Authors
In writing eight books and editing dozens more, I have come to understand the mechanics of creative writing. Of course, your book will only be as good as your plot and your characters. But even a brilliant plot can be undermined by
poor grammar and incorrect punctuation
awkward sentence structure
a boring or repetitive writing style
poor scene setup
weak characterization
plot inconsistencies
boring or monotonous dialogue
inadequate voicing
and a host of other factors that an author may not even be aware of.
The fact is that every author needs another person with a fresh, independent, and unbiased view of your work. So why not give your work to a pro who understands creative writing, loves creative writing, and will treat your manuscript with the utmost respect? I will be honest at all times, brutal when required, yet always dedicated to making your work the very best it can be
As an author I understand how much you love your work. As a reader of thousands of books, I know good writing when I see it. And as an editor, I know the mechanics of creative writing, and how to polish what you have written without losing your distinctive writer's voice.
My strengths as an editor are an instinctive understanding of language and good writing, as well as a natural bent to be helpful. I want to work with you to make your story a real page-turner. I have the editing and writing ability, as well as the people-skills, to help you to do just that.
We both know that the success of your book, story, or screenplay will be determined by what you have put into it. But you need somebody on your side that knows how to keep you on the right track.
If you are an author with great ideas, but you don't quite know how to put them all together, I can help you to write your work for maximum impact. If you are an author who doesn't want an editor to touch your work except for basic grammar and punctuation, I am happy to work on that basis also. I am flexible, and ready to meet your specific needs.
Send me your 1,000 word submission with the TOTAL WORD COUNT of your manuscript for a free estimate
For more information, see The Editing Process
Website Owners and Graphic Designers
Poorly worded content, awkwardly written sentences, poor grammar, or punctuation errors will ruin even the greatest content, and lower the perception of a great product or service. These textual errors also reduce traffic to your site, make prospective clients leave your site too quickly, and lower sales. You need a pro to proofread your pages. My goal is to make you and your product or service look its very best.
Send me your content, or the URL of your website, for a free estimate
Business persons
As a busy business person you probably have more on your plate than you can handle. And even if you don't, you want to spend your time on productive stuff, not worrying about the proper wording and formatting of memos, important emails, reports, manuals, and marketing materials.
Successful business people follow the motto of, "find somebody who is good at doing what you don't want to do, and let them do it." That's what I'm here for!
I will do the mundane and boring editing, proofreading, and formatting of your materials so you look and sound like the pro you are. I can also help you to write effective copy that will sell your proposals.
Send me your submission for a free estimate
Please also send the word count for your entire manuscript
Students
Essays, term papers, and other submissions must have correct grammar, punctuation, and coherent sentence structure. You are smart! But unless your writing is as intelligent as you are, your submission won't make an excellent grade, no matter how excellent the content.
Let me polish up your paper so that you will look your best. Every document we receive is handled personally and reviewed by myself before it is handed back to you. We are a small shop that can devote the Tender Loving Care your work deserves.
Send me your 1,000 word submission for a free estimateand tghe TOTAL WORD COUNT for your entire manuscript
Academics
Dissertations and papers must in meet rigorous standards in review committees and peer-reviewed journals. Let our editors ensure that your document is formatted correctly, and is grammatically and punctually correct.
Even a brilliant dissertation or paper, if poorly written or incorrectly formatted, will be rejected. You have already put in a lot of work, so why not let a qualified editor ensure that your work is polished and ready for submission?
Academic writing requires particularly meticulous editing to rigorous professional standards. Language and formatting must be correct in peer reviewed journals. Unless your submission meets required publication standards, it will be rejected before it is even reviewed. I will
Correct all errors in grammar and punctuation.
Check and correct all syntactical errors.
Rewrite awkward and run-on sentences and make them more readable.
Correct formatting of citations, reference lists, and bibliographies for:
Periodicals
On-line Submissions
Magazine articles
Books
Technical and Research Reports
Meetings and Symposiums
Abstracts
Doctoral Dissertations or Masters Theses
Audiovisual Media
Archival Documents and Collections
Documents in LaTeX can also be edited in LaTeX for your convenience
Correct formatting of mathematical equations.
Correct formatting and presentation of tabular data.
Correct formatting and presentation of figures and flowcharts.
Correct formatting and presentation of photographical or imaging data.
If requested, I can prepare your presentation for oral delivery to a conference.
Delivering a paper is much different than a written submission. As a speaker you want to engage your audience, not put them to sleep! And that is exactly what might happen if you simply read your paper. Moreover, there may be time restrictions that require a condensing of your paper.
I can help you turn your formal presentation into a smooth and polished document that you can confidently deliver in any setting.
Note: The material you send to us is your personal intellectual property. We regard intellectual property rights as sacred. After our work is complete and upon request, we will delete all of your material from our databases.
MacLean Editing Services cannot be responsible for the integrity, accuracy, or the content of your presentation. The researcher is always responsible for the accurate and responsible reporting of the results of research studies. Our job is to help you properly format, edit, and present your document in the best possible way.
Send me your 1,000 word submission for a free estimate, and the TOTAL WORD COUNT for your paper. If your paper requires journal-specific formatting, please send them along with your submission.
Personal Documents
I've noticed that a lot of smart people don't have great language skills, or have no interest in writing. If you have personal documents such as resumes, emails, letters, or other correspondence of a personal nature that you need to polish up, send them to us. I'm an expert in proper grammar, punctuation, and in the little things that make a document easy to read.
I can also help you with resume writing, and ensuring that your resume makes you sound like a million bucks. There IS a way to properly prepare a resume ,and we can help you to do that.
Send me your submission and the TOTAL WORD COUNT for a free estimate
Please also send the word count for your entire manuscript
Non-native English Speakers
Whether you are a professional, a student, a business person, a traveler who needs some English to get along in a foreign country, or just someone who wants to improve your writing or speaking, I can polish your English so that you sound like a native English speaker.
I will edit your material to remove awkward grammar and sentence structure, correct punctation, and make your material read as smoothly as if you had been writing and speaking English your entire life.
Send me your submission for a free estimate
Please also send the word count for your entire manuscript
Technical Manuals
I have waded through more bad technical manuals and books than I care to admit. And it's really a shame, because technical writing is not that hard. It just requires someone with good language skills, who knows how to express ideas clearly.
Even if your manual or technical material requires specific knowledge of your program or product, I can work with you to ensure that all instructions and directions are clear, concise, and accurate.
Send me your submission and the TOTAL WORD COUNT for a free estimate.
