US English

Proofreader and Copy Editor Eldo Barkhuizen

Proofreader and Copy Editor
You Can Rely on

1. Qualified English teacher – BA in English literature, psychology and church history, and a postgraduate teacher’s diploma.

2. Taught English and then worked as an in-house proofreader – taught GCSE English and English as a Second Language in a UK secondary school and later proofread full-time for a well-known Christian printing firm.

3. Professionally trained – Publishing Training Centre, London, copy editor course (pass with distinction).

4. Further trained – completed five UK Society for Editors & Proofreaders courses:

• On-Screen Editing
• Efficient Editing
• Proofreading Problems
• Working for a Client
• Project Management

5. Advanced membership – accepted as an Advanced Member of the UK Society for Editors & Proofreaders in 2002.

6. Publishers’ tests completed – passed various publishers’ proofreader and copy editor tests with flying colours, which proves my ability and removes your risk in hiring a freelancer you haven’t dealt with before.

7. Competent – I have 28 years of experience (1997–2024), forged in the furnace of dealing with numerous authors and working on 683 books for major UK/US publishers and self-published authors (see the ‘Portfolio’ page of this website).

8. Secret system – I’ve devised a special way of proofreading and copyediting, a secret system crafted over the years. The result never ceases to delight both publishers and authors.

9. Meticulous proofreader and copy editor work – many authors and publishers have praised me for my thoroughness and attention to detail.

10. High standard – publishers and authors have said my proofreading and copyediting are of a consistently high standard.

11. Professional – because I’ve been well trained and have a long track record, I know what both publishers and authors want when I freelance for them as a proofreader or copy editor and how to deliver the work in a timely, professional way.

12. Reliable – I always meet deadlines, which gives a desk editor or author more breathing space. It also gives typesetters confidence their schedule won’t be turned upside down.

13. Follow your brief – I stay close to what you request in your brief, so you won’t get any nasty surprises when I’ve returned the proofread/copyedited file to you.

14. Flexible proofreader and copy editor – if your publishing schedule changes, I’ll flow with you.

15. Work hard – I put in extra hours of work (evenings and Saturdays) if needed, to meet your deadline.

16. Wide range of subject matter – I have a lot of experience proofreading and copyediting both complex academic titles and simpler, more popular books (see the ‘Portfolio’ page of this website for many examples).

17. Easy to contact – I reply fast to your emails (or you can phone me if you prefer). You won’t have to wait hours – or days – for a reply to an urgent query.

18. Diplomatic skills – I’ve dealt with hundreds of authors, ranging from professors to a German woman who survived the Second World War and asked me to copyedit her astonishing autobiography. I know how to query courteously and keep authors happy.

19. Author queries dealt with – I resolve all queries before returning the copyedited files to a publisher (I have a secret, highly effective system for getting authors to respond quickly).

20. Light editing – no one likes to have his or her work heavily edited and changed (unless the author/publisher requests this), a sure way to stoke up author anger and give you a major headache if you’re a traditional publisher.

21. Many testimonials received over the years I’ve worked as a proofreader and copy editor – multiple glowing written testimonials from both publishers and authors.

22. Numerous mentions – many authors praise me as the copy editor in the front of their published books.

23. Rehired many times – publishers rehire my services. One publisher has hired my copyediting service for 26 years . . .

24. Peace of mind – you’ll relax, knowing your project’s in the safe hands of an expert proofreader and copy editor.

Pay Less to Have Your Book
Proofread or Copyedited

NOTE: my professional proofreader and copy editor fees are far lower than these proposed rates from the UK Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (formerly the Society for Editors & Proofreaders):