Owen Gregory | Full Cream Milk
Professional Member| Location | Birmingham, West Midlands, UK |
| Web | fullcreammilk.co.uk |
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| FullCreamMilkMan | |
| Owen Gregory |
What if you could see your writing through the eyes of your most honest, thorough and attentive reader? One whose insights are offered in a spirit of collaboration, while there’s still time to adjust it and make it better?
I am a professional line editor and copy editor of fiction and non-fiction, working most often with small, independent publishers and self-publishing authors – from manuscript to print and digital editions – but also with larger mainstream publishers.
I’m a thorough, meticulous and honest editor, with a sensitive and friendly approach to you and your text, steering clear of pedantry and peeves. Your voice (or that of your organization) is what readers want to hear, and whatever level of editing your text could benefit from, I can help refine and amplify it.
My personal and editorial interests and knowledge extend into the arts (particularly music and literature), humanities and social sciences. Recent work has included academic texts in the fields of music education and the history of photography.
My background is in English studies generally, and (following a good stint as a web designer) I have specific expertise in all aspects of front-end web design and development. Over the past decade, this combination has led me to edit and copy-edit over twenty-five books for many well-respected figures in the web industry.
Skills and services
- Copy editing
- Line editing
- Developmental/substantive editing
- Editing non-native English
- Page design/layout
- Typesetting
Selected titles
Recent titles include:
- Between Sahara and Sea: Africa in the Roman Empire by David J Mattingly (University of Michigan Press) • August 2023
- Milton and Music by Seth Herbst (Routledge) • April 2023
- The Service Organization: How to Deliver and Lead Successful Services, Sustainably by Kate Tarling (London Publishing Partnership) • February 2023
- Researching and Writing Differently by Ilaria Boncori (Policy Press) • December 2022
- Understanding Privacy by Heather Burns (Smashing Media AG) • November 2022
- 32 to 33 by Sula Murray (self-published) • July 2022
- Joaquín Rodrigo: Writings on Music translated by Raymond Calcraft and Elizabeth Matthews (Routledge) • November 2021
- Touch Design for Mobile Interfaces by Steven Hoober (Smashing Media AG) • November 2021
- Grasping for the American Dream Racial Segregation, Social Mobility, and Homeownership by Nora E Taplin-Kaguru (Routledge) • July 2021
- Image Optimization by Addy Osmani (Smashing Media AG) • April 2021
- The Origins and Ascendancy of the Concert Mass by Stephanie Rocke (Routledge) • December 2020
- Empire, Early Photography and Spectacle: The Global Career of Showman Daguerreotypist J W Newland by Elisa de Courcy and Martyn Jolly (Routledge) • November 2020
- TypeScript in 50 Lessons by Stefan Baumgartner (Smashing Media AG) • October 2020
- Creative and Critical Projects in Classroom Music: Fifty Years of Sound and Silence by John Finney, Chris Philpott and Gary Spruce (Routledge) • October 2020
- Click! How to Encourage Clicks without Shady Tricks by Paul Boag (Smashing Media AG) • June 2020
- The Ethical Design Handbook by Trine Falbe, Martin Michael Frederiksen and Kim Andersen (Smashing Media AG) • March 2020
- Art Direction for the Web by Andy Clarke (Smashing Media AG) • March 2019
- Future Ethics by Cennydd Bowles (NowNext Press) • September 2018
- Design Systems by Alla Kholmatova (Smashing Media AG) • September 2017
- Content Design by Sarah Richards (Content Design London) • July 2017
- Web Typography by Richard Rutter (Ampersand Type) • May 2017
- Atomic Design by Brad Frost (self-published) • November 2016
Subjects
- arts, humanities, social sciences
- all aspects of front-end web design and development
- typography
- technology
- literature in English
- English language
- cultural studies
- orchestral music and instruments, particularly oboe and cor anglais
- musical notation
Media
- Books
- Multi-author books
- Manuals
- Online materials
- Magazines
- Typesetting
- Websites/blogs
- Sheet music
Training
- Development Editing: Fiction Theory (Liminal Pages), 2023
- Introduction to Fiction Editing (CIEP), 2021
- Word for Practical Editing (CIEP), 2021
- Copy-editing 3: Progress (SfEP), 2019
- Copy-editing 2: Headway (SfEP), 2018
Clients
Routledge • Smashing Media AG • NowNext Press • Content Design London • Ampersand Type
Qualifications
- BA in English Studies
- MA in Writing (Distinction)
Specialised software
- Affinity Publisher (layout and publishing)
- MuseScore (music notation)
Testimonials
Owen’s first edit of my first fiction book, 32 to 33, was transformational. The suggestions for layout, format and presentation made the manuscript much easier to manage, saving time and frustration. He clearly sorted out things which needed to be fact-based (postcodes in Lyon; medical conferences in Miami), to which I'd paid insufficient attention, from the fictional central premise. In response to his comments on how a reader would follow the trajectory of the story, I changed from a character-based structure to a chronological one, something I’d dithered with for months. I added in two new storyline elements he said would enhance the plot’s credibility. Transformational. A second edit was, of course, more routine but necessary for me. And after both of these, a few more tweaks and the ‘publish’ button on KDP got pressed.
Sula Murray
We are extremely grateful for all the work Owen did to make the manuscript of our book ready for typesetting and publication. It is a far better book because of his meticulous scrutiny of every aspect of it.
Raymond Calcraft
At a time when cutting corners to cut costs seems to be becoming the order of the day in academic publishing, Owen Gregory was a breath of fresh air. Not only did he do all of the technical tasks expected of a copy editor, he also demonstrated initiative (e.g. investigating the norms of my discipline rather than simply asking me to dictate what I thought was correct), engaged intellectually with the content (e.g. showing where I had contradicted myself), communicated effectively, and met final deadlines. By the end of the process, Owen had earned my full trust and respect. I look forward to working with him again.
Dr Stephanie Rocke (University of Melbourne)
Owen’s copyediting of our manuscript was thorough without being invasive. His edits were undertaken promptly, and we quickly developed a pattern for working across different time zones. Owen is a clear and receptive communicator, in both email correspondence and in-text suggestions. He quickly accommodated the historic terms particular to our topic and focused his corrections on errors rather than intervening in the cadence of our writing. His attention to detail demonstrated a real care for our book. I have no reservation in recommending him as a copyeditor. Indeed, I hope to work with him again in the future myself.
Dr Elisa deCourcy (Australian National University)