It is often easy to see mistakes in other people's work, but a little more difficult when it comes to our own. This is why it is so strongly recommended that before you start sending your manuscripts out to agents/ publishers, you have them professionally proofread.

An agent will have over 100 manuscripts land on their desk every week. They will look for the smallest reasons to reject a piece. If a manuscript is littered with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, it will be all the harder to find that elusive deal.

I am a professional proofreader, but as a writer as well, I won't sacrfice style and substance for unnecessarily precise grammar. I keep a seperate list of questionable grammar where corrections might interfere with style, to give you the chance to make the final decision.

I have a BA in English and also a professional proofreading qualification. I have experience in proofreading and copy editing marketing material in my current job.

I have recently set up my own freelance company, but am advertising seperately here, exclusively for WW members. I can't give prices without seeing the type of work in question, but can guarantee that anyone who contacts me through this site will receive a 30% discount off my normal rates.

Please email me if you would like to receive a no obligation quote.

Sarah

<Added>

CHALLENGE: See if you can spot the deliberate mistake in my posting.

I am a professional proofreader, but as a writer as well, I won't sacrfice style and substance for unnecessarily precise grammar

'sacrifice' is missing an i. And I would have put the comma after ‘but’, not before it.

Do I win the prize?

Dee

Dee, you missed the two misspellings of separate/ separately!

So another mistake is that it should be 'mistakes'!

Sarah, I'm interested that you don't hyphenate 'copy editing'. I know Judith Butcher does - her book's glaring at me from my reference shelf - but I've never been sure.

Emma

I would hyphenate no-obligation quote.

Elbow

Emma,
I have to admit the copy editing thing is something I've wondered about, I guess I've just gone by my own tutor on this one.

Elbow,
that's most definitely a style issue which comes down to personal taste. This is something a copy editor would have to make a decision about. Since it's not technically wrong, it isn't something a proof reader would correct.

xo