Pressing “Send” can be the hardest part of writing. After days, weeks, maybe even months or years of work, you are finally just about finished …
But wait! Is it really ready to go?
Will readers fully understand what you’re trying to say? Will your boss wonder what you’ve been doing with your time? Will someone turn your worst typos into memes that will be ridiculed on the internet forever?
Whether you’re working on a complex report or a quick press release, your career depends on written words that are clear, concise, and correct—and a professional editor can help you accomplish exactly that.
Here are 4 reasons why hiring a professional editing service is a good idea:
- We can help you make sure your message is clear.
After you’ve looked at the same copy over and over, you start to lose the ability to really “see” it. You’re reading it with the full knowledge of what you meant. We’ll read what your words actually say.
We can flag places where your message is getting lost, then help you sharpen your words. We can rewrite awkward sentences and eliminate redundancies. If multiple authors contributed to your work, we can streamline the language for a consistent, professional tone.
- We’re grammar wonks, and we know this stuff cold.
Do you have to stop and think about when to use “who” vs. “whom”? How about “lie” vs. “lay” or “affect” vs. “effect”? As editors, language is our business, and we learn the rules inside and out.
We can fix dangling participles, incorrect subject–verb agreement, and other mistakes even the most careful writers sometimes leave behind.
- We’re really good at catching errors.
Catching typos can be a real trail. Did you notice that word was “trail” and not “trial”? Your spellchecker missed it, too. An experienced, highly trained proofreader looks at copy differently—as editors, we’ve learned to notice and check “trouble” words that are frequently misspelled. We can save you from embarassment—by correcting that to “embarrassment.”
- We know your style.
Many organizations want their published works to follow specific style rules, be it Chicago, Associated Press, American Medical Association, or some other guide. And we know that, while you’re writing, the last thing you want to worry about is whether to use “%” or “percent.” As editors, we are familiar with many styles, and we can make sure your work adheres to the proper set of rules.
Let the professionals at TalentMEDIA Services take the terror out of pressing “Send.” Contact us today at information@talentmediaservices.com.
This was written by Laurie Bonner, Contract Editor for TalentMEDIA Services. To reach Laurie, you can email her at laurie@talentmediaservices.com.
