An offer to Proofread/edit writers current projects

mikegemmell · May 13, 2015

Hello,

I have been a technical/ business writer for many years and am in the process of expanding my resume into proofreading and editing of fiction and nonfiction works. In order to pursue this goal, I am offering to proofread/copy edit--at no charge--a chapter or excerpt of your current writing project ranging from 10 to 30 pages .

In exchange I would ask to be allowed to add the name and title of your work to my resume. I will not plagiarize, share, or distribute your work.

In addition to my technical writing, I have worked for over 3 years as a beta-reader with a published writer on several works of art and culture, and also have a 20 year+ writing/editing relationship with a science director of a public policy institute. My Linked in profile with additional information on my professional background is included below.

For any interested writers, I can provide corrections/comments within 72 hours of receiving your work on either electronic copy using the Microsoft Word Track Changes feature, or on a hard copy.

If this offer is of interest to you, please contact me at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Mike Gemmell
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmgemmell

Old Hack · May 14, 2015

Mike, I've looked at your LinkedIn profile. There are a few errors in it, it's written in a quite clunky style, and you've repeated yourself a few times there. It's not the best advertisement for your editing work, I'm afraid.

gettingby · May 14, 2015

It's a nice offer if you have the skills to do a good job. I'm not on LinkedIn so I haven't seen the concerns that Old Hack mentioned. But my concern would be that you only have one post. You might want to participate in more discussions on AW so that people can get to know you. But definitely make sure you don't have typos and what not on the page you are directing people to.

Maybe it's just me, but I get a little worried about these kind of posts. I wonder what's in it for the person offering these services for free. Maybe you have good intensions, but with only one post on AW, that raises a red flag for me.

cornflake · May 14, 2015

I didn't look at the poster's profile either, but there are a number of errors in the opening post. Offering to proofread with an error-riddled post is not really confidence-inspiring.

BenPanced · May 15, 2015

Personally, I would include works I've edited on a resume only if they have been published in one way or another, be it an article, a how-to guide, or a travelogue, and include verifiable sources. It wouldn't matter to me how many items you've edited; that doesn't speak to me of the actual quality of your work.

johnharlin · Jun 9, 2015

Sometimes a person is better at editing than he is at writing. Grammar and spelling are not all that is involved. For myself, at some point, I will need some serious editing because I am so caught up in details that I can't really put the story together well or write it well and I think that I sometimes go off on tangents too far away from the main story. I am constantly putting things in, taking things out and rearranging things after I have written something. It's all like putting together a gigantic 400 page jigsaw puzzle and it's not a good way to write. My emphasis with an editor would be to make sure it reads well and that it all ties together well.

thothguard51 · Jun 9, 2015

So Mike has not been back since posting? I wonder why?

Old Hack · Jun 9, 2015

johnharlin said:
Sometimes a person is better at editing than he is at writing. Grammar and spelling are not all that is involved. For myself, at some point, I will need some serious editing because I am so caught up in details that I can't really put the story together well or write it well and I think that I sometimes go off on tangents too far away from the main story. I am constantly putting things in, taking things out and rearranging things things after I have written something. It's all like putting together a gigantic 400 page jigsaw puzzle and it's not a good way to write. My emphasis with an editor would be to make sure it reads well and that it all ties together well.

Editors don't make changes for you: they just point out problems they've seen, and give suggestions on how they could be fixed.

I've worked with a lot of writers over the years and have learned that getting an editor is not the best way for writers to improve. Workshops, classes, writing groups are all more effective, especially in the early stages of learning the craft.

An offer to Proofread/edit writers current projects

mikegemmell

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

gettingby

cornflake

practical experience, FTW

BenPanced

THE BLUEBERRY QUEEN OF HADES (he/him)

johnharlin

thothguard51

A Gentleman of a refined age...

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman