I offer my services across a wide range of digital and editorial disciplines – with the main focus areas being training and coaching; editing and online journalism.
What you are get is speed and accuracy – along with editorial, managerial and technical knowledge, gained in over 30 years of a journalistic working life.
Editing
I edit and proofread with both speed and accurary - which I am told is a rare thing.
HOW I GOT HERE
I have an Honours degree in English and many years of experience as a news and feature editor. I have a broad general knowledge and can edit and proofread in most disciplines, but I specialise in proofreading and editing lifestyle-related manuscripts.
As a former Lifestyle Editor, I can work with hybrid texts that contain elements as varied as story-telling and recipes. I can also project manage books for publishing houses.
Online Journalism
Put your news website in safe hands. I can take the basic principles of online editorial work and apply them wherever they are needed.
HOW I GOT HERE
I worked for many years at IOL, the online arm of one of South Africa’s major newspaper groups. In addition to being a breaking news site, it offers many “channels” in areas like sport or motoring or business.
While working there, I moved from working on breaking news to running channels like entertainment or lifestyle. I was also the go-to person to stand in for any member of staff on any channel. My skills include:
• Understanding the diary of events and setting the daily content agenda
• Copytasting according to editorial policy and readers’ needs
• Editing copy according to house style
• Finding and editing pictures
• Writing compelling headlines and blurbs
• Working at speed (and making calls about quality versus quantity on a minute-by-minute basis)
• Specialist projects like live tweeting or live blogging
• Posting to social media in accordance with the site’s policies
I can offer these skills on a freelance basis to any media house who may need them. I am also available for consultancy work about online production systems.
Training
I offer online coaching and mentoring for writers, editors and people who communicate online.
HOW I GOT HERE
I started my training career when I left journalism to study for a high school teaching diploma. I worked as a media producer in non-governmental organisations and then went back to being a sub-editor on Cape Town newspaper the Cape Argus. When the Argus changed from one content management system to another, I volunteered to be part of the training team. I discovered I loved training other journalists.
After I started work at news website IOL, I took charge of all the in-house training and developed a wealth of training materials and experience.
Other services available
Writing and building basic WordPress sites – email me for me details.
What I might cost
I prefer to give tailored quotes based on the needs of the client – please contact me.