Bethany Dymond | Non-fiction Copyeditor & Proofreader
Based in Bovey Tracey, Devon, UK, and works with clients in the UK, USA and beyond.
- [email protected]
- Website
- www.bdeditorial.co.uk
- Organisation
- Beth Dymond Editorial Services
- Job title
- Freelance Copyeditor and Proofreader
- Membership Grade
- Professional Member
About Bethany
Hi! I'm Beth, a friendly, fully qualified and highly experienced freelance copy-editor and proofreader with over 20 years' editorial experience. I specialise in copy-editing and proofreading non-fiction books in Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat Reader and InDesign. In addition, I provide fact checking, Americanisation/Anglicisation and project managing.
I have copy-edited and proofread over 400 books and 50+ business reports to date, in addition to website text, essays, theses, blogs, brochures and marketing material.
I enjoy working on a wide range of non-fiction genres, including craft, art, cookery, sport, history, home & garden, science, psychology, health, business, photography and more.
I have worked with a number of established book publishers including: 3dtotal Publishing, Acturus Publishing, Alpina, Bloomsbury, Bloomsbury Sport, Bookoli, The Bright Press, Bunny & Bumble, Centum, Complete Estate Agents, Creative Universe, The Crowood Press, David & Charles (F&W Media), DK, Ebury, Generator Research, Green Books, Greenleaf Publishing, Haynes, Ivy Kids, Ivy Press, Luminix, Michael O'Mara Books, Moot Editorial, Nakono, Orion, Parragon, Quail, Quarto Publishing, Rethink, Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh, Swales & Willis, Unipress and White Lion Publishing. I also enjoy working with independent authors, guiding them through the publishing process from start to finish.
Words are my passion and I strive to make every book I work on the best it can be. I provide a thorough, prompt and professional service at highly competitive rates. I pride myself on my meticulous attention to detail, working to complete every project to the highest standard, on time and on budget.
I am always delighted to hear from prospective clients. Any enquiries about services, rates and availability are welcome and I will respond promptly.
www.morrisby.com/blog/career-focus-of-the-month-becoming-a-copy-editor
Qualifications and Training
BA English (First Class, University of Exeter)
• Getting to Grips with Grammar and Punctuation (CIEP)
• Word for Practical Editing (CIEP)
• Editing Illustrated Books (Publishing Training Centre)
• Systems Support Software Training for Adobe InDesign (CS Editing)
Experience
• Freelance Copyeditor & Proofreader, Beth Dymond Editorial Services: 2010–PRESENT
• Editor, David & Charles, 2006–10
• Editorial Assistant, Florence Production, 2005–06
Testimonials
'It is always such a pleasure to be working with Beth, I really admire her accuracy and attention to detail. She always delivers on time or ahead of the deadline, which makes the rest of the editorial process so much smoother. I always appreciate Beth’s comprehensive handover notes which detail her major corrections and any queries to be sent to the author for clarification. I strongly recommend her brilliant services, as she is above all a very friendly and approachable person.'
Caroline Guillet, Assistant Editor, Arts & Crafts, Bloomsbury Publishing Ltd.
'Beth is great to work with, she always does a thorough job, keeps to the brief and works to the deadlines provided. We have worked on several books together, often quite complex titles with challenging deadlines. I would highly recommend her for project editing and proofreading work.'
Emma Gardner, Editor, David & Charles
'You’ve done a brilliant job, thank you so much! You’ve gone above and beyond with making the flat plan as well, and I’m delighted with the quality of the copyedit.'
Heather Bradbury, Editor, Green Books
'You did a great job, thank you. Your edits have tightened up and improved the flow of the text, and you dealt with the references brilliantly. It's always so helpful when an editor suggests suitable sources where they're needed. Thank you!'
Kathy Steeden, Rethink Press
'Looking over the edit, thank you so much! You’ve done a really wonderful job (again!) – my team are so happy we’ve found you and that you’re now working on our books. It is such a joy to have a copy editor with so much crafty knowledge plus with your clear AQs and markup it makes everything smooth sailing with the author!'
Natasha Collin, Bloomsbury Publishing
'Many thanks to Beth for her superb copyediting of my book. Beth’s expertise and knowledge proved invaluable for my manuscript and I appreciate her tailored approach to it. On one level providing a thorough proofreading of the book as well as giving it a comprehensive, professional and invaluable copyediting. The latter suggestions were not prescriptive, rather advice and Beth was only too happy to discuss various points. It has been an absolute joy conversing with Beth and she has at all times been available, friendly and informative; I especially appreciate that the initial returned manuscript with all the edits for me to go through was explained in detail at each juncture. Finally, the completed copyedited manuscript was ready on the agreed time schedule. I very much look forward to working with Beth on my next book and can’t recommend her highly enough.'
Annika Perry, author of Travel With Me
'Beth became the editor for my debut novel Ladies that Did by way of a search on Google… best day of my life! Her professional but kind manner was the bonus to her unbelievable editorial expertise. Without Beth I would not have taken the novel any further forward. She not only helped with editing and proofreading, but her kindness that enhanced the work with her gently suggested ideas was a bonus and showed her dedication. I felt that she ‘held my hand’ through the journey towards the finished work with the encouragement to continue to a successful end. I thoroughly enjoyed the shared experience of working with Beth and would highly recommend her professional services.'
Lyn Robinson, author of Ladies That Did
'I’m self-publishing my first book and Beth has been a great help, with her experience in the publishing industry. She has edited it well and made great suggestions for improvements and how the graphic designer might best lay it out. She’s understood well both what I am aiming to create and the feel of the book. She’s asked constructive questions and communicates well so I always know what is going on. Importantly, she has also kept to the timescales. It’s been a real pleasure working with Beth and I am happy to recommend her to you.'
Sue Blanch, author of Yoga and the Menstrual Cycle - Live in Harmony with your Natural Rhythm
'In the summer of 2014, I started researching and writing up a history of Monkton Wyld School − a small progressive school in Dorset. I got in touch with Beth and we agreed to meet and discuss how best she could help. I sent her the manuscript and in about a week she had edited the main text of some hundred pages. Encouraged, I sent her the appendices and the images to go in the text and appendices. Again in a very short space of time she had tidied up the appendices and made noted where all the nearly 100 images had to be placed. During the course of the work we had several conversations, all of which led to further improvements to the manuscript. I would have no hesitation in recommending Beth as an editor to anyone who has written a book, and who wants to have it professionally edited. Until you see the before and after difference you may not be aware how much a professional editor can improve a text. Beth is delightful to work with and very good value.'
Charles Bevan, Author of Monkton Wyld School: The History of a Progressive School in Dorset - 1940–1982
'Thank you so much for all your work on the book. You have turned everything around so quickly and have been so thorough. It has been lovely to work with you.'
Janet Goddard, author of Weekend Makes: Simple Applique
'I was awarded First Class with honours. I would like to thank you so much for your help. You went outside your remit; you always had kind and encouraging words. Your proofreading service was professional, impeccable and reliable. I would definitely recommended your company.'
Jade Thomas, BA Photography Student
'Many thanks for sorting all the material so well... Your list of queries/what's missing was also helpful... We'd love to work with you again soon!'
Caroline Elliker, Project Editor, Quintet Publishing
Service(s)
Specialisms
Client types
Associated skills
Disclaimer note
The CIEP Directory of Editorial Services should be considered a point of first contact and prospective clients must satisfy themselves that members are capable of the work on offer. The Institute cannot be held responsible for the quality of work provided by any member listed in the directory. The members themselves are responsible for the maintenance and accuracy of their entries in the Directory and the CIEP has not made any attempt to vet them. The institute cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies in the Directory. Inclusion in the Directory as a freelance does not necessarily mean that the member is self-employed as defined by HM Revenue and Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions.