For busy editorial departments: back-up and an extra pair of eyes when resources in-house are overstretched due to absence or leave.

Checking any stage of proofs, layouts or covers to ensure amendments are marked up clearly and collated for the designer/typesetter.

Onscreen PDF mark-up in Adobe using the toolbar and/or stamps, or on printed hard copy if supplied.

This fine scrutiny of the text aims to eliminate inconsistencies, typos and grammatical errors and gives professional polish to the text before going to print.

A detailed and constructive spotlight on the text in preparation for design and typesetting. Every correction and revision is tracked in Word for quick and easy review. The style and inspiration of the original text is always respected and handled with care.

House style and tagging systems can be followed closely, if required, and a style sheet produced for the proofreader.

Detailed developmental work to focus on structure, plot, themes and characters, and prepare for submission to an agent or publisher. The text file or manuscript will be returned with detailed comments, ready for revising before the copy-editing stage.

Fees are agreed in advance of a project. Pricing is generally in line with the minimum rates suggested by the CIEP, the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading.