Who am I?

Hello, I am Stephen York, freelance proofreader and a native English speaker. I was born in Leicester but now live in Leicestershire. For over 30 years I have been offering on-screen / digital editorial proofreading services (comprising proofreading, collation, and rewriting) from an office near Leicester, in the UK to the book and journal publishing industry, commercial companies, design and advertising agencies, educational institutions, students, and authors. In that time I have proofread over 2,500 academic and professional books and journal issues in a wide range of subject areas, as well as business documents, marketing literature, and presentations. That’s millions of words!

I am an Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP), which means I have achieved the requisite amount of experience and expertise to satisfy their rigorous admissions panel, so you can be assured that your work is in safe hands. See my CIEP Directory entry.

You can view or download my CV.

See what some past and present clients have said about my work on the Testimonials page.

What services do I offer?

Rather than reading paper copy, I offer on-screen and online proofreading and editorial services that include

• proofreading –
  • regular, or
  • at a budget price (checks limited to spelling, punctuation, and grammar)
• proofreading with light editing
• proof collation
• rewriting and condensing text
• house style advice and compilation.

I offer proofreading to the academic, business. and education sectors.

Where am I?

I can work from my office in Wigston, near Leicester, Leicestershire, UK for anyone, anywhere, on electronic files sent by email or FTP sites.

File formats accepted

I will proofread files in the following formats:

• MS Word files
• PowerPoint slides
• PDFs.

(Google Docs not accepted.)

Working on screen is more environmentally friendly as it saves on ink, paper, postage, and other resources. I offer proofreading in a wide variety of media in numerous subject areas, some of which are specialty subjects. 

Software used

• Windows 10
• Microsoft Office 365
• Adobe Acrobat Pro
• PerfectIt / Intelligent Editing (for checking consistency of spelling, punctuation and style in Word documents)
• Business-grade antivirus, firewall, and malware, regularly updated.

Tax status

Registered as self-employed freelance with HM Inland Revenue.

Affiliations

I am an Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editors and Proofreaders (CIEP).

I am an amateur astronomer and a member of

• the British Astronomical Association and
• the Society for Popular Astronomy (“The Society for Popular Astronomy was set up . . . in 1953 . . . to promote an interest in astronomy and help beginners of all ages to get started in this fascinating hobby.”)

You can also link here to Astronomy Now Magazine for news articles.

I am a member of the Richard III Society. In their own words on their website: “We have been working since 1924 to secure a more balanced assessment of the king and to support research into his life and times.”

Previous employment experience

Interests