Alan Heal

Professional Member
Location 13 Queensland Gardens, Northampton, NN2 7BG
Mobile +44 781 2958759
Email [email protected]
Website www.bluebamboo.org.uk
LinkedIn Alan Heal
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bloobambu
Twitter @bluebamboo12

Skills

  • Copy-editing
  • Proofreading
  • Editing non-native English
  • Americanizing
  • Picture research
  • Art commissioning 
  • EFL/ESL editing
  • Copyright clearance
  • Typesetting
  • Project management
  • Page design/layout

Media

  • Books
  • Illustrated books
  • Educational materials
  • Distance-learning materials
  • Multi-authors books
  • Typesetting
  • Journals
  • Online materials
  • Directories/yearbooks

Experience

Freelance since 2016

Production Editor, Open University, 2018-2019

Senior Art Buyer/Picture Researcher, emc design ltd, 2006-2016

Senior Editor, Sanctuary Publishing Ltd, 1998–2004

Training

Chapterhouse: Copyediting Skills, 1998
Chapterhouse: Proofreading Skills, 1998

 

Clients

Gollancz, Orbit, Pan Macmillan, Titan, Tor, Pearson, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Open University, Hodder Education, Octopus Books, York Notes.

Subjects

Genre fiction (science fiction, fantasy, horror), ELT and education, biography, music, lifestyle.

Qualifications

BA in Music

Chapterhouse: Copyediting Skills (certificate of competence)

Chapterhouse: Proofreading Skills (certificate of competence)

Specialised software

InDesign
oXygen
 

Testimonials

I’ve been really impressed with bluebamboo, particularly your proactivity and organisation. It’s been a godsend!

Oxford University Press UK

It’s been a pleasure working with you. We felt in very good hands throughout the project.

Oxford University Press US

I continue to be impressed with your efficiency and proactiveness with regards to keeping everything on track and reminding me and the team when stuff is due! Your project-management skills are excellent and I know that if I freelance a project out to you guys, it will be in a safe pair of hands.

Oxford University Press UK

It’s been a real pleasure working with you. Thank you for being communicative, flexible and reliable throughout.

Cambridge University Press UK

The editing job you did for me was superb!

The Open University

An excellent spot of proofreading.

The Open University

Copyeditors don't get enough credit, so I just want to throw out that
Alan Heal is very good at his job and catches things I would never in a million years have noticed.

J.T. Greathouse, author of the Pact and Pattern fantasy series, published by Gollancz

I got the documents back from [British SF Association Grand Master] Ian [MacDonald] this week, and he just wanted to pass on his compliments – he thought you did a fantastic job and appreciated your work!

Orion Books on my copyedit of Hopeland

Alan, you have been brilliant – both at the detail (of the individual artwork questions/queries/illustrator issues/photograph rights problems) and also at the project management stage – completely on top of knowing what is happening when, chasing it up if required, sorting out issues with suppliers, sorting things out directly with editors (while still keeping me ‘in the loop’), patiently redoing handovers when DAM gremlins pull your hair out and stick pins in you…

You are worth your weight in gold. Seriously, I honestly don’t know what I would have done without you. THANK YOU

Oxford University Press UK