journal, Education for Health.

Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia

Sep, 2020 — Present
Copy editing and proofreading the peer-reviewed academic journal, Pathology.

Upwork

Mar, 2020 — Present
Freelancing on a broad range of English language material, short and long assignments, consistent five-star reviews of my editorial work on projects, repeat client base, Top Rated status.

Elsevier Science

Jul, 2008 — Present
Proofread medical and allied health textbooks to deadline - PDF using Comments tools. Compile queries on online workbooks, checking for functionality and consistency.

Pacific Magazines

Aug, 1998 — May, 2000 (over 1 year)
Sub-edited mass market magazine, That's Life! to weekly deadline using Quark Xpress. This mag is well-known for weird and wonderful true life stories - the weirder the better! Fact-checking, puzzle creation, proofreading, some layout work.

Portfolio

Copy Editing Proofreading
Lady MacGyver: Unbelievable stories with altitude

Huntington, Capt Michelle

Ginninderra Press

Copy Editing Proofreading
Copy Editing Proofreading
Agnes: A childhood betrayed and reclaimed

King, Judy

Ginninderra Press

Copy Editing Proofreading
Copy Editing Proofreading
The Father Wound: The Unspoken Inheritance

majrouh, adam

Independently published

Copy Editing Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
I Took One Step so He Could Take Two

Morris, Ashley

Copy Editing Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
My Heart & Her Pieces

Latham, Elyssa

Copy Editing Proofreading
Copy Editing Proofreading
Copy Editing Proofreading
Copy Editing Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
Alvitania

Wexler, Tim

Copy Editing Proofreading
Copy Editing Proofreading
Copy Editing Proofreading
Copy Editing Proofreading
Copy Editing Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
Hospital Know-How: A Residency Guide

Alsheikh, Omer

Copy Editing Proofreading
Copy Editing Proofreading
Textbook of Remedial Massage 2e is a comprehensive and practical book for students and practitioners of remedial massage. Written by Sandra Grace and Jane Graves, the text provides expert inst... read more
Proofreading
Psychology: An Introduction for Health Professionals will appeal to the undergraduate nursing and health science student seeking to understand patient responses and behaviours to various diagn... read more
Proofreading
The must-have integrative and complementary medicine reference from experts in the field This exhaustive textbook is ideal for anyone with an interest in integrative and complementary medicine... read more
Proofreading
A bestselling title for over 25 years, the updated seventh edition of Talley and O’Connor’s Clinical Examination is an essential read for all student clinicians.Fully updated with the latest c... read more
Proofreading
Now in its fourth edition, this best-selling book is fully updated to address the ever increasing demands on healthcare professionals to deliver high-quality patient care. A multitude of facto... read more
Proofreading
The third edition of Communication: Core Interpersonal Skills for Health Professionals is an essential guide to clear and effective communication in a multidisciplinary healthcare setting. Div... read more
Proofreading
Make sense of the complex world of health care with Mosby's Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing & Health Professions, 10th Edition! This one-stop reference includes detailed entries that help you ... read more
Proofreading

Sarah has 63 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Sandra M.

Sandra M.

May, 2026

Work was completed to satisfaction.
Sarah N.
Thank you Sandra, sorry I did not merit a higher review from you, I am happy for your feedback on where my work did not meet the highest of standards. I wish you all the very best with your book, w...
Read more
Nicole G.

Nicole G.

May, 2026

Really enjoyed working with Sarah. She understood the material, the tone, and the assignment.
Sarah N.
Thank you Nicole, I respect your vocation and your publications, more power to you and to this book!
Diana S.

Diana S.

May, 2026

Sarah was wonderful to work with throughout the editing process. She was professional, responsive, thoughtful, and genuinely respectful of my voice as an author. Her proofreading and attention to detail helped bring my manuscript to a much stronger and more polished final version while still allo...
Read more
Sarah N.
Diana, you are a great client, with passion and purpose. I hope the world reads your book!
Madhu Prashanth K.

Madhu Prashanth K.

May, 2026

Sarah was thoughtful, professional, and highly attentive to preserving the voice and atmosphere of the manuscript throughout the editing process. Her feedback was detailed without being intrusive, and she understood the tone and emotional rhythm of the story very well. Communication was clear an...
Read more
Sarah N.
Oh Madhu, thank you for this review, I can now circulate the link! Hope to work with you again. All the best with your writing, I love it.
Linda B.

Linda B.

Apr, 2026

Sarah brings not only professionalism to a project, but also humanity. The communication was very smooth and clear, very responsive. Sarah understood the non-traditional assignment, approaching the rich multidimensionality of my singular artistic and scientific project with curiosity and enthu...
Read more
Sarah N.
Linda, you have shown me another approach, another context in which writing and editing takes place. I thank you. Hope to work with you again.

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Most recent contributions

What factors influence the ideal paragraph length in nonfiction writing?

As a mainly non-fiction editor, I work with paragraph length like this: the leading sentence in the paragraph provides a succinct idea, then the rest of the paragraph adds the potatoes to the meat, in two to three sentences. Let´s face it, readers often have short attention spans. They like white...
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