Don’t compromise: control the big picture and the details on multi-author, data-heavy or highly illustrated editorial projects
With almost 15 years’ experience editing and project managing multi-million-word publications with up to 1,000 authors, many hundreds of illustrations, and both print and digital components, I can help you keep control of your processes and guide your project to a tidy and timely conclusion
Paul Mellon Centre
Hazel has worked on some of our biggest and most difficult manuscripts. She negotiates their complexities with clear-sightedness, patience and diplomacy, and the authors are always delighted with the results. I feel complete confidence in putting projects of this nature into her capable hands, and I know that she will bring clarity and precision to even the most challenging situations. It is a great pleasure to work with her, and I look forward to every project I am able to send her way.’
Emily Lees, Senior Editor
Wiley Blackwell
Hazel has worked as Project Manager on a number of large, multi-volume, print and online reference works produced by my team. She has a deep understanding of the publishing process and an analytical mind. She works closely to the brief, whilst also being unafraid to suggest intelligent improvements to processes and solutions to problems. She is always professional and helpful, striking a good balance between meeting the needs and requirements of the client and delivering a quality product.’
Louise Barnetson, Production Manager
Clients for complex editorial projects
Some past and present clients with whom I’ve worked on especially complex editorial projects are:
- BBC Bitesize
- Directory of Social Change
- LID Business Media
- Oxford University Press
- Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art
- Wiley Blackwell
Specialist focus
Highly illustrated publications
In some projects – such as in art history – the illustrations, maps and other visuals are much more than added extras: they are a major feature that draws readers to your publication. But tracking hundreds of images through the editorial process can be daunting, especially if they need to undergo one or more rounds of revision.
I can work to keep your assets organised, track revisions and verify that everything ends up in its proper place. And I can do the detailed work required to keep the main text, the captions, the copyright credits and the assets themselves in harmony.
Specialist focus
Multi-contributor publications
Whether your publication has a dozen, a hundred or a thousand contributors, I can help you to maintain control. With experience managing and editing publications with up to 1,100 contributors, I understand the challenges these projects raise and how to mitigate them.
Whether you need someone to coordinate with authors and suppliers, track large quantities of data, develop a robust style guide or handle the collation of corrections from multiple sources, I can drive progress with tenacity, balancing the big picture with the all-important details.
Full list of specialisms
Technical and professions
- Business and leadership
- Charity operations, governance and fundraising
- Climate
- Defence
- Education
- Futures
- Healthcare
- Investment
- Marketing
- Peace processes and peace research
- Resources and transit
- Software and data management
Humanities and lifestyle
- Anthropology
- Art history
- Genealogy
- Health and fitness
- History
- Media, culture and communication
- Mountaineering and expeditions
- Politics
- Psychology
- Religion
What my clients say
‘Thank you very much for all your hard work. You have done a magnificent job with a complex and difficult book.’
– Harry Sidebottom, co-editor of The Encyclopedia of Ancient Battles (Wiley Blackwell, 2017)
‘You’ve done an amazing job. I really appreciate the calm and accomplished way you’ve dealt with all the complexities and unusual challenges of the project.’
– Production editor, Wiley Blackwell
‘I had the pleasure of working with Hazel on two multivolume encyclopedias. Hazel is highly organised and efficient, consistently meeting tight deadlines. She possesses the clear communication skills and adaptability of a successful project manager that enable her to understand her client’s needs, plan several steps ahead, and proactively provide alternative solutions. She is extremely reliable and committed to producing a quality product. On many instances, she has gone beyond the scope of her role to add value to the project. No matter how complex or challenging the project was, Hazel always managed it superbly and I strongly recommend her.’
– Genevieve Looi, production editor, Wiley Blackwell
‘Thanks to ... Hazel Bird, copy editor, whose intelligent and thoughtful attention to detail has been nothing short of phenomenal.’
– Sara Lister, Justine Hofland and Hayley Grafton, editors of The Royal Marsden Manual of Clinical Nursing Procedures, 10th ed (Wiley Blackwell, 2021)
‘Hazel is one of the best project managers I have worked with in over 30 years of freelancing. She provides thorough, detailed briefs, and I am always confident at the start of a project that she has taken its measure and anticipated most of the problems that are likely to arise. Clear-headed and calm, she is an excellent project leader. She is good at making sensible decisions but also does not hesitate to modify a principle if something isn’t working. Hazel is always a pleasure to work with: she treats freelancers as collaborators and with respect, and often copy-edits alongside other freelancers on large projects that she manages.’
– Jacqueline Harvey, freelance copyeditor
‘It has been an overwhelmingly good experience working with you on the final stages of our massive International Encyclopedia of Anthropology. I’m particularly grateful for the meticulous care you have taken to support our many authors whose first language is not English; and for your patience and readiness to go “far beyond” in order to resolve my many queries. It has been a huge project, and I look forward with some trepidation to seeing the finished product online and in print.’
– Hilary Callan, director emerita of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland
and co-editor of The International Encyclopedia of Anthropology (Wiley Blackwell, 2018)
‘It was a great pleasure working with you as your emails were very explanatory and the instructions were crystal clear.’
– Swapna Srinivasan, typesetting project manager, SPi (now Straive)
Editorial services for complex projects
Publication types
Full edit
Optimise your text for your audience with comprehensive enhancements to flow, clarity and consistency
Final eyes
Publish with confidence, knowing your text has been thoroughly checked for errors, consistency and layout
Referencing check-up
Convey your authority and demonstrate your evidence base with meticulously constructed and verified referencing
Editorial report
Get a comprehensive assessment and report with suggestions on how to take your manuscript forward
Project management
Hand over to a PRINCE2® Practitioner editorial manager who will strategise and problem-solve on your behalf
Ready to discuss your project?
If you’d like to read more about my services, click here. Alternatively, click through below to start a discussion about how I can help to move your project forward.
