Proofreading — books, documents, websites - corporate, government, general
Copy Editing
Photo Retouching and Restoration
Book Design and Layout
It is a known fact that the writer of any document, be it a best-selling novel or a short, classified advertisement, cannot easily see their own errors. And we all make them - some are fairly unimportant, but many can be disastrous. We don’t always realise how much impact our written words have. Most people nearly always think their work is 'perfect' and are quite surprised when a proofreader makes dozens of corrections.
These days, many companies do not have the staff who are able to check all documents, particularly important ones, and time is at a premium, so it makes sense to use independent proofreaders and/or copy editors. As 'outsiders', we can be more objective.
And authors always need a fresh pair of eyes to do the checking, even the most seasoned writers.
So let us do the checking for you—before you go to print!
How we work
We accept files in various ways:
email - with attachments sent as Word files
email - with attachments sent as PDFs, to be printed out and proofed
hard copy
We normally work in Microsoft Word using Track Changes. For long documents, it is faster to work using Track Changes. If you find them difficult to work with, we can supply a file showing all the changes, so you know how much work has been done, along with a separate file with everything "accepted" so you can just "read it" and check it as you go.
For certain types of books, e.g. illustrative, it can be better to work on hard copy after the initial proofing has been done, to check the overall 'look and feel' of a document, e.g. layout, headings, font sizes, position of images etc., particularly if it has already been typeset as a 'final draft'.
Computer Skills
Our software skills include:
Word Processing and General: Microsoft Word, Internet, Email
Desktop Publishing: Adobe InDesign, Microsoft Publisher
Presentation: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Microsoft Powerpoint
Accounting: Microsoft Excel
Operating Systems: Apple Mac OS 10.6, Microsoft Windows XP / Vista
Rates
We would be very pleased to talk to you about any project, be it large or small, and give you a quote. Prices depend on the deadline and complexity of the work. Fees are reasonable (between NZ$45 and $65 per hour) and calculated either by the number of words on a page or in a document, or as a 'project fee' for larger projects such as complete books or large websites. We guarantee the strictest confidentiality.
Please don't hesitate to telephone or email — all details are on the Contact Us page.
