Everyone who works for a living also writes for a living. Whether you’re in business, government or academia, you will face critique from readers at some stage. Critiques can be helpful, but they can also be painful if you aren’t prepared. A critique is often a personal conversation.
Many writers are told by their publishers, thesis supervisors, peers and bosses to get help with their writing. While editors and proofreaders cannot guarantee publication, acceptance, payment, awards or accolades, we can help you prepare for critique. There are many benefits in using the services of a proofreader or editor. Here are a few examples of what we can do, depending on how deeply we dive into your document. Our work:
- gives you tools to refine your text;
- helps you place text where it belongs, in the correct chapter or section;
- addresses your writing weaknesses;
- introduces consistency to all aspects of your writing, including content and grammar;
- adds impact to your messages;
- tightens your delivery and reduces wordiness;
- weeds our errors and repeated text;
- prevents incorrect statements;
- brings to your attention important things you have missed; and
- suggests better ways of approaching problems.
But the biggest benefit you get from professional editing is that you look as close to perfect as humanly possble, as if you got all these things right the first time! I don’t know a single reader who reflects on the skills of the editor. Instead, your readers think about how brilliant you, the author, are. The editor stays in the background. That’s what makes the professional editor your best friend. We make you, the writer and author, look good.
