AOB Proofreading Service
for Publishers, Businesses and Individuals
" When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing." Enrique Jardiel Poncela
WELCOME
Hello and welcome to my website. I am a freelance proofreader with substantial in-house experience. If you are a publisher, you may have arrived here via the SfEP Directory: to discuss your project, my rates and availability, please email me at the address below, use the 'Contact me' page or call Alan on 07847300257. Thank you.
alanobrienmale@yahoo.co.uk
EXPERIENCE AND SUBJECTS
As well as being a freelance contact of north-west publisher Books for Learning, I have Membership status in the Society for Editors and Proofreaders, with experience of proofreading a range of texts on-screen including fiction manuscripts, midwifery assignments, poems and marketing literature. Since September 2008 I have been an in-house proofreader, hand-marking proofs using the BS 5261C:2005 symbols, amending charity and corporate publications for clients such as Zurich (News & Views, Court Circular), Cobham (Update), BHF and Sony among many others.
Specific subjects of which I have good knowledge are business studies, marketing, the unexplained/paranormal and football.
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Specific subjects of which I have good knowledge are business studies, marketing, the unexplained/paranormal and football.
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MY WORK
I have a lot of enquiries from a variety of people - small businesses, students, publishers, writers ... This is a great part of my job as a freelance proofreader as I get to grapple with a variety of subjects, regularly working with and for different people with unique requirements for their projects; no job is ever the same - lucky me!
"A very good, professional, speedy, accurate service. Warmly recommended." Writers' Workshop
PROOFREADING - WHAT EXACTLY IS IT?
If you have previously hired a proofreader, you may find this part interesting anyway; if you haven't, then it's important that you know what the role of the proofreader is so that you know what you're paying for.
Perhaps you're self-publishing your first work and you've wisely decided to have it proofread but are not sure what your money will get you. Professional proofreading primarily involves spotting and correcting literals (spelling mistakes) and typos (e.g. missing punctuation). So far, so obvious. But what about inconsistencies in your text - e.g. a character's name spelt 'Billy' in one passage; 'Billie' in the next? Ambiguities such as 'take your pick from the pile of tools' ? There are also illogicalities to watch out for, parochialisms, tautologies, factual errors, possible libels - and this is all on top of ensuring your brief is followed and your standardized (or would you have standardised?) style consistently met! (See bottom of the page for a link to more information on proofreading.)
So, if your project is well edited, and requires no great further rewriting or lengthy reworking, then you can send it to me for a quick, free assessment and estimate (if appropriate) via email or post. Please include your deadline date and any other important details pertaining to your work.
Also, please note that lengthy manuscripts that haven't been professionally edited are not eligible to be proofread.
HOW MUCH?
For official quotes, please send by email or post as much of the work as possible. If this is not possible, a ballpark estimate can be given, with an official figure offered when the work is viewed.
Payment can be made within thirty days after the invoice which is sent after all work has been returned; payment can be made via cheque, bank transfer or PayPal.
If you have arrived here seeking information on how to become a proofreader or copy-editor, you will find a more suitable site at www.copyediting.co.uk.
