Eleanor Smith – Editor

I am an experienced freelance proofreader, copy editor and a professional member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP).

Since going freelance, I have worked on over 100 novels, covering crime, historical, fantasy, contemporary and romance. My portfolio includes a Sainsbury’s Magazine Book Club Pick, a BBC Radio 2 Book Club recommended read and a Daily Mail book of the year. I have worked with prestigious UK publishers, including Severn House (an imprint of Canongate), Summersdale (an imprint of Hachette), Saga Egmont, Legend Press and BookLife Publishing.

My job is to turn a great story into a polished and professional manuscript. I do this by marking spelling, punctuation, formatting and consistency errors – making sure my amendments are as clear and concise as possible. I want your readers to stay immersed in the story and not have their attention broken because they have noticed the same word spelt three different ways or because a character wearing a bright red jumper three pages ago is now all in black. The finer details can make all the difference.

If you are looking for a professional who is going to not only work hard and produce excellent results but also one who is going to enjoy every minute, get in touch for a quote. I look forward to hearing about your project.

Take a look at the services I offer below to see which best suits your needs.

Copy editing

If you’ve got the structure of your novel down but need some guidance with grammar, sentence structure and getting your message across succinctly, you will benefit from a copy edit. I also provide a style sheet at the end, which can be passed to your proofreader.

Proofreading

If you’ve already had a copy edit done and you’re looking for an eagle eye to pick out any remaining errors before publication, you may be ready for proofreading.

Manuscript assessment

This service is an opportunity to get feedback before investing in editorial work. I will read your manuscript and provide a 3-page report summarising my thoughts on the characters, setting and pacing, detailing any recurring grammatical issues, ineffective word choice and repetition.

Testimonials from some of my publisher clients:

“Eleanor is a very talented proofreader – she’s extremely detail-oriented and has always shown great judgement in both her changes and her queries. She has never missed a deadline and is great to work with.” – Ditte Løkkegaard, Legend Press

“Eleanor is always my first choice for an external proofreader. I would happily recommend her services to anyone.” – Robin Twiddy, Editorial Team Leader at BookLife Publishing

“Eleanor is a joy to work with. Always on time and on budget and her proofreading work is of the highest standard. She is my ‘go to’ person for projects that need VIP treatment.” – Julie Willis, Editorial and Pre-press Director at River Editorial