Testimonials
I've been really lucky to work with some wonderful writers (who are also lovely people) over the years.
Here is some recent feedback from them.
(*Please see my note below regarding links to external sites.)
Here is some recent feedback from them.
(*Please see my note below regarding links to external sites.)
Copy-editing and proofreading
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"Karen copy-edited my debut novel, 'Fairy Boys'. Handing over any piece of work for review and collaboration can be uncomfortable at best. For me, submitting 'Fairy Boys' was a daunting thought, as the subject matter is so very near to my heart. Karen made me feel instantly comfortable. After submitting a small excerpt, and receiving the copy-edited sample back soon after, I was not only calmer but also genuinely excited to share my work with her. The entire process from start to finish was handled with such effortless care that it really gave me confidence in that I was in very safe hands. When I received my manuscript back I was thrilled with Karen’s work; the text lifted right off the page and flowed incredibly elegantly. I also took advantage of Karen’s proofreading services, which were exceptional; she picked up on any further discrepancies and more. I couldn’t recommend her highly enough." D. Tawse Fairy Boys |
Copy-editing
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"My native language is Spanish, and I have written many books in that language. But, in the last five years, I decided to write in English and submit my work to English publishers, because the themes I developed in my last books are a multidisciplinary mix, including neurobiology, evolutionary theory, ecology, philosophy, physics and astrophysics. Everyday science and conceptual reflection have opened their barriers to the idea that we, human beings, and the planet are part of a magnificent whole. You can imagine what is to write in a second language and to try to publish in such a demanding linguistic culture as the English one. Well, I found Karen Atkinson. I was aware that I needed someone with an excellent knowledge of English, but who was able to understand the complexity of this type of book. She fulfilled and exceeded my expectations. Besides her warm openness, Karen has a magnificent ability to softly transform a correct but ugly way of saying something into shining prose. Or to correct badly written phrases, understanding perfectly well what I was trying to say. After accomplishing an efficient and precise schedule of work with Karen, I submitted the manuscript to an English publisher. I copy here a brief summary of the opinion of several reviewers for the publisher: 'It is a book meticulously written, informative, and a thought-provoking read'. Proofreading by the publisher indicated just a few small details. Naturally, the work had been previously done by Karen." C. Ojeda Vincula: From Bacteria to Consciousness http://www.cesarojeda.com/ |
Copy-editing and proofreading
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"Karen is extremely knowledgeable, professional, patient, fast, and very attentive to detail – simply brilliant! As the editor of my children’s book 'Little Monstrie’s Big Adventures', she helped me express exactly what I wanted in the best possible way and in my own voice. As a bilingual writer and filmmaker, I’ve worked with dozens of editors and proofreaders over the years, and Karen is definitely one of the very best! I’m happy to have her on my team!" M. Kabanova Little Monstrie's Big Adventures http://en.monstrie.com/news 
A lovely gift received from the Monstrie team.
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Copy-editing
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"Working with Karen has been excellent. She is very reliable, eagle-eyed and supportive. The idiosyncracies of my draft work were addressed thoroughly and she made observations which were thought-provoking and astute. Usually these prompted me to clarify a point or strengthen the line of argument. We negotiated the timeline and she always managed to turn work around as agreed. This ensured I was able to meet some tight deadlines. I have no hesitation in recommending her." S. Pearson Rethinking Children and Inclusive Education |
Copy-editing
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"After a long and unsuccessful search for a copy-editor that I felt comfortable with, I was lucky enough to find Karen through a chance internet search. From the first email I received, I knew she was the one. Karen is immediately warm and understanding in her approach. As a sensitive first-time novelist, I was unsure of the process, but Karen guided me through. Karen’s copy-editing is absolutely incredible. I have a very colloquial personal style which I have no doubt is very challenging to edit. Not only did Karen fully copy-edit my novel to a very high standard, but she managed to do it while still keeping my personal voice. Karen kept to all deadlines as promised and replied to all of my questions in a timely fashion. I thought the copy-edit process was going to be awful - watching my novel being ripped to shreds. It could not have been more different. The process was like watching my novel blossom. I cannot recommend Karen enough, and I hope that she will be available to work with for any further publications I write." O. Cowling The Confessions of an Inept Love Soldier |
Proofreading
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"Karen offered an admirably thorough and professional proofreading service, in collaboration with the writer, and was prompt and reasonably priced. I would recommend her without hesitation." R. Sutton Burning Secrets www.ruthsutton.co.uk |
Copy-editing
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"It has been great to work with Karen. She has been a thorough and dedicated editor, helping turn my rough draft into a polished manuscript. Karen carried out a copy-edit of my novel - and thank goodness she did! As an author, you spend so many hours poring over your work that it's easy to make continuity errors and fail to spot small mistakes. Karen's feedback and edits ensured that my final manuscript looked professional and ready for publication. Karen has also been very flexible, juggling assignments to achieve timelines. This has been invaluable when it has taken me longer than anticipated to complete sections of my manuscript." S. Sandys The Canary Cage www.samanthasandys.com |
Copy-editing
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"I spent ages debating whether having my manuscript copy-edited would be a cost effective and worthwhile process. I'm so very glad that I did, and that I chose Karen to support me. Her attention to detail, insightful suggestions and candid comments have most definitely enhanced the finished product. I would not hesitate to recommend Karen as a copy-editor." J. Myerscough 51 Weeks |
Copy-editing and proofreading
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"Karen recently edited my book 'Chester: City of Ghosts'. I used to teach English, so didn't really think I needed her expertise. Was I wrong! Karen's input was invaluable. She noticed the tiniest details and just polished my prose until it shone. I am so grateful I called on her for help!" M.A. Cameron Chester: City of Ghosts |
Copy-editing
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"My book, Fat is our Friend, was written in an attempt to de-mystify and clarify the complex and often misleading "official" nutrition guidelines. Yet it is written in the form of a story, outlining my personal journey – my voyage of discovery. This necessitated working with an editor who had a close eye for detail when it came to all the scientific references, yet one who also understood the importance of a good story-line. "A little more Daily Mail than Scientific American" was my brief (apologies to both journals) and Karen helped me here, combining accuracy (such as clarifying spelling uncertainty and references) with the ability to significantly improve the quality of my prose. In this context, numerous passages were re-written to improve understanding. Karen brought the benefits of approaching this complex subject from a distance and yet got involved enough to be able to make useful and constructive suggestions. I thank Karen and recommend her work and the quality of her advice wholeheartedly." S. Pepys Fat is our Friend www.fatisourfriend.com |
* Please note that I'm not responsible for the content or quality of any of the external websites linked above, and that I usually have no editorial input into promotional text presented on these sites. Please also note that where I have copy-edited a book but have not been the proofreader, I have had no input into decisions on formatting and presentation.
Further recent feedback
"Karen is an absolute professional. She proofread/edited (as much as is allowed for works that are assessed) my work, which I've recently submitted for approval as a PhD thesis. Karen gives to her clients the feeling, and also the experience, of full security and stability - one feels that they are in the hands of a very competent (knowledgeable and experienced) person who guides them through an excellently organised (by her) and thus smooth working process and saves them in tricky situations. In the beginning, she had explanation for all my questions about the working process and the practices in the proofreading/editing field (which also showed that she possessed great experience). Then, she was delivering always good quality, well-planned, accurate and quick work and she showed responsiveness and great patience answering all my questions or doubts! At the end, when I was under huge time pressure before the submission, she was there for me - she was helping me with everything that I wanted to work up till the very last moment. Also the price for her services is great - especially for such quality. In addition, Karen enriched my modest knowledge of English and made me see even more beauty in that language than I could see before - a contribution which goes well beyond the concrete project. I found Karen after quite some searching, and my search definitely paid off."
H. Tsaneva.
Proofreading: PhD thesis.
H. Tsaneva.
Proofreading: PhD thesis.
"I may be a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Master of Laws with Distinction, but I was not so complacent as to submit my redrafted and many times revised 80,000 word PhD thesis without proper proofreading. I approached Karen and can honestly say that all the reviews here are absolutely spot on. Karen’s approach is honest, confident and reassuring. She had no difficulty keeping to agreed targets despite dealing with new complexity and dense philosophy. Her professional integrity, skills and superb attention to detail are combined with a much-needed personal approach. I sincerely, thoroughly recommend her service."
Dr J. Rowley.
Proofreading: PhD thesis.
Dr J. Rowley.
Proofreading: PhD thesis.
"In the three years since I started working with Karen, she has always impressed me with great attention to detail, creative edits and being always on time with the texts that I regularly email her at odd hours of the day. I am not a native English speaker, and so I expected that sometimes there would be "lost in translation" situations, though that has yet to happen - Karen is always making sure that the text expresses the exact meaning and emotion I have had in mind. I now feel ready to start writing a novel, knowing there is someone who will edit it without compromises."
V. Donkov.
Copy-editing and proofreading: web article text.
V. Donkov.
Copy-editing and proofreading: web article text.
"I needed to have my PhD thesis proofread prior to submission. Luckily, I got in touch with Karen. Karen did excellent work on the thesis; I have had my viva and have been awarded my PhD! Amongst others, the examiners commended the beauty of my writing (thanks to Karen's polishing!). Need I say any more? Oh yes, Karen's fees were extremely good value. I am definitely working with Karen in all future academic write-ups."
Dr C. Uba.
Proofreading: PhD thesis.
Dr C. Uba.
Proofreading: PhD thesis.
"Karen has been brilliant and did an enormous favour for me. Her professionalism and communication were excellent."
W. Baker.
Proofreading: academic journal article.
W. Baker.
Proofreading: academic journal article.
"I have just finished reading the draft manuscript and it reads wonderfully. Thank you so much. It is amazing what a difference it makes when paragraphs are swapped and the wording is made more targeted."
Dr S. Hesterman.
Critiquing and copy-editing: academic journal article.
Dr S. Hesterman.
Critiquing and copy-editing: academic journal article.
During the first few years of running my editing business, I used the Elance platform (which is now part of Upwork). I have not used the platform for several years, but my Upwork profile still displays my early reviews. They are also reproduced below.
"Thanks. A great job - Karen met all deadlines ahead of time, producing a great piece of work. Will hire again!"
Research and writing: academic topic for business use.
Research and writing: academic topic for business use.
"Karen you are really superb to work with, extremely competent, professional and a great help to me to get my work completed. You will definitely be hearing from me again for future projects. You were thorough, gave good advice and feedback and provided helpful suggestions. I feel very confident in giving you some complex tasks in the future."
Critiquing and copy-editing: academic journal article.
Critiquing and copy-editing: academic journal article.
"Karen has been fantastic to work with. I found her work to be thorough and of a very high standard, and I'll definitely be asking her to do some more work for me again soon."
Critiquing and copy-editing: academic journal article.
Critiquing and copy-editing: academic journal article.
"Excellent work for private writing job, including coping with a difficult and sudden change of brief with aplomb. Very competent in the requirements of academic writing and very good at keeping me updated (and calm!) when she knew I was up against tight deadlines. I would definitely work with Karen again."
Research and writing: academic topic for business use.
Research and writing: academic topic for business use.
"Extremely responsive and professional with a high quality of work. Thoroughly recommended."
Copy-editing and proofreading: business documents.
Copy-editing and proofreading: business documents.
"Pleasure to work with Karen. Will be sending more work her way for sure!"
Copy-editing and proofreading: business documents.
Copy-editing and proofreading: business documents.
"Karen is a fantastic, adaptable, and dependable writer who is able to tailor the content to the audience with ease. I have worked with Karen on a number of occasions and she is highly recommended."
Research and writing: training manual
Research and writing: training manual
"Very pleased with the work undertaken by Karen - a superb Elancer.'"
Research and writing: training manual.
Research and writing: training manual.
"Karen has done a great job working on an unfamiliar subject, I'm sure we will be working together again."
Research and writing: academic topic for business use.
Research and writing: academic topic for business use.
