Dawn-Louise McLeod, freelance editor

Experienced financial, educational, and book editor

I am an adaptable and creative editor located in Kamloops, BC, and experienced in a variety of areas from academic research and curriculum to corporate communication and technical documentation. My approach to your project is to assume the role of your target reader and ask the same questions the reader might. I view each new project as an opportunity to learn and to impart an understanding of the editorial process to you, the client.

Most of my clients are in California, New York, or Vancouver.

My degree in English from the University of British Columbia is supported by my Print Futures diploma (professional writing) from Douglas College. I am engaged in graduate studies at Athabasca University and am a member of the Instructional Development and Research Group at Thompson Rivers University as a production technician in distance education.

My professional affiliations are the Editors' Association of Canada and the Canadian Information Processing Society.

My areas of knowledge and interest include distance and adult education, academic research, business analysis, financial management, visual and performing arts, outdoor recreation, building construction trades, and home renovation.

My services include:

Substantive and technical editing
Copyediting and proofreading
Researching and fact-checking
Website and manuscript evaluation
Researching and fact-checking
Technical writing and revision
Desktop publishing
XML, HTML hand coding
Client education and support

Areas of experience

Print and electronic substantive editing, copyediting, and proofreading
Technical, journalistic, and curriculum writing
Academic essay writing and editing
Project management
Print and web layout and production

Qualifications and experience

Five years as both an independent and in-house editor
Professional use of applications including Word 2007, XMetal, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Adobe Illustrator, PowerPoint, Excel, FrontPage
Professional use of learning management systems such as WebCT and Moodle
Internships with Canada Wide Magazines and with the Learning Strategies Group
Bachelor of Arts degree in English, University of British Columbia
Print Futures diploma in professional writing, Douglas College
Master of Distance Education candidate

Hourly rates

Proofreading and copyediting: $30 US per hour
Substantive editing and related work: $35 US per hour
Rush rates (deadlines within 48 hours): 25% of total cost added

Free estimate

Please email me with the following:

1. A brief description of your project
2. Number of pages (based on 250 words per page) or total word count
3. A sample page of your manuscript
4. Deadline or estimated time of completion
5. A brief summary of your requirements

I will get back to you, usually within 48 hours, with a quote.

Testimonials

"Dawn-Louise has worked with us on a number of editing and proofing projects, including websites, brochures and annual reports. We really appreciate her attention to detail and quick turnaround times. She is a pleasure to work with and we look forward to continuing our business relationship with her."
—WENDY KEARNS, Director of Client Services, Porcaro Communications

"Your professionalism and competence are evidenced by the care you took in explaining the process to me. From my brief discussions with you, I trusted that you would be able to meet the tight deadline and deliver a well-proofed document, and I was not disappointed. I fully intend to contact you for any upcoming projects."
—YAU MIN CHONG, Project Co-ordinator, InterPARES, School of Library, Archival and Information Services, UBC

"Dawn-Louise possesses an eye for detail, has a solid understanding of grammar, and is a very meticulous copy editor. In addition to having an impressive appreciation of how an article should flow, she also possesses an intuitive sense of what additional pieces of information could enhance a story."
—NOEL HULSMAN, Managing Editor and award-winning writer, BCBusiness magazine