clairecherryedits

🎉Milestone! I’ve edited 1,000,000 words.

*In the voice of Dr. Evil 📢 ONE MILLION WORDS! ❓So, should I stop calling myself a newbie? 😆 One million words. That’s how many words I have proofread or edited since I started counting. And I started counting in Feb 2018 when I established Cronshaw Editing. Not bad, eh. Alongside teaching, too. 😅 🔢Continue reading “🎉Milestone! I’ve edited 1,000,000 words.”

Five top tips for getting the most out of your library.

5️⃣ Top tips for getting the most out of your library. 📚 1. Non-fiction. I look longingly at hardback non-fiction in bookshop windows but talk myself out of £15+ purchases. Library non-fiction is a great way to try before you buy.* 2. Maps. During lockdown, I was keen to find new walking routes. Google doesn’tContinue reading “Five top tips for getting the most out of your library.”

Do authors get paid when their books are borrowed from libraries? Yes!

❓ Did you know that when you borrow library books, you’re still contributing to an author’s income — whether that’s a physical copy of a book or an ebook/audiobook through services such as Borrowbox. (Excellent, btw!) I’m talking specifically about the UK here, but there may be similar schemes in other countries. It’s worth checkingContinue reading “Do authors get paid when their books are borrowed from libraries? Yes!”

What does the name of my hometown (village! hamlet!) mean?

🐄 ‘Land where young bullocks are kept’. 🗺️ That’s the meaning of Little Strickland, the hamlet where I grew up in Cumbria. (Well, the ‘Strickland’ part anyway.) 🇬🇧 In Old English, stīrc was a young bullock or heifer. There are still lots of young bullocks kept in that area so things haven’t really changed much!Continue reading “What does the name of my hometown (village! hamlet!) mean?”

It is said that everyone has a book in them. Have you?

Have you got as far as writing it? Have you published it? If not, what’s stopping you? One of my indie author clients is my husband, Jon. He tried to have his work proofread by other freelance editors but his visual impairment made working through the edits really difficult, so I received formal CIEP trainingContinue reading “It is said that everyone has a book in them. Have you?”

Set us free: write your book because we want to read it. We need authors right now.

I want to read your book. I want to get inside your head and go for a wander. I’ve had enough of my own thoughts: take me somewhere else! I don’t know where I’d be without books (and baths, and most especially books in the bath). I need time out of my day, the headspaceContinue reading “Set us free: write your book because we want to read it. We need authors right now.”

No smoke and mirrors. This is what happens if I edit your book.

There’s always that element of uncertainty when you hire a freelancer for the first time. ❔Will they do a good job? ❔Will they meet my deadline? ❔Will they offer value for money? ❔Will communication be smooth? The freelancer also has uncertainties when taking on a new client. ❔Will the work they’re offering fit in withContinue reading “No smoke and mirrors. This is what happens if I edit your book.”

Where should capital letters go in titles?

📝 So you’ve written a contents page. A leaflet. A blog post. An essay. And you’ve used a series of headings. ❓ The question is – should you capitalise the words in your headings? And, if so, how? 📢 The answer is that there is more than one way to approach this. There are individualContinue reading “Where should capital letters go in titles?”

What is a staycation? Musings on portmanteaus.

🤔 Is it just me, or has the meaning of ‘staycation’ broadened recently? Pretty sure it used to encapsulate the idea of taking time off work, staying at home and going for day trips. News items this week are using it to mean holidays taken in your home country. Is that how you’ve always usedContinue reading “What is a staycation? Musings on portmanteaus.”

Should food names be capitalised in menus? And other considerations when proofreading food writing.

😋 I proofread some menus today and they made me so hungry! They were Indian menus of dishes prepared for special occasions. If I hadn’t already sorted a shepherd’s pie for tea then I definitely would have ordered a takeaway tonight. Though it’s probably best I didn’t as it wouldn’t have lived up to theContinue reading “Should food names be capitalised in menus? And other considerations when proofreading food writing.”