Beaumont Hardy Editing provides freelance proofreading, copyediting, content editing, tutoring, and ghostwriting services to professional writers, freelance writers, students, and businesses.
Content editing is the most time-consuming and extensive of the editing I do. I look at both the structure and the content of a client’s work and make changes to organization, sentence configuration, and wording. Content editing can involve reworking certain passages, moving text from one place to another, or cutting unnecessary text.
Copyediting is less exhaustive. I check a manuscript for spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, style errors, and inaccurate or incorrect word usage. I do not make overarching plot suggestions or major shifts in text.
Proofreading is the lightest of the editing I do. I correct a manuscript, often in final typeset form, for occasional errors in punctuation or spelling. Proofreading is usually the last stage of correction before the manuscript is complete.
Some manuscripts require only minimal proofreading, while others need more extensive copyediting or content editing. I edit each manuscript to the extent that the author requests. For some manuscript edits, I make minor spelling and punctuation corrections, while for others, I make significant plot and structure changes.
Ghostwriting requires the wholesale creation of a piece of text. I work closely with the client to understand exactly what he or she wants the text to say and what kind of tone he or she expects the piece to have.
Tutoring can involve lessons in English grammar and composition or in spelling and textual organization. I work with both native and non-native speakers of English to provide editing help and quick instruction.
As a freelance editor and proofreader, I edit and proofread letters, pamphlets, brochures, short stories, essays, non-fiction manuscripts, novel manuscripts, books just before publication, and many other types of writing. What follows are descriptions of some of my most requested services.
Letter-writing is an art, but for most of us, it is also a necessity. A well-composed letter can be a powerful tool in both business and education. I proofread and edit cover letters, business correspondence, and all other types of written communications. The purpose of each letter dictates its tone and content, and I adjust my letter editing to each project.
A short story is a neat fictional package that conveys much meaning in few pages. Good short story editing hones an author’s words while retaining the essential themes and ideas of the story. I edit experimental and more traditional short stories written for both juvenile and adult audiences.
An essay is pithy and precise. Its purpose is clear and directed, and its audience is well-defined. I edit essays on all topics and for all readers, focusing on wording, the effectiveness of the argument, and the presentation of the theme.
I do the bulk of my editing work on fictional projects—novels, in particular. I pay close attention to plot and character development, reading to see whether the novel’s characters act plausibly and in a way that believably generates plot movement.
Once a publishing house agrees to publish a manuscript, the work is closer to becoming a full-fledged book. As a book editor, I work for publishers who have already contracted with authors to publish their books. I edit these books according to each publisher’s guidelines and specifications, usually following the publisher’s individual style guide.
Beaumont Hardy Editing is a freelance editing service that provides proofreading, copyediting, and content editing for writers of letters, pamphlets, brochures, short stories, essays, manuscripts not yet ready for publication, and books already slated for publication.