The Right Word offers a range of English language editing services, from basic text editing through what is called sub-editing in journalism to the traditional sense of editing a whole book. The current meaning within the book trade, where the 'editor' is the one who 'buys' the book for the publishing company and 'pushes' it within the company's marketing strategy, without necessarily ever helping the author to improve the text itself, is not covered!

As with all other services offered, my intention is to work in very close co-operation with the original author of the text to ensure that his or her intended meanings are expressed in a consistent and successful way. With longer works, more attention naturally has to be paid to structural considerations and to consistency of usage, character and action, where relevant. Text editing may therefore overlap with language correction, without the complication of the foreign language input; but it may also include re-organising and restructuring. Often it is necessary to provide links between passages written at different times and to supply background ideas and explanations which the author has taken for granted. Sometimes a passage needs expanding; more often, the editor is likely to suggest cuts in order to make a text more coherent or accessible to the reader.

Recent full-length book projects I have worked on have included a monograph on the work of a stone carver and sculptor, a New Age fantasy novel, an unclassifiable work of archaeo-mythology, a nature diary-cum-poetry collection and a treatise on spiritual healing.