

Editing for Indie Authors
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Editing for Indie Authors
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Kate Underwood
Your words matter. Let me help you reach the next stage in your publication journey.
Copyediting and Proofreading Services
I hold a BA in English and Education from Wheaton College and a Masters from Aurora University. After fifteen years as a high school English and French teacher, I pivoted into freelance writing. Now I'm a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association and using my lifelong passions for reading and perfecting prose to serve indie authors. I LOVE combing through your work and meticulously editing while offering nuanced suggestions. This ensures a professional polish that allows YOUR voice and YOUR story to shine through.
Copyediting
In copyediting, I'll create a style sheet, flag issues like wordiness and repetition, conduct basic fact-checking, and suggest ways to improve the clarity of your prose. I'll also correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.
Proofreading
Mistakes and typos happen to all of us. I'll serve as a fresh set of eyes on your book to help catch and fix any lingering errors. I'll follow your style guide and correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.
TESTIMONIALS
Here's what clients have to say about working with me.
Award-winning author of Releasing the Reins and the forthcoming Roadside Sisters
“I was very impressed with Kate's proofreading skills and will certainly use her again. She has a keen eye for even the most complex constructions and identified subtle adjustments that improved meaning and readability. She provided helpful notes explaining her thinking. I felt confident that she understood my voice and style.”
Author of There's Always A Price and the forthcoming According to My Science
“I am beyond pleased with Kate's work. Not only did she catch pesky little typos, but she also set me straight on bigger formatting and consistency issues. She worked fast, her comments were clear, and her corrections provided the finishing touches to my book. I feel so much more confident about my final version now that she has gone through it. I've recommended her to others and plan on sending all my future manuscripts her way. Thank you, Kate!”
Award-winning author of What Lies We Keep
“No matter how many times I read through my manuscript, inevitably I miss something. Hiring Kate Underwood to apply her excellent proofreading skills has greatly improved my work. My novel had magical realism, multiple locations, multiple countries, and a few words in the Welsh language. Kate was up for the challenge. Her notes explaining her thinking and suggesting better ways of wording a sentence have made a difference in the quality of my book. I highly recommend Kate and would hire her again.”
Sheryl Stein
Women's fiction author
“I feel so much more confident with my manuscript going out into the world after Kate’s expert eyes have scrutinized each word, each numeral, and even quotes and umlauts. She provided on-time feedback and easily comprehended suggestions. She was accessible for any questions I had and responded in the most timely fashion humanly possible. I will sing her praises to anyone who asks.”
Sandra Ziemniak
Women's fiction author
“I worked with Kate to prepare for querying my debut novel and what an absolute game-changer it has been. Her keen eye for detail, solid understanding of narrative flow, and meticulous attention to grammar and style have transformed my manuscript into a polished, professional piece of work that I am proud to share with agents.
She caught all the errors I missed and made solid suggestions for improving clarity and flow in my writing. She is professional, extremely knowledgeable and a pleasure to work with. Thanks to Kate, I have more confidence in my work."
Susan Pawlicki
Women's fiction author
“I can say with confidence that Kate's knowledge of grammar, spelling, and punctuation is both wide and current. Most helpfully, her editing eliminates the errors I am never going to catch on my own, like grammar and punctuation errors due to rules that have changed (and will continue to change) since I learned them, or the occasional second nature Briticisms that are part of my, but not readers', everyday language.”
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