meet your editor
Hey there!
I’d like to introduce myself properly. My name is Carien, and I’m a mother of two, a home cook, and a nature enthusiast. I enjoy too many cups of coffee a day and indulge in savoury snacks while working. I’m a multitasker navigating life’s highs and lows. I’m a professionally trained copyeditor and proofreader. Alongside working part-time as a bookkeeper, I manage my own editorial business named Southern Edit.
After the pandemic, working remotely became a practical and cost-effective solution for me. Although I have a diverse career background and while leveraging my expertise in finance and law, I possess a unique advantage — mastering deadlines, communicating proficiently, and managing time effectively.
Rediscovering my passion for words, I pursued online courses in copyediting and proofreading, which led to a successful career transition.
Having set personal goals for the previous year, it’s gratifying to make steady progress towards them. I attained a distinction in the Becoming a Proofreader course from Knowadays, which has greatly elevated my confidence. Furthermore, I’ve received the Edit Republic Certificate of Completion for the High-Level Proofreading and Copyediting Pro course, distinguishing me from my peers.
Should you wish to improve the quality of your written material, I’m at your service with my copyediting and proofreading expertise. As a diligent professional, I’m ready to support and guide you through this process.
Dear Author,
Why you should consider working with me!
As a passionate book lover, avid reader and also a copyeditor/proofreader, I am most of the time in awe of authors for what they do. The ability to transform a mere idea into a full manuscript is nothing short of remarkable.
Each time I sit down to edit, I witness firsthand the dedication poured into character development, scene construction, and world-building. It’s a process that commands my utmost respect.
When we as editors get to work with authors who want to publish their manuscripts, we become fully immersed in every word you have written, we get to experience how talented you are, and we are invested in you. We see and go through the emotions in what you created and how much time you have spent to get your words on those pages.
While our role may often be behind the scenes, our commitment to your craft is unwavering. We cannot promise overnight success or that you will become a best-selling author once you have published your book. Still, we put our skills and expertise into your manuscript to help you elevate your story and also reduce errors before publishing.
It’s disheartening to see scepticism surrounding editors in the industry, but I want to assure you that not all of us are looking to exploit indie authors. I find it difficult some days to promote my services on social media because there has been so much banter about editors, but I want to help more authors out there.
I’ll stand by you, offering support and guidance until your manuscript is completely how it should be. Here’s a snippet of what my current client has to say,
“Every time I read it all back to myself, I love the story all over again.
Thank you for helping me make it better than it was. I am so glad we met, and I get to have you as my editor.”
Testimonial
“I didn’t have any hesitations in hiring you, one, because we met online first, and two, the video chat was a great way to talk things out and see what we could achieve together. I would recommend you particularly to my fellow indie authors. You are both very professional and knowledgeable about what you do. This was so important to me as a first-time indie author, who had no real idea what I was doing. You can certainly help so many people out there bring their own novels to life.” Abigail Mader – The Crystal Dynasty
