Advanced Professional Member | Jill French| Fiction and creative nonfiction editing and coaching
Advanced Professional Member| Location | Hampshire, UK |
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| Website | jfeditorial.com |
| @chaptercharmeredits | |
| jill-french | |
| @jf_editorial | |
| Get in touch | Get in touch |
Fiction and creative nonfiction editing for independent writers
Book coaching, developmental editing, copyediting, line editing, proofreading, manuscript critques and writing
As an author you have put in the time and effort to produce your story and your manuscript. Get a boost with help from a trained pair of eyes to search out any issues which have become harder for you to spot and which may trip up the next reader. Try my friendly, supportive, good-value editorial services.
Would you like to lift your text and voice to the next level? Check out my what other authors think in the testimonials below. If you are ready I am keen to help move your manuscript forward. Preserving your author’s voice while catching inconsistencies and errors so that the next reader’s experience is as good as it can be.
Specialising in fiction including contemporary fiction, historical fiction, literary fiction, magical realism, mystery, Women's fiction and romance. I also work with authors of creative non-fiction and memoir.
Services
Copyediting
Your document is written and you are happy with the structure. A copyedit will check the consistency and language and will provide suggestions to help with the flow and readability of the manuscript. This should leave your writing as smooth, clear and as engaging as possible for your readers.
Formatting
Where your document needs to conform to a precise layout, page size and standard this can be applied at any stage of the writing – copyediting – proofreading cycle. Through training and experience I format manuscripts to a high standard and work on a range of documents from short stories through to full-length books. I aim to work efficiently and am proficient with many computer applications especially MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and PDF.
Proofreading
Once your document has been copyedited a proofread will be the final look through to pick up errors which remain in the manuscript, to present your document in an accurate, consistent way. The style and tone will remain your own, but this quality check will provide you with an independent, read-through aiming to give as error free and professional a document as possible.
Manuscript critiquing
Prior to copyediting or proofreading a manuscript critique will help point out big-picture features and will help to strengthen your writing. You will receive a report pointing out strengths and areas which could be amended with suggested improvements. This type of critque will help you prepare a redrafted version with more confidence.
Developmental editing
Similar to a manuscript critique, developmental editing is a thorough assessment of your manuscript and it provides you with a report, a thorough and indepth edit of your manuscript and in-text comment which will help you know what is working well and the areas where improvements are advised with precise suggestions for improvements in a redraft.
Book coaching
It may be that you have become stuck or slowed down with your manuscript or manuscript idea. As a trained and experienced coach I can help get you through this empass. As each manuscript and story is bespoke the coaching experience with me is tailored to your needs, get in touch and we can work out a plan to suit your situation.
Experience
Experienced writing coach, copyeditor, line editor, proofreader, manuscript critiquer and developmental editor working for independent authors and publishers.
A life-long avid reader with a background working as a teacher, trainer and information analyst in the NHS.
Recent training
Training and CPD
- Developmental Editing (Sophie Playle)
- Conscious and inclusive editing: Understanding conscious language and the editorial role, (Crystal Shelley, CIEP conference 2021)
- Switching to Fiction (Louise Harnby)
- How to Write the Perfect Fiction Editorial Report (Louise Harnby)
- SfEP Introduction to Fiction Editing
- Copy-editing Headway (CIEP)
- Introduction to Copyediting (CIEP)
- Proofreading Mentorship (SfEP)
- Proofreading 2: Progress (SfEP)
- Basic proofreading (Publishing Training Centre)
- Introduction to Proofreading (SfEP)
Professional affiliation
- Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP)
- Partner Member of The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi)
- Member The Society for Editing (ACES)
- Society of Authors (SoA)
Clients
- Independent authors
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Cambridge University Press
- Pegasus Publishing
- Grosvenor House Publishing
- Hampshire County Council - Educational publications and websites
- Jacobs Ltd
- NHS elearning and distance learning
- BTEC Examinations Board
Other qualifications
Training
- MSc Computing for Business
- MPhil Hospitality Management
- Qualified Teacher Status
- Prince2 Practitioner
- BSc Catering Systems
Specialised software
- Microsoft Master
- Captivate
- Articulate
- Adobe
Testimonials
I can't stop singing Jill's praises. Working with her is such a pleasure. She is amazing!
Besides being the ultimate professional where it comes to quality and thoroughness, her genuine interest and valuable input make me believe I can write more and better stories.Leonora Ross, Independent author, Tess Has a Broken Heart, and Other Comedies Full of Errors (2021) and
The Suncatchers (2022)
So lucky to have such an excellent copy-editor @jf_editorial for Radical Woman – professional, punctilious and speedy!
Maggie Humm, Radical Woman Gwen John & Rodin, (Forthcoming 2023)
Jill is a phenomenal editor, very thorough, precise and thoughtful in her approach. She genuinely cared about my story and how best to tell it in a way that’s most easily digestible and engaging for the reader. Jill also responded quickly to every inquiry and cared about doing the best job possible. I highly recommend her, she went above and beyond my expectations!
A Yang, The Spineless Porcupine (2020)
I appreciated your responsiveness and the quick feedback you provided. I thought your work was very professional and thorough and that gave me a lot of confidence. I would be very happy to work with you again on another project. It was a real pleasure to work with you. Many thanks for doing such a thorough job.
Peter Howard, The Miraculous Music of Clara Martinelli (2020)
Jill's copyedit helped transform my novel into a better version of itself. Punctual and polite she answers messages quickly and her feedback is truly helpful.
C.L. Holzapfel, Place of Fright: A Race to the Maya Underworld (2022)
I was really pleased to come across Jill French … thank goodness and she was brilliant, fantastic. Jumped on the project immediately, was very swift in her communication, set out my timelines, made sure I knew exactly what I could expect from her. No task was too small; no task was too big. We managed to hit the deadlines. And yeah, I have nothing but positive things to say. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her.
Fiona Green, Winning with Data in the Business of Sports: CRM and Analytics 2nd Edition, (2021)
Jill it was definitely a pleasure to work with you. I appreciated your responsiveness and the quick feedback you provided. I thought your work was very professional and thorough which gave me a lot of confidence. I also appreciated your openness to my suggestions. I would be very happy to work with you again on another project.
James Gerber, A Great Deal of Ruin Finanical Crises Since 1929 (2020)
Jill did an excellent job. Not only did she do the requested proofreading, but she also gave me some helpful copyediting tips and checked and smoothed out the local language a bit. All that within two weeks. I'm very satisfied and happy with the result.
Stephanie Allen, Independent author, Windward Side (2022)
I've published before, but this is my first time using a copyeditor. I'm hooked! My manuscript is a thousand times better thanks to Jill. I appreciate her help and patience with a newbie. I would love to work with her again.
Beth Savoie, Independent author, Death Illuminated (2022)
I had a fantastic experience hiring Jill to copyedit my novelette. She used the standard CIEP rate, so I knew I wasn't being overcharged, and her edits were spot on. In addition, Jill provided a style sheet as well as two versions of my manuscript. And best of all, Jill came in a week ahead of schedule which made a huge difference in getting the novelette into the anthology. I won't hesitate to use Jill in the future, and I wholeheartedly recommend her.
Stuart Wakefield, Independent author, Out in the Cold, (2022)
Jill did a great job on our book she offered good suggestions for improving our manuscript. She also provided explanations of her recommended changes.
Jill was prompt in her communications, and completed her work right on time. We would certainly recommend Jill as an editor, and we plan to use her on our next book.
Herb and LindaSue Hemenway, Independent authors, The Stonehenge Murders, (2022)
Jill produced the agreed result on time and on budget. She went beyond the strict limits of the brief to make some suggestions that would improve the layout of the text and made no secret of the fact that she had enjoyed reading the book. What more could I possibly ask of a proofreader? I have every expectation that I shall be working with Jill again.
Michael Forester, Forest Pathways, (2023)
I am so happy I chose Jill as my proofreader/ copy editor. She caught my many grammatical and punctuation mistakes. She copy edited thoughtfully, making changes and additions without altering my voice and style.
She did everything in a timely manner. She has helped me with questions regarding the process and has been clear in all her communications with me.
I highly recommend her.Shatoiya De La Tour, Merry Meet, (2023)