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See them listed on the Covers & Testimonials page.

You can also find me on the list of recommended editors on K.M. Weiland’s website.

Is your novel, novella, or short story ready to be submitted to a traditional publisher? Or do you, perhaps, want to self-publish?

Maybe or maybe not … but it is a really awesome story, and you’ve gone over it so many times that you are starting to see double. Perhaps you’d like to have an editor or proofreader go over what you’ve done, to help you produce the highest quality book possible.

My job is to help you find and eliminate those pesky errors that can destroy the flow of your story and your reader’s enjoyment of your work. Another set of eyes critically examines your book after you (the writer) have done your own iterations of review, correction, and revision is essential. As a proofreader, I am that discriminating set of eyes, that reads with the reader in mind, and can catch the errors an author or initial editor might have missed.

Hopefully, you and your beta readers will have missed nothing at all, but isn’t it better to have an extra check prior to releasing your final presentation to readers?

Here are some of the things I look for as a proofreader:

• Typographical errors (including the direction of curly quotation marks and apostrophes)
• Misspelled words (including incorrect word usage)
• Grammatical problems (including verb tenses and syntax)
• Punctuation mistakes (including proper abbreviations and capitalization)
• Inconsistent format (in font size/style for text/chapter headings/subheadings, lists, tables, page numbers, margins, spacing, indentations/paragraphs, quotes, references, citations, footnotes/endnotes, etc.)
• I can accommodate both USA and UK-based grammar/spelling needs.

As a copyeditor, I ferret out and fix any mistakes that might distract the reader from your story without changing your voice and in the most constructive way possible. I work with you to present your best work to the reading public.

Here are some of the things I look for as a copy editor (Note: proofreading checks are included in copy editing):

• Making sure material is logical and understandable
• Correcting continuity problems
• Making sure sources are cited for all statistics and quotations.
• Flagging inaccuracies
• Redundancies
• Sentence clarity
• Word choice
• Maintenance of tone/voice

Please note: my preference is to work in Microsoft Word using Track Changes.

Alternatively, I can work from PDF documents. I can either make notes in the document or in a separate file noting page numbers and line numbers of the suggested corrections.

Remember, preventable errors in your book may result in bad reviews and lost sales. Let me help you avoid this unnecessary pitfall.

I reference the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Edition for proper word usage and spelling, and I consult the Chicago Manual of Style as a source for all things pertaining to proper writing style.

All work also passes through additional quality checks via ProWritingAid and Grammarly. All editing and proofreading decisions are made by me, not the software. They are only useful tools.

Contact me via email: scmathisen98037@hotmail.com or use this handy form.

 

 

 

 

 

I am a staff proofreader for Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas.

I am a member of the editorial staff of Redemption Press.

I am a graduate of all fiction editing courses at The Christian PEN.

I am also a winner of the Clean Indie Reads Strong Award for Outstanding Service to Independent Authors.