Miss Penny Harper |

Phone
01736 810463

Media

Academic books, annual reports, company literature, dissertations, educational materials, government reports, journal articles, MBA publications, multi-author books  

Qualifications and awards

BA Medieval Studies

Experience

Thirty years of editing experience. Freelance since 2005; equity research/fixed income editor at Bear Stearns, Credit Lyonnais, ING and Williams de Broe, 1998–2005; publications assistant, Imperial College, 1996–97. I specialise in financial and business editing but enjoy editing all sorts of subject matter, particularly psychology and criminology. 

Recent training

Brush up your grammar (SfEP) 2011, Brush up your copy-editing (SfEP) 2009, Efficient copy-editing (SfEP) 2008

Recent clients

• Accuracy Matters
• Durham Business School (MBA publications)
• Edinburgh Business School (MBA publications)
• Integra (Cambridge University Press)
• Marketcolor creative agency (Deutsche Bank quarterly magazines) 
• Newgen Publishing UK Ltd (Cambridge University Press, Edward Elgar, Manchester University Press, Routledge/Taylor & Francis)
• Pauffley (annual reports for BP and Barclays)
• Sunrise Setting (journals for Sage) 
• Straive (Cambridge University Press)
• Wearset Publishing (Routledge/Taylor & Francis)

Subjects

Finance, banking, economics, humanities, business, social sciences, politics, psychology, criminology

Featured

I have thirty years of experience in editing, am very reliable and will never let you down. This includes ten years' experience as an editor in investment banking, covering sector reports and annual reports. I now work in freelance business and management editing, including MBA course materials; however, any sector is welcome, and I especially enjoy editing in the psychology and criminology sectors. Short deadlines welcome. Quick turnaround.  

testimonials

“I’ve just finished working through the proofs for this title and wanted to thank you for such an excellent and consistent editing job. There’s very little to be addressed on proof and consequently production is running extremely smoothly. Many thanks again for a great edit.” (Jo Bottrill at Newgen Publishing UK Ltd)

“I just wanted to let you know that I have been in touch with the author this morning, and he says ‘I would also like to let you know that your colleague worked very hard and the copy-editing work is done at an excellent level.’ This is fantastic to hear, thank you for all your efforts.” (Alison at Newgen Publishing UK Ltd)

“Thanks so much for your work on this project, we also really appreciate you getting it back to us early.” (Sarah Green at Newgen Publishing UK Ltd)

“I would like to thank you for your work on this. You have done a wonderful job and your work has helped to greatly improve the manuscript. I am extremely grateful to you and I will inform Routledge as well regarding how pleased I am with your work.” (Philip McCann, The UK Regional–National Economic Problem: Geography, Globalisation and Governance, Routledge, 2016)

“I would like you to know that I have enjoyed working with you. You are good at your job and not just in a technical sense but in a human relations/communication skills way too. Thank you for both.” (Paul Wilkins, Person-Centred Therapy, Routledge, 2015)

"First, let me say that I like working with you. You are perceptive, prompt, and pleasant in email correspondence. I have been very impressed with your skill and attention to detail. My manuscript is in capable hands." (Kenneth Janda, A Tale of Two Parties, Routledge, 2020)

"Nishizwa-san commented on the quality of your copy editing, and my reaction was also that you were someone I would be delighted to have again as a copy editor. I was not so lucky with my last book. It is a task I would not be good at because I could never strike the balance that you achieved between leaving things alone and rewriting completely. So please be assured that we have very much appreciated your work." (Roger Backhouse, Welfare Theory, Public Action, and Ethical Values, Cambridge University Press, 2020)

"I want to say this is the best editorial process I have experienced and that you are the best editor I have ever been assigned. CUP and you deserve the highest praise. I wish this were my/our beginning book not the last. Then earlier books would have been considerably better. Mike too joins me in giving thanks and wishing you better writers – at least one – in the future." (Doug Simpson, Ethical Dilemmas in Schools by Doug Simpson and Mike Sacken, Cambridge University Press, 2020)

"Thanks, Penny - definitely the most thorough copyeditor I have ever had. As an author/editor of many books, I have quite often become furious at some copyeditors' seemingly random comments, but yours have been by far the best I have ever come across. Can't thank you enough. CUP are lucky to have you working for them." (Stephen Trudgill, Why Conserve Nature?, Cambridge University Press, 2021)

"You found two errors that further convince me you are the best copyeditor in publishing!" (R. Keith Sawyer, The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences, 3rd ed., Cambridge University Press, 2021)

"I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all of your comments and corrections. You are greatly improving the manuscript and I am so very grateful." (Peter Ahrensdorf, Homer and the Tradition of Political Philosophy, Cambridge University Press, 2022)

"Many thanks for all your work on the book, Penny! You’ve done a terrific job, and we’re very grateful." (Philip Robbins, The Cambridge Handbook of Moral Psychology, Cambridge University Press, 2024)

"I just wanted to say that we are very grateful for how effective and detailed you work! Thanks a lot." (Jonas R. Kunst, The Cambridge Handbook of the Psychology of Violent Extremism, Cambridge University Press, 2024)

"Thanks so much for sending this through—you did a fantastic job with the page proofs! I’ve gone through and made a couple of very minor suggested changes and answered all your author queries. Thanks again for making this easy and being so thorough!" (Danny Osborne, The Cambridge Handbook of the Psychology of Violent Extremism, Cambridge University Press, 2024)