About me
Rebecca Parker
Director
A night-owl disposition, stellar time-management skills and a near-obsessive love of grammar? I was always going to become a proofreader.
I was a voracious reader from early on, reading under the covers, devouring the backs of cereal boxes, carting a book with me everywhere just in case I might have to wait somewhere for more than five minutes. These habits equipped me with snazzy glasses and a habit of being early for everything (to get another chapter in), as well as ruining me every time I looked at a menu or perused a brochure, because I was plagued by apostrophe mishandling.
A night-owl disposition, stellar time-management skills and a near-obsessive love of grammar? I was always going to become an editor. I started the Department of Correctness in late 2010, because it was clear to me that I loved refining text, and most other people really, really didn’t. So why not offer my services to do it for them?
If you’re here, you’ve already acknowledged the importance of having an objective eye to review your document, whether it’s a report, a textbook, a thesis, a children’s book or a new cornflakes box. You have a piece of writing, and you need it checked.
Unlocking your writing potential
My core values
Over the decade I’ve been doing this work, I’ve been able to crystallise my core values down to:
Flexibility
Of course, the editing (and especially the proofreading) step is the final one. I know you want to work on the body of your text until the very last moment. I am working for myself because I didn’t want to do the 9–5, and the price of that is that I don’t do the 9–5. Pulling an all-nighter is not such a rare thing for me. Get in touch with me to line up an assessment of timeframes and budgets, and we can come up with something that works for you.
Reliability
I can be very clear about what can be achieved within your time and budget. Once we’ve worked out the scope of what you need, I am completely committed to realising that outcome for you.
Professionalism
I’m grateful to be able to work in a field that I enjoy so much, and I intend to continue doing so. That means having very high standards, in terms of the relationship I have with my clients and the calibre of the work I do with them. You will find me easy to contact, prompt, clear and friendly with my responses.
About you
Let me start by saying I’m a born editor, not a frustrated author. I am not saying I can write better than you; I’m saying I can make your writing better.
Some of my clients don’t really know what needs to happen with their documents. You might have been told to “get a proof done”, by an academic supervisor, a publisher, a client or a boss. Or you might know that you have the bones of your writing, but you need an objective outsider to check it over. Regardless of the genesis, my clients tend to fall somewhere between two extremes.
1. Keeping your hands on the wheel. You’re pretty happy with what you’ve got, or you’re nervous about someone making changes. You are keen to put the final polish on your own documents, but would value a professional eye. Or perhaps you have a document that has had multiple authors and iterations, and it needs to be made consistent. I can work in a soft-copy document with changes tracked and you then have the option to review it, accepting or rejecting any of my suggestions. Or I can add edits and comments to a PDF document (although this can be a bit more cumbersome and takes a bit longer on my side and yours).
2. Washing your hands of it all. You’re done with this thing (if you’re honest, you’re sick of the sight of it). You may have an organisational style guide that needs to be adhered to and you’re not sure if that’s been done correctly. You want to hand it off for a final once-over, get it back and get it off your plate. We can correspond about exactly what your document needs at the start, and liaise over style or any issues you think might need particular focus. I can then work on your document independently and provide it back to you as a clean copy, with an accompanying email outlining anything that desperately needs your attention.
Wherever you land on this spectrum, I can work with you in a way that suits you best. It all comes back to flexibility.
Let the Department of Correctness unlock your writing potential.
Professional proofreading service
Timeline
Learn more about me and the journey that became the Department of Correctness
1981
I was born.
1984
Read my first book (according to Mum) – The Elves and the Shoemaker. The Penguin Classics spine had a very pleasant mouthfeel.
1986
Moved overseas and spent the rest of my schooling bouncing between British and American systems, so had to learn to spell twice.
1990
Discovered that reading was an acceptable substitute for household chores. And any kind of social standing.
1999
Did Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Theatre.
2002
Became restaurant manager.
2006
Started working for a human rights law firm, qualified as a legal executive, and started to believe my name was: “Argh, how do I fix this?”. Which I thought had a nice ring to it.
2011
Realised the 9–5 was not for me, so set off on a frolic of my own, arming myself with an editing qualification and a punny business name.
2011-2012
A period of low earnings and high blood pressure, transcribing nigh-inaudible interviews and proofreading for low-budget self-publishing companies.
2012
In spite of my struggles with ‘networking’ as a concept, various contacts brought work to me from their organisations, and this circle grew.
2013
Started to get comfortable in my niche as a legal editor, copyediting my first legal textbooks. This then expanded to other, imposter-syndrome-inducing clients.
2014
Child the first.
2016
Child the second.
2017
Child the third. I’m so sorry, Planet Earth.
2018-2019
Throughout the 2014–2018 Dark Ages, I managed to both build and maintain working relationships with clients, learning a lot about measuring my capacity and about how to work sustainably and flexibly.
2020
Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. Got really good at crosswords.
2021
10 years is longer than I’ve done pretty much anything (voluntarily). This is the life for me, and in lieu of tattooing a hipster typewriter on my ankle, I’m celebrating with a brand new website.
Contact me for a quote
Let's talk...
I would love to work with you. Reach out for your free initial consultation.
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Save yourself time
Save yourself time, while ensuring your writing is the best it can be.
Professional service
As a specialist in my field, I proudly deliver high-quality work.
Seamless communication
Completion times and costs will be clear from the outset.
