Hi, my name is Steve Mathisen. I am a writer, copy editor and proofreader. I look for the odd socks. Those things that were missed, are out of place, or just don’t belong. I want to help you produce the highest quality book possible. I want 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. I want to be that essential set of eyes that critically examines your book after you (the writer) have done your own iterations of review, correction, and revision. As a proofreader, I will be that discriminating set of eyes, that reads with the reader in mind, and can catch things that the author or initial editor might have missed. Hopefully, the writer and editor will have missed nothing at all, but isn’t it better to have that extra step of checking in there prior to releasing it to readers? Here are some of the things I look for as a proofreader:

• Typographical errors (including 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.)

As a copy editor, I will dig in to ferret out and fix any mistakes that will distract the reader from your story without changing your voice and in the most constructive way possible. I want to 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 that my preference is to work in Microsoft Word using Track Changes, but I have also worked from PDF documents making notes in a separate file noting page numbers and line numbers of the suggested corrections. A reader that runs into preventable errors in your book will result in bad reviews and lost sales. Let me help you avoid that.

From Author Julia Robb: “I’m so glad I hired Steve to proofread my books. He has a sharp and discerning eye.”

Here are the covers of Julia’s books that I worked on.

From Author Liberty Speidel: “Steve’s knowledge of story and grammar make him an excellent resource as a last set of eyes. Not only is he willing to correct my errors, but he also takes my direction on things I want standard which may be a bit different than the norm for my series. He and I may disagree on whether the Oxford comma should or shouldn’t be used, but he’s willing to put that aside and let me have all the Oxford commas I want in my books. You couldn’t ask for a more professional and respectful individual as a proofreader!”

Here is the cover of Liberty’s book that I worked on:

From Author Corey Popp: ” I sent my manuscript to Steve Mathisen for an unbiased, third-party proofreading. I found out about Steve from one of K.M. Weiland’s Facebook posts. For a very reasonable price, Steve provided me with a proofreading that caught some pretty critical mistakes in my manuscript.”

I have a degree in geography from the University of Washington but have spent most of the last twenty-five years testing software.  In that role, I was often the last set of eyes on a program before it was released to the users it was developed for. I took that job very seriously and I take this job seriously too.

My own writing appears in three published books. I know how important it is to have your best work out there. Let me help you be your very best.

Contact me at scmathisen_writer@live.com, leave a message here or see me on Facebook, and let’s get you on the schedule.

My rates are as follows: (Note: All rates include a free double-check against my recommendations once the corrections have been made.)

• $1.25 per page for Fiction Proofreading and $1.50 per page for Nonfiction Proofreading.
• $2.00 per page for Fiction Copyediting and $2.25 per page for Nonfiction Copyediting.

Half payment is due in advance of the scheduled start date with the balance due upon completion. I can accept payment via PayPal (preferred), check or money order. Ask me about a free first chapter sample copyedit or proofread. Many of my clients hired me after their free sample chapter.

I count KM Weiland, Lia London, Liberty Speidel, Terri L Main, Julia Robb and Corey Popp among my references.

I am a member of The Christian PEN, Northwest Christian Writers Association, and American Christian Fiction Writers.