A Better Editor ^SM

Professional proofreading/copy editing to fit your budget and meet your deadline! Business correspondence, reports; personal writing, letters, memoirs; Web site proofing/navigation; and APA style theses, dissertations, bibliographies, and journal articles.

NEW! Copy editing for ESL students!

Anne V. Sutherland, M.Div., Ph.D.
Professional Editing and Proofreading Since 1995

You can save money if you send your manuscript online or on a computer disk done in Word (.doc) or saved as rich text (.rtf). along with a printed copy. Please ask for details to be sure your disk will work with my system.

Start-up Word Processing:
I can work from your typed, computer printout, e-mail, or legible handwritten papers, 3-1/2 floppy disks, or an e-mail attachment in Rich Text Format (rtf). If you do word processing, it costs much less when you send it either online or on a disk, along with the printed copy.

If your manuscript is handwritten, I will not make a commitment to work on it until after I see it. If it is readable so it can be typed into a word processor I will do it, but it will cost you a lot more than if you find someone locally who can do the word processing before you send it to me!

Standard Page:
After word processing, a standard page is one side of page only, with 1.25 inch margins all around, double space in 12 point Times New Roman type, with box paragraphs, no hyphenation, and no graphics, pictures, diagrams, or tables in text. You can reduce your costs a lot by using the standard page layout.

Tables, Charts, Graphics:
If you have graphics, pictures, diagrams, or tables, they can go at the end of the manuscript along with the reference list or bibliography. The same is true for footnotes. They take a lot less time if they can go as endnotes at the end of the text section. If a professor or editor wants something else, I can do it, but it takes more of my time, and that is what costs a lot!

Page Numbers:
Put your name and page number at the top right of each page, including front matter and end matter, all numbered consecutively.

Footnotes:
Place footnotes or endnotes, starting on a separate page after the text, numbered the same as in the references in the text. Reference notes or bibliography and other end matter should be as close as possible to the style you need, and placed after the footnotes. This is the setup you can send me. I will make the final setup the same unless you request something different. This seems to be what most professors and editors want, but take the time to check and be sure!

Reference List, Bibliography:
You can save a lot of money by having the bibliography or reference list typed exactly the way you want it before you send it to me! Many folks actually hire me to do just this because it takes so much attention to detail and professors can be very demanding. Just please understand, even though I use a software program, getting it all just right takes a lot of time! You can also save a lot of money if you attend to all the items in the list below. If I notice something I will contact you, but that also takes time and may delay the completion of the manuscript.

Index:
You can save money on an index if you are willing to mark the words to be included on a printed copy of a near final draft.

• Please designate preferred style manual and dictionary, and send author guidelines when available.
• You are responsible for the accuracy of all details in the manuscript including, but not limited to these:

• content and placement of footnotes or endnotes
• content in bibliography and reference list
• dates
• numbers
• facts
• quotations
• spelling of proper names
• spelling of words in a foreign language
• spelling and use of technical, jargon, or specialized words

• You are responsible for obtaining permission to use all copyrighted material.
• you are responsible for describing accurately the size and location of space needed for all pictures, diagrams, or tables so that space or pages can be left for them in the final draft.
• you are responsible for specifying your desired completion date. if you have a deadline with no leeway, a rush order will only be accepted if your deadline can be met. a rush order surcharge may be added when appropriate.
• you are responsible for indicating whether you want a title page, table of contents, list of illustrations, copyright designation, special font or format, or something else out of the ordinary, and sending a pattern and/or written instructions.

Please know that I love to edit and am willing to discuss with you any concerns you have and to work with you to meet your budget and timeline. Don't hesitate to contact me and ask all your questions!

Good editing takes time. Please don't wait until the last minute and then want a miracle. I am fresh out!

For an overview of Copy editing steps click here

To find out more about costs click here

For things you can do to reduce your costs click here

This site is designed to help you find answers to your questions and give you an idea of what is available here. To tour this site, please click on the "Go to next page" choice at the bottom of each page. For specific information, please choose from the menu box.

Like many people, after looking at all this you may have particular questions about your manuscript. Please do not hesitate to contact me for more information. The first 30 minute phone call, or e-mail consultation is always free!

Telephone 1-800-301-8847 (near Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA)

For my e-mail address and to request a free half hour sample of copy editing your document, please call. I get way too much spam! I will need your phone and e-mail address, too. Please give a brief message of what you are seeking. I usually respond within 48 hours on business days. If you are in a hurry it is okay to try again sooner.

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A Better Editor ^SM

Tel: 1-(800) 301-8847 (USA-48) *** 1-(920) 855-1483

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