Hello there. Are you looking for a copy editor? You’ve come to the right place.

I specialize in health care, medical, and legal publications for news and nonprofit organizations. I offer three services—proofreading, copy editing, and substantive copy editing—and several full-issue editing packages for trade magazines and journals (see the Services & Packages PDF for more details).

My forte is turning highly technical language into clear, concise, and understandable English that conveys the message you intend it to convey. I am what John E. McIntyre, formerly of The Baltimore Sun, calls a “proper” copy editor, which means I do much more than just check spelling and grammar:

“Proper copy editing includes examining the focus, dredging the main point up from the tenth paragraph to make it more prominent. Proper copy editing addresses the language: rooting out clichés, substituting an ordinary term for jargon when it would serve the reader better, altering infelicitous wording. Proper copy editing prunes, deleting the irrelevant, tightening the language. Proper copy editing raises serious questions, including the kind that can identify plagiarism, fabrication, and libel.”

In short, I work with clients but for the reader, making sure your content serves your audience.

Questions? Contact me at kandy@wordgeekco.com.

Kandy is a meticulous copy editor and proofreader…. She has an excellent sense of tone and style, so her corrections and suggestions are always appropriate for the material. I particularly appreciate her ability to turn complex concepts into easy-to-read passages.

Jane J., editor, health care trade magazine

Selected Clients & Employers

Health Care & Medical

• American Heart Association (clinical guidelines, training materials [AMA, in-house])
• American Hospital Association/Health Forum (trade magazines, websites, marketing, etc. [AP])
• Medscape Medical News (part of WebMD) (health care and medical news [AMA, in-house])
• Milbank Memorial Fund (peer-reviewed journal articles and issue briefs [AMA])
• National Association of School Nurses (training materials [AMA, in-house])

Legal

• Center for Growth and Opportunity (legal white paper [AP, Bluebook])
• The Federal Lawyer magazine of the Federal Bar Association (association news, legal news, and case/legal analysis and commentary [AP, Bluebook])
• Thomson Reuters/West (loose-leaf case law books, magazines, articles, and blog writing [AP, Bluebook])
• Tighe Publishing Services Inc. (case analysis and legal history books [Chicago, Bluebook])

Academic Etc.

• Association Management Center (various trade publications [APA])
• The Center: Resources for Teaching and Learning (CCSS teacher editions [Chicago, APA])
• Forks Over Knives (essays and lots of recipes [AP, in-house])
• Tighe Publishing Services Inc. (CCSS teacher’s editions [Chicago, in-house])
• Trinity School (alumni magazine and annual report [Chicago, in-house])

Volunteer Work

Editorial Freelancers Association

Chicagoland Chapter Co-coordinator. I am the chapter communications manager, which includes overseeing several projects:

• A monthly “Chicagoland Chapter News” e-newsletter for Chicago-area members and other editorial colleagues, as well as other email marketing campaigns;
• Chapter webpage updates and event listings;
• A public calendar of media- and publishing-related events of interest to self-employed editorial freelancers; and
• A Slack chat group (email the chapter if you’d like to join).