Proofreading & Editing Service

Whether you are a professional writer, a corporate executive, a college student, or a budding novelist, you need to have your written work professionally proofread. You can read your own writing time and time again, and still miss spelling errors, grammar mistakes, and confusing sentences. The writer reads what they meant to convey, a proofreader sees the missing commas, missing words, spelling errors and changes in narrative voice.

In the highly competitive world we live in, excellence in written communication is a must. The first impression many of us makes, comes through the written word, whether it be through a resume or an email communication, and we all want to keep our professional credibility at the top of the pile. Poorly written work, full of errors can wrongly indicate lack of attention to detail, sloppiness, or unprofessionalism.

I currently do proofreading for the following clients, as well as other freelance assignments.                                                                                                                                                                                          -- McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, the "bible" for collectors of antique and collectible cameras worldwide. www.camera-net.com .                                                                                                            -- SAQA Journal, the quarterly publication for the Studio Art Quilt Associates organization which is an international organization of professional art quilters. http://www.saqa.com/members/AboutJournal.aspx 

Projects are accepted via the Internet as attachments to an email or through the standard postal service mail. I primarily work with Microsoft(R) Word, Adobe PageMaker(R) and Adobe Acrobat(R). Submitted projects can be returned via email, burned onto a CD or hardcopy through the US Postal Service using Priority Mail (postal fees apply). If the project comes as a hard copy to markup, it can only be returned as a hard copy.

For first-time clients submitting a project of 50 pages or more in length, a 50% deposit is required before work can begin. Smaller projects require payment at the time the project is submitted. Contracts are also available for magazines, journals, and others who need a proofreader/editor on retainer.

My rates are per page, based on the type of proofreading and editing the client desires. The breakdown of these different types of proofreading is below. The industry standard for a "page" is 250 words. Take the total word count on your document or manuscript and divide it by 250. This will give you the total number of "pages" that you will be having proofread. Font size, font style, or margins don't affect the page count when using this method.

The project is already polished and only requires a quick read for minor errors.                                                         

This level of proofreading includes proofing for spelling mistakes, typos, punctuation, capitalization errors, and awkward grammar.                                                                                                                                                              

This level of proofreading includes the Basic Proofreading service from above, with the addition of proofing for general structure of the project, clarity of the writing, consistency in narrative voice throughout the project, word selection and redunancies of steps or ideas.                                                                                                                               

If the project requires an aggressive editing or an extensive rewrite to improve the clarity of the manuscript, the client will be contacted prior to commencing with this level. I will incorporate all corrections, changes and questions directly into the text.

Depending on the size of the project, turnaround is generally five to ten business days. Large manuscripts will obviously take longer than this timeframe. Scheduling of other projects received prior to your project, can delay the return of your project also, so if you are under a rush time constraint, please apprise me of this at the time of the submission process so I can be sure I can meet your deadline.

All materials will be held in strictest confidence. I do not share personal information, mailing addresses or project details with anyone else. I do offer a 10% discount for projects that are paid for in advance via Paypal or company check. Checks must clear my bank before work on a project begins. VISA and Mastercard payments can be made through Paypal. Standard operating procedure is for the client to contact me either via email or phone with their project requirements. I then send a Request for Money through Paypal with the project specifics and charges. I can also send a written quote via email or US Postal Service.

I am currently accepting freelance assignments as well as long term contracts as scheduling permits. Please contact me by email at jean@jeanjudd.com or via telephone at 715-566-0212 for more information, rates for the various levels of proofreading, or to answer any questions you may have concerning this service.