Laura Hayes
Fulfilling your proofreading needs...
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A service for:
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Authors
Businesses
Charities
Professionals
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Proofreader
Clients
I have had the pleasure of working with UK publisher The History Press authors Danny Lenihan, Emily Windsor, JP Ceark, KR Davis, Paul Stretton-Stephens, Sally Turner, Stephen Collier and businesses & charities Home-Start UK, Society for the Environment, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.
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Fiction
Non-fiction
Business
Services
I provide an on-screen proofreading and proof-editing service. I work with documents in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint and those in PDF format. Contact me now to find out how I can help you with your proofreading requirements.
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Proofreading
I check the spelling, grammar and punctuation within your document. Another part of this service is to check format consistency, page numbering and that your contents wording matches that in the main body. A light-touch proofread might be required or a more intense proofread - this will be decided using a 1,000-word sample in advance.
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Proof-editing
This is a combination of proofreading and copyediting done at the same time. It involves all the elements of proofreading plus sentence level checks to help your work flow. I focus on consistency, clarity and readability of your document. I aim to make your project sound more elegant, providing alternatives to frequently used words and phrases.
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For fiction and non-fiction writers, I will proofread or proof-edit your story or book before you self-publish. I highly recommend you seek a developmental editor before this stage. I can also signpost you to a 'help to self-publish' service to help get your book on Amazon (Ebook and paperback).​
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For businesses, charities and academic professionals, I will look through your reports, policies, journal articles or training materials to bring them up to a high standard.​​​​​
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Clients are required to sign my Terms & Conditions before entering a working arrangement.
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About me
I am an experienced proofreader of fiction and non-fiction.
Working as a freelance proofreader, I am friendly and approachable with a keen eye for detail. For me, transparency is key to a great working relationship with my clients. I ensure the brief is followed every step of the way, delivering a professional result so that any project is fit for purpose.
My love for proofreading began whilst working in marketing and communications and as a personal assistant. I was tasked with producing charity newsletters and became enthused about the editing side of things. I enjoyed making sure that documents were free of spelling and grammatical errors and fit for readers to understand and enjoy.
My journey towards becoming a qualified proofreader began in 2014, when I passed the Publishing Training Centre's recognised course in Basic Proofreading. I then gained some voluntary proofreading work experience, whilst securing unpaid work as a contributing editor for a scientific magazine and a proofreader for a travel blogger.
Other work soon came after, such as proofreading university rankings reports and students' dissertations. Following some pro-active marketing, I built up a client base and expanded on the genres of work I could proofread.
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Based in Bedfordshire, my work now involves on-screen proofreading and proof-editing for self-publishing fiction and non-fiction writers, publisher The History Press, businesses, charities and academic professionals. For a full list of the work I can offer, please see my Services.
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Testimonials
I needed to have a proof read of my typeset manuscript with a tight deadline. I am grateful that Laura contacted me and completed the work before the deadline had passed. Her work on my MS was finished with precision and efficiency and I have no problem recommending her for your MS. In fact I have commissioned her for more work.
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Stephen Collier, author (January 2022)
I cannot speak highly enough about the quality of Laura’s work. Her attention to detail is fantastic. Picking up glaring howlers that got past seasoned Beta readers. Her communication throughout the process has been great, and this includes her detailed feedback on recurrent ‘ticks’ that I have in my prose. ‘A’ star work, highly recommended.
K. R. Davis, Author (August 2023)
Laura was brilliant for my novel – before the project even started she laid out to me her expectations and time requirements and read through a sample chapter before providing a quote. Her communication was great throughout, and by the time my manuscript was handed back, there were hundreds of easy to work through track changes, suggestions for edits on clunky lines, and continuity corrections. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her, and will be using her again for future books.Â
Danny Lenihan, Author (June 2021)
Laura worked with us on a report earlier this year and her proofreading undoubtedly led to an improved report. Her proofreading not only met the deadline but was excellent and thorough, and she provided clear comments to explain suggested edits/ changes which were really helpful in the review process. Many thanks to Laura and we would undoubtedly approach her in future for further proofreading work.
Sarah Ridgeon, Society for the Environment (April 2021)
We are a national charity and were seeking a proof reader to help with proofing of our national training materials. Laura was extremely quick at responding to my request. She was very diligent and turned around the work very quickly. I would definitely recommend her and would be happy to call on her again for future work.
Jenny, Home-Start UK (April 2020)
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Contact me
Please contact me for a quote
Just fill in the form and I will contact you ASAP
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Please feel free to send me a sample of your work.
I offer a free 1000-word proofread before providing a rate per 1,000 words and a timeframe. This will vary depending on the length, complexity and nature of the work.
07815 747366
Bedfordshire, England, UK