Imagine that we’re heading out on a road trip together. As your editor, proofreader or editorial manager, I’m here to support you on your journey. My services are designed to address different needs, depending on the nature and stage of your journey.
What my clients and colleagues say
‘Thank you for the extremely detailed work you do on our reports. You not only make the text grammatically correct but you also improve the quality of the report with your thorough comments and questions for the authors. Also the check of the endnotes is very thorough and improves our work. We highly appreciate the commitment you reflect by sending queries during the editing process so that you can apply decisions to the entire text, and your effort to accommodate our challenging deadlines.’
– Margarida Ferro, Office Manager, Flemish Peace Institute
‘Hazel is an exceptional editor. She has an incredible eye for detail and makes suggestions for cuts and amendments to the texts which vastly improve the flow and strength of the prose. Her queries were always thoughtful and considered and have been extremely useful for the authors. This was a complicated project with lots of different elements, but Hazel handled everything in a calm and professional way which made the whole process smooth and stress-free. It's been a pleasure to work with someone as skilled as Hazel. Thank you.’
– Emily Pedder, Director of The Book Edit and The Academic Edit (feedback on copyediting academic grant proposals and assessments)
‘A full-length handbook, an in-depth report or a stubbornly difficult chapter – Hazel approaches each and every project with equal amounts of care and attention to detail that is second to none. She has been our trusted copy-editor for a number of years now, and we couldn’t hope for a better advisor on all things editorial. Not only that, but she is also an absolute pleasure to work with!’
– John Martin, Publisher, and Gabi Zagnojute, Editorial Manager, Directory of Social Change
‘Bringing any publication to market is always a challenge and part of that challenge is never really knowing who you are going to end up working with. We have been delighted with the service provided by Wordstitch Editorial. They have been consummately professional, have a can-do (and will-sort) attitude and they have protected us from a lot of the usual aggravation that can come as texts are prepared for publication. We have certainly seen many books that have been published riddled with errors, but we really are not seeing that this time. We would really like to work with you again. Thank you!’
– Mark and Bernie Fishpool, authors of Software Development in Practice (BCS, The Institute for IT, 2020)
‘Hazel helped to make the manuscript more easily accessible and understandable than it would have been. She’s also razor sharp in having an eye for the structure and flow of the text. … There were specific parts of the manuscript where I was in doubt of whether I had explained myself properly – and parts where I surely knew I hadn’t. Hazel helped sort those parts out so I could rephrase and rework them. Those were very crucial parts of the manuscript, so I feel it became so much better and more congruent. I’d recommend (and have done so already) Hazel to anyone seeking an editor for their book project!’
– Rasmus Houlind, author of $Hello FirstName (Omnichannel Institute, 2023)
‘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, Wiley Blackwell
Example workflow
Each project is different, but here you can get an idea of how a project with me might go.
1
Initial discussions
We will discuss your requirements, publication plans and deadline, so I can fully understand your goals and expectations. I may ask to see a sample of your text. We might use a sample edit as a way of helping us both to better understand whether I am the right editor to help you meet your goals.
2
Quote and agreement
I will send you a quote outlining the service I am proposing, the cost, the schedule, and my terms and conditions. The quote will include the details of any deposit required before work starts and any staged payments.
3
Getting started
Once our agreed start date comes around, I will start to dig into your text properly. We may have a call to get the project started and I might send you an initial set of questions to ensure I fully understand your project and its context.
4
Main work phase
This is the longest phase of any project and it is where the bulk of the work is carried out.
- For the Full Edit and Final Eyes services, I will work through your manuscript in detail, carrying out the tasks we have agreed. There may be some back and forth – for example, for the Full Edit, I may ask you to review suggestions on structural changes before I move on to more detailed sentence-level editing.
- For the Referencing Check-Up, I will carry out whatever work we have agreed – for example, implementing a new reference style and verifying your references for accuracy.
- For the Editorial Report, I will assess your manuscript in detail, adding comments with suggestions and compiling my recommendations into a clear document for you to take forward.
- For Editorial Project Management, I will work through each stage of the project, keeping you updated.
5
Handover of files
Depending on what we’ve agreed, I’ll return the project in batches or all together. What happens next depends on the service:
- For the Full Edit, Final Eyes and Referencing Check-Up, there will be queries for you in comments. If you wish, you can then send me back your answers to these queries, so I can ensure your updates are consistent with my earlier edits (there may be a delay if this option is not booked at the start of the project). If you take up this option, I will subsequently send you back a final clean, harmonised version.
- For the Editorial Report, you can come back to me if you’d like to discuss any further services resulting from my suggestions.
- For Editorial Project Management, I will return final files as per your requirements.
6
Completion and support
Once all tasks have been completed, I will send you an invoice for any remaining portion of the fee. You might then have questions as you move forward with the project. That’s fine – I remain available to answer a reasonable level of queries relating to the completed work for as long as you need.
Sample edits
A sample edit is a really helpful way for editor and potential client to find out whether they’d make a good fit:
- It gives you a feel for my editing style and allows you to ask questions about what I do and why.
- It helps me to better understand what you’re looking for from an editor and more accurately estimate how long a project might take.
I offer free sample edits, with no obligation, of up to 1,000 words.
It’s best if the text you send is representative of your project as a whole, so we can both get a good sense of what the work will involve and how we can most effectively work together.
Please note that I tend to offer sample edits after an initial discussion of your project, so we can both first get a sense of whether our working styles are likely to mesh well together.
Please get in touch if you’d like me to provide a sample edit for your project.
Prices
Editorial work is hugely varied and so it isn’t possible for me to give standardised prices. Please get in touch for a customised no-obligation quote.
Charity and non-profit services
Inform, engage and motivate your audience while demonstrating accountability via accurate and polished copy
Business and digital services
Balance functionality and flair to effectively communicate your expertise or big idea – and capture your reader’s imagination
Services for complex projects
Don’t compromise: control the big picture and the details on multi-author, data-heavy or highly illustrated editorial projects
Frequently asked questions
Ready to find out more?
Get in touch to find out how I can help to move your project forward.
