Everybody needs an editor.  Even an editor.

Helena Mulkerns, founder of Cyberscribe holds a BA in English and Spanish Literature from UCD and a Master of Arts in English Literature and Publishing from NUIG.  She has thirty years’ experience as an arts journalist and an editor in the United Nations, and is a published author herself.

The only texts we don’t work with are financial or economic books or Masters Degree and PhD theses, as these disciplines are very specific, with specialised formatting.  Unfortunately, they fall outside our remit.  We do, however, thrive on novels, memoirs, poetry or other creative projects and look forward to hearing from you with regard to working on any of the above!

We can occasionally take on board a substantive editing project.  This is the most time consuming and challenging of editing categories.  It is an overall evaluation of your book with suggestions on structure, plot, characterisation, dialogue and of the successful delivery of the concept behind the book. This can involve the removal of chapters or even the hero’s mother-in-law, and the author needs to be sure they want to put their work through this kind of process.

A line-edit is also extremely detailed, examining the actual style, crafting and language used in the book. This could involve the tightening up of scenes, the removal of others that repeat similar information, correcting turgid or confusing paragraphs where sentences run on or where punctuation is misleading. The editor will look out for any inconsistencies, or the over-use of certain words or phrases. These edits can make for not just a better tome, but a better writer.

A copy edit checks things like the correct use of italics or inverted commas, and makes sure generally that the work is up to scratch, no lazy sentences, no repetitions or continuity blips.  Such inaccuracies might include a character called Mark on page 9 who is suddenly re-christened Michael on page 42.  This is pretty much guaranteed in a final draft after you’ve re-worked 25 versions of your text. Unless your book has already been given a good edit and has been  published already, this is a good option to go for with a fiction text you are pretty sure of, or a shorter paper for publication.

Proofing is not “editing” per se, it checks for spelling, typos, formatting, style consistency and is carried out on a previously edited final draft.

We also edit a variety of other materials, such as press releases, web content or shaping up your cover letter and materials for an agent or publisher.

Whatever your needs, we can provide you with an estimation of the time it will take and the cost involved, at between €35 and €50 per hour or agreed by project. A full costing is provided ahead of time.