Editing
Editing can range from just smoothing out some inelegant wording to completely revising the copy. In corporate communications, a common goal is to give one consistent voice to material written by several different people. In any kind of editing, the objective is clarity -- making sure the words don't get in the way of the message.
Writing/Rewriting
Rewriting is what I do best -- and what clients appreciate most. Maybe you've written a first draft that includes the important points but needs reorganizing and polishing. The information may be there, but buried in jargon, repetition or awkward phrases. Let me rewrite your copy to eliminate those obstacles.
If you prefer, I can start from scratch and provide clear, vivid copy for your brochure, catalogue, newsletter or Web site.
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Copy Editing
An easy way to improve any document, copy editing includes correct, appropriate and consistent spelling, grammar, punctuation, hyphenation, capitalization and abbreviations. A good copy editor will provide a customized editorial style sheet for the clients, writers and proofreaders on each project. (See a typical style sheet for an annual report.)
A smart copy editor knows when to be flexible, providing the client with the most accurate, authoritative advice possible (realizing that the client may choose not to take that advice) and never losing sight of the target audience.
Proofreading
At different stages of a project, you may need anything from checking some changes or making sure the first layout has everything in place to a meticulous editorial read-through, checking every detail and fine-tuning the typography.
Make the most of your proofreading budget with an experienced professional who understands how much proofreading you need -- and when you need it.
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Typography
Type designer Sumner Stone once wrote that typography takes the reader on a journey. That journey is much smoother without bad hyphenation and line breaks, tight and loose lines, widows and orphans -- anything that might frustrate readers and make them stop reading.
I know the potential and limitations of both Quark and HTML, so I won't suggest the impossible -- but I can help improve almost any page.
Project Management/Production Editing
Start with any combination of editing, copy editing, proofreading, picture research and typography. To that, you might add coordinating with the writer, designer, illustrator, translator or printer; developing the production schedule; and maintaining project files. The challenges are different for every job. Just tell me what you need.
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Web Site Editing
I can help you with both form and content for your site. Think of a Web site as a book. Information architecture is simply how information is organized and how readers access it.
Whether you're adapting existing material or creating all new content, I can make sure it's appropriate for reading online; add the necessary subheads; incorporate links within the copy (to avoid the dreaded "click here"); handcode the HTML for italics, accents, subscripts and superscript; write copy for menus, ALT text and meta tags -- and, of course, check the spelling, grammar and punctuation.
Map Editing
A cluttered, confusing or inaccurate map is a waste of a reader's time. So is one with place names spelled differently than in the body copy, with arrows pointing opposite to what a travel itinerary says or with logical flaws like a ship sailing through a non-existent canal. First-class maps are always essential in travel catalogues.
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Indexing
There is more to creating an index than just putting a list in alphabetical order; for example, word processing software won't put all of the "Mc" and "Mac" surnames together as they should be, and it won't recognize an "E" with an accent as an "E". Whether producing an index manually or using QuarkXPress, a competent editor provides the judgment necessary to do the job well and give readers what they need.
Databases
Creating a database starts with examining the kinds of information to be included and the ways the client wants to use it. You may need a simple structure to record a few facts about each item (as in the Advertising & Design Club awards database) or a more complicated design for tracking a project (like the Canadian Global Almanac).
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Research
Do you need information for an upcoming project, background material for a copywriter or just confirmation of a few facts? The key to efficient research is finding relevant, reliable sources and finding them quickly and cost-effectively, whether in a library or online.
Picture Research
Not every image you need is in a catalogue. There are hundreds of specialized stock agencies and thousands of other picture sources -- libraries, museums, archives, special interest groups and private collections.
Picture research can include anything from simply identifying a potential source for a photo or illustration to actually obtaining it, arranging for permission to use it, negotiating the fees, preparing the credits copy and arranging for the picture's safe return.