I provide editorial services in a variety of nonfiction fields, specialising in art and design, English and Scottish literature, Scottish subjects, and texts in the Scots language.

A highly qualified, reliable and efficient copyeditor and proofreader, I have over six years’ experience editing texts ranging from published books and journal articles to doctoral theses and web copy, often working with writers whose first language is not English. I am an Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) and I follow their Code of Practice. You can see my entry in the CIEP Directory of Editorial Services here, and you can find me on LinkedIn here.

My academic background is in Creative Writing and History of Art, and I am most interested in editing texts about art and design, English and Scottish literature, and Scottish history and culture. I am currently the only editor in the CIEP directory offering editing services for texts written in the Scots language (Scots leid).

See below for some more information about my expertise and some testimonials and FAQs. If you have a project in need of editorial help, feel free to get in touch for a friendly initial discussion.

Qualifications

PhD Creative Writing, University of Edinburgh (2021)
MFA Creative Writing, Texas State University (2016)
MA (Hons) Fine Art, University of Edinburgh (2004)

Subjects

I am happy to edit and proofread any writing on the arts, humanities and social sciences, but I have particular expertise in the following areas:

• Art history: especially medieval, Renaissance, nineteenth-century, twentieth-century, contemporary, Impressionism, the Pre-Raphaelites, Arts and Crafts Movement, British, Scottish, printmaking, design, architecture, landscape design, urban planning, visual culture, film and television;
• Literature: especially English, Scottish, Irish, American, poetry, medieval, Romantic, nineteenth-century, twentieth-century, modernism, contemporary;
• Scottish studies: including folk and traditional music, visual arts, performing arts, literature, history, archaeology, anthropology, ethnology, mythology, folklore;
• Scots language (Scots leid): I understand the challenges of working in a language without a standardised orthography and can sensitively edit and proofread texts written in Scots.

Testimonials

Dorothy did more than copyediting on my latest book. She turned a mess of a manuscript which I had been working on for far too long into something I could respectably hand over to my publisher. Her understanding and insightful suggestions were remarkable, she worked at the speed of light, and her judgement was always spot on. A great gift to any writer who is running out of time and patience, and has deadlines to meet. (Prof Paul Chilton, Brexitspeak, Cambridge University Press)

Wonderful editorial work. The experience of working with Dorothy was pleasant and satisfactory, including clear and fast communication. Her editing was great; as I also edit and translate other people’s texts in(to) Korean, I know working with others’ texts is not easy. Since I wrote my theses in German and English, I’ve experienced multiple proofreaders and editors. Unfortunately, more than half of those experiences were not satisfactory, and I often felt that my text was ‘savaged’ by an editor who changed my intention and/or voice. I was impressed, as Dorothy understood my intended meaning very well, edited thoroughly without overriding/over-intervening in my text, and has a very good command of language. I would like to work with her again. (Sue, independent researcher)

We used Dorothy for the proofreading of a Scots translation. Working with a language such as Scots, which is less standardised than most other languages, poses a number of challenges. Dorothy helped us to overcome these challenges, demonstrating an incredibly professional, thorough and conscientious approach throughout our collaboration. She was a pleasure to work with, and we won’t hesitate to contact her again for future projects. (Andrew Wood, Linguatext Ltd.)

I had a series of sentences written in Scots to exemplify the language in contrast to other Germanic languages like German, Frisian and Dutch in a book I was writing. Unfortunately, the text I had in Scots was too English laden and so I sought out Dorothy to proofread the text and make it proper Scots. Dorothy did a fantastic job making the necessary changes to make the text truly Scots. I highly recommend her for any Scots need that you may have! (Robbie Kunz, robertsonbkunz.com)

The Investigator Brochure is a key piece of documentation in the drug development process, written in English but frequently read by investigators for whom English is their second language. Dorothy performed a very professional review of the Zapnometinib Investigator Brochure, identifying typographical errors in the document, but also highlighting areas which could lead to misunderstandings/misinterpretations. The work was completed on time and within budget. (Dr Tim Overend, Atriva Therapeutics GmbH)

FAQs (click to expand)

What is the difference between copyediting and proofreading?

These terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but strictly speaking they refer to different kinds of intervention in a text. This page from the CIEP website addresses the differences between proofreading and copyediting. If you’re not sure what exactly you might need in the way of copyediting and/or proofreading, just get in touch and we can talk it over.

How much do you charge?

Every project is different, and the fee I charge depends on the wordcount and complexity of the text. My starting point is the CIEP’s suggested minimum rates. I can provide a quote once I’ve seen a representative sample of your work and we’ve discussed your requirements.

How quickly can you work?

The short answer is very quickly! I love getting my teeth into a project and am very deadline-driven, so once we’ve agreed on what needs to be done, I’ll crack on and work to an agreed schedule, and I can deliver each chapter as soon as I’ve finished editing it. That said, I do have to manage my workload as a freelancer by booking in clients when my diary is free. Please get in touch to ask about my availability so that I can make it work with your deadlines.