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, proofreader, blog writer, and occasional leisure-time 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 energized and focused approach to your manuscript:

- 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 a 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 successfully 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 region, Galicia, with my lady partner, two dogs and three hens. And a cat. Our darling Julio, the Siamese tom, is the latest addition to our household.

Back to work: 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.

With warm wishes,

Sarah :)

Services
Non-Fiction
Education & Reference Health & Wellbeing Inspirational LGBTQ Non-Fiction 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
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 60 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

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.
Rue Y.

Rue Y.

Apr, 2026

She was very responsive and timely with her edit.
Sarah N.
Thank you Rue, I wish you all the best with The Pattern Lens!
John M.

John M.

Apr, 2026

Sarah is wonderful, this was our second collaboration. She’s competent, friendly, flexible, and very responsive… despite the significant time zone difference, she always gets back to me promptly, and is thorough in her replies. If there’s a third project, I won’t hesitate to try to work with her ...
Read more
Sarah N.
We are a team by now I reckon! Let´s start a tradition! Your books are a must for people who reflect on feelings and relationships. Right up my alley!
AmiCietta C.

AmiCietta C.

Mar, 2026

I thought that my manuscript was pretty clean when I hired Sarah to proofread it and it was, but she caught a few errors that made my manuscript better. She was responsive and completed my project ahead of schedule. I would recommend her for another proofreading job.
Sarah N.
Thank you AmiCietta, all the best with your publishing!

Sign up to read more reviews

Create a free Reedsy account to connect with Sarah and thousands of other publishing professionals on Reedsy.

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...
Read more

Professionals similar to Sarah

Get a range of offers by requesting quotes from multiple professionals.

Mikayla Butchart

Mikayla B.

20-year publishing veteran. 1,000+ books. NYT bestsellers to Booker-shortlisted fiction. Award-winning manuscripts are my specialty.

Portland, Oregon, USA

90% reply rate

View profile
Charlotte R

Charlotte R.

Highly-skilled editor with 6+ years' experience creating bestselling, award-winning fiction and non-fiction for a Big Five publisher.

London, UK

100% reply rate

View profile
Emily Ohanjanians

Emily O.

Former Harlequin and HarperCollins editor with 15+ years of experience. Specializing in romance, historical, women's fiction and more!

Toronto, Canada

100% reply rate

View profile