Anya Hastwell

Advanced Professional Member
Location LONDON NW10
Web www.anyavhastwell.com
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LinkedIn Anya Hastwell
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I'm a copy-editor, proofreader and scribbler of Vogon prose based in north-west London UK. In a past life, I met my heroes and interviewed them for my university's student union magazine. I also accidently wrote the lyrics to a tune that ended up in a film called Vampire Diary. All this from a pen, a rickety old word processor, and certain words strung together in some sort of order. 

But it's probably not gothic lyrics that bring you here.

Somehow since then, I've accumulated over one and a half decade’s experience of working with the words of international publishers, businesses and charities, and writers who've trusted me with their work. Thanks to the technological wonders of the internet, I work remotely while also collaborating closely with other people as part of a team, both domestically and internationally.

I'm also a former director of what is now the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading.

Subjects

COPY-EDITING:

  • Creative non-fiction
  • Memoir
  • Health and well-being (incl. mental health)
  • Self-help
  • Academic (incl. medicine, psychiatry and psychology, English literature)
     

PROOFREADING: 

As above, plus:

  • Sci-fi
  • Humour

Academic qualifications

  • MA (Online) in Creative Writing – University of Hull. 2021– ongoing
  • BA (Hons) Degree in English Literature – University of Roehampton. 2000–03

Skills and expertise

  • Copy-editing (on screen) and proofreading (on screen using Acrobat’s in-built mark-up tools)
  • MS Word styles, templates and macros
  • UK and US English (Anglicising or Americanising)
  • Style guides including New Hart's Rules, Butcher's, Chicago, APA and plain English
  • In-house company style guides

Training & professional development

  • Copyright: How to get what you want in the digital age (Publishing Training Centre) 2019
  • Medical Editing (SfEP) 2017
  • Brush Up Your Grammar (SfEP) 2017
  • Copy-editing 2: Headway [pass] (SfEP) 2017
  • Efficient Editing: Strategies and tactics (SfEP) 2016
  • Editing with Word (SfEP) 2016
  • Proofreading 2: Progress (SfEP) 2016
  • Advanced Copy-editing (Publishing Training Centre) 2011
  • Subediting and Design – Distinction  (London School of Journalism) 2006
  • NCTJ Certificate in Periodical Journalism (NCTJ) 2003
  • Freelance Feature Writing – Honours Diploma  (London School of Journalism) 1997

Experience

Recent clients include Quota Books (Mars Attacks Memoirs) and Erick Drake (Space Scrap 17). 

  • Freelance experience since 2014: 
    - publishing – Oxford University Press, Taylor & Francis, Cambridge University Press, Hodder Education, Whitefox, Quintessence Publishing, Copernicus Publications
    - media, business, and non-profit – Open City, Tomorrow's Company, Runwild Media, Velvet Apple Media, Itad
    - indie authors & publishers – Quota Books, Erick Drake, and others
     
  • In-house experience: 
    -     Desk Editor, Quintessence Publishing, 2010–14 
    - Assistant Editor, UK and International Press, 2010
    - Production Assistant, Auto Trader, 2008–09
    - Editorial Assistant, Immediate Network, 2006–07
    - Editorial Assistant, Cava Media, 2005–06

Software

I work on a Mac, run Windows 10 via Parallels, and use the following software: 

  • Word V.16 as part of MS Office 365 suite (including the latest versions of Excel, PowerPoint, etc.). I also use PerfectIt and various macros to aid consistency
  • Acrobat Reader DC, and mark-up comment tools
  • Google Drive and Google Docs; Dropbox
  • I can also edit in LaTeX, depending on the project

Testimonials

Anya is a highly accomplished scientific editor. She worked for us for four years editing our dental books and journals to a high standard and, since leaving us to go freelance, she has continued to edit our books in an accurate and timely manner.

Sue Newbury, General Manager, Quintessence Publishing

What a pleasure it has been to work with Anya. She took on a very tricky scientific title at short notice and carried out an efficient, high-quality copy-edit to the tightest of deadlines, sending regular updates and doing her utmost to make the whole process as smooth as possible. I would welcome the opportunity to work with her again and will be recommending her to any of my publishing clients who are looking to expand their list of excellent contributors.

Anna Stevenson, Freelance Publishing Professional

I approached Anya because of a backlog we had at the scientific publisher I work for. She was very willing to help and took on a number of manuscripts. In addition to her core copy-editing skills, she also possesses solid computer skills, which is essential because we work with LaTeX. In open-access publishing, we also have strict deadlines that we have to adhere to, but she had no problems meeting deadlines. My experience with Anya has been a pleasant one, and I would recommend her services to other publishing houses.

Meredith Gunnells, Copy-Editing Team Coordinator, Copernicus GmbH

Anya has provided us with excellent copy to help promote the work of Cats Protection and is a pleasure to work with.

Catherine Jarvis, Media Officer, Cats Protection
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