Do you need an editor or proofreader? More to the point, do you know you need a subeditor or proofreader?

If you’re writing your own promotional materials, producing content for your website or creating posts on social media, you may well be doing a brilliant job.

You perhaps achieved an A in English Language and can rattle off Countdown Conundrums quicker than Rachel Riley makes middle-aged men’s pulses race. But can you spot simple mistakes your computer’s spell-checker has missed? Do you notice every absent apostrophe? Are you familiar enough with the rules to know when they can be broken?

Everyone can write, after all.

But most business owners and employees are too closely attached to their subject to realise what readers really want to see. Lots of experts baffle the public with science and technological terms, while all-too-many marketing strategists insist on delivering corporate jargon cluttered with management-speak and buzzwords. Oh dear.

And then there are those perfectly fluent people who have plenty to say but fall into a muddle when asked to transfer their thoughts onto paper.

Maybe you’re struggling with syntax, jumbling up your sentence structure and arranging words in the wrong order. Perhaps you’ve got paragraphs all over the place, unsure of where to start, how to end and what should go where. Or do you simply lack confidence in your spelling and grammar? Are you afraid your words won’t be understood or – possibly worst of all – might even be ignored?

The obvious solution is to hire a professional copywriter, who will ensure such problems don’t arise. But at Spoon Media we’re the first to admit it’s not always necessary – especially if you know your market, you’re submerged in your subject and you’ve already made a passable attempt at producing decent content.

Nobody’s perfect, of course. Journalists and copywriters always want an extra pair of eyes to confirm their work isn’t littered with glaring errors, and even the greatest authors have their chapters chopped around by expert editors.

Which is why Spoon Media’s editing and proofreading services are supplied to all kinds of companies – from sole traders to international book publishers. Our copyeditors can be gentle with your work, or we’re capable of completely rewriting even the most arduously overcomplicated prose. From simple fact-checking to full ghost-writing, we offer accuracy, availability, substance and even a little style.

So don’t be afraid: write it yourself. And, just like tackling other types of DIY, someone else can do the cleaning up…

Posted by Dan.

Tags: copyediting, proofreader, proofreading, subeditor