Jaime Sperling
Copyediting and Proofreading
Jaime Sperling
Copyediting and Proofreading
Jaime Sperling
Copyediting and Proofreading
Everyone needs an editor—fresh eyes bring a fresh perspective. You do important work, and you need to be sure that the words you're putting out into the world reflect that.
That’s where I come in. I’m not here to judge your grammar or your spelling. We all make mistakes. (In fact, if no one made mistakes, I wouldn’t have a job.)
I’m here to help you say what you want to say—clearly, concisely, and correctly—so it will resonate with your readers.
If your work is in marketing and communications, general science, creative nonfiction, or academia, please get in touch.
Contact me at jaimesperling@gmail.com.
My Services
Copyediting
Whether you want me to dig deep or just give it an eagle-eyed once-over, a copyedited document enhances your credibility.
What copyeditors look for:
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Spelling, capitalization, and punctuation
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Grammar
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Style (Do you use the Oxford comma? Do you capitalize professional titles? Do you use “catalog” or “catalogue”?)
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Word choice and usage
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Logical flow
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Appropriateness for the audience
What copyeditors do:
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Suggest corrections
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Query or suggest alternative wording
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Rearrange sentences for clarity
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Ensure consistency in spelling and capitalization
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Maintain the author’s voice, whether the “author” is an individual or an organization
Proofreading
Proofreading is the last look. It gets down to the nitty-gritty at the word, sentence, and layout level. Having your document proofread ensures it’s as close to error-free as it can be.
What proofreaders look for:
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Missing or repeated words
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Glaring grammatical errors
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Spelling mistakes
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Incorrect punctuation
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Inconsistent or incorrect capitalization
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Formatting errors or inconsistencies (such as bold or italic or incorrect fonts)
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Page numbers, running heads, section headings, image captions and credits
What proofreaders do:
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Suggest corrections
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Ensure consistency and adherence to style guide
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Query sentences or word choices that are confusing
Contact me at jaimesperling@gmail.com.
How I Work
Software
For copyediting, I most often work in Microsoft Word, using its track changes and comments features. I can also work in Google Docs. For proofreading, I use Adobe Reader’s commenting tools on PDFs.
Style guides
I'm most familiar with:
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Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition (CMOS or just Chicago)
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Associated Press Stylebook (AP)
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Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition (APA7)
I also have several other style guides at hand and can work with your house style.
Contact me at jaimesperling@gmail.com.
Pricing
Contact me to discuss rates. Depending on the project, I can charge by the hour or offer a project rate. Each project is unique and I take into consideration the complexity of the material, your deadline, and the level of work requested and required.
In order to assess this, I need to see at least part of your work, preferably the whole thing. Rest assured that your manuscript will be treated with the utmost confidentiality.
Contact me at jaimesperling@gmail.com.
About Me
I’ve always had a knack for the written word—for catching typos, for untangling the structure of a complex sentence, for arranging the components of an argument or a story.
I have a bachelor’s and a master’s degree, both in linguistics. (No, I don’t speak any languages other than English.)
In college, my friends asked me to proofread their papers. In grad school, I was a go-to for some of the ESL students in my program. In my professional life (even before segueing into editing), I’d get the odd phone call: “Jaime, is this correct?” To this day, friends message me: “Is this a word?” “Is this correct?” “Can you think of a better way to say this?”
I’ve been editing professionally since 2001. My editorial skills were honed in the communications and marketing departments of several nonprofit organizations. In late 2017, I decided it was time to fly the nest and start my own business. And here I am, for all your editing and proofreading needs.
I’ve been a member in good standing of ACES: The Society for Editing since 2011.
Contact me at jaimesperling@gmail.com.