About Kilmeny

I am a freelance copy-editor and a professional member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP). I specialise in non-fiction, mainly academic material, working both for publishers and for individual researchers. Before retraining as a proofreader in 2012, I spent over sixteen years in teaching, most recently running a modern languages department in an independent school. To date I have worked on over a hundred academic titles across a wide range of subjects within the humanities and social sciences, as well as journal articles, theses and dissertations.

I also offer private tuition in French and English to GCSE, A-level and Oxbridge entrance. Please see my teaching page for further information.

Copy-Editing

As a professional member of the CIEP, my standards are high; I have a keen eye for detail and a thorough knowledge of both UK and US spelling and grammar as well as publishing conventions. You can be confident that I will deliver a professional service on time and within the agreed budget, whatever your editorial requirements. Please email me with details of your project for a preliminary quotation.

Copy-Editing

As well as an extensive knowledge of UK education and familiarity with teaching resources for pupils of all ages, I have an especial interest in English and French literature, music and historical linguistics. I particularly welcome editing work within these fields, therefore. However, I have experience across a wide range of subject areas within humanities and social sciences. I usually work with Word files, but if you have a different requirement, please get in touch to discuss it.

Proofreading

I am happy to work on paper or on screen, blind or against copy. Hard copy will be marked up using BS 5261C: 2005 – Marks for copy preparation and proof correction, but digital files can be treated in a variety of ways: Word documents can be annotated using track changes; comments or BSI marks can be added to PDFs.

Proof-Editing for Businesses

You might never have thought of hiring a specialist to check your publicity materials or the text on your website, but almost every restaurant menu, promotional leaflet and website has errors on it that may put off potential clients. A proof-edit (somewhere between a copy-edit and a proofread) will ensure that your copy isn’t spoilt by mistakes in spelling or punctuation and that it reads well. Please get in touch for further information and an idea of how much it would cost for me to proof-edit your text.

Not sure if it’s its or it’s, there, their or they’re? Don’t know if your business has an affect or an effect, is discreet or discrete? Increase your credibility. Make sure your message is clear and unambiguous. Create a good impression with even the most discerning customers. Save money on reprinting costs. Fast and affordable proofreading by a professional. Don’t think it matters? Have a look at some of these sobering stories: ‘An analysis of website figures shows a single spelling error can cut online sales in half’ ‘10 very costly typos’ ‘The £8.8m typo: how one mistake killed a family business’