Literally Precise - Because Your Words Matter

Why hire a proofreader/copyeditor?

Does my writing really need to be grammatically and mechanically precise?

If your writing will be reviewed in any way by an academic or professional audience, the answer to this question is not just yes, it is absolutely. Being able to communicate your thoughts, ideas, and opinions logically and coherently is extremely important.

Academically

If your academic writing is full of grammatical and mechanical mistakes, your overall intelligence will be questioned. You might have some great ideas and arguments, but if you are unable to communicate them well, they may be disregarded. Poor writing does not improve your grade point average.

Personally

A lot of communication is done through texts, blogs, and other social networking tools. Many people find themselves wondering why they can’t just write what they want without the hassle of strictly adhering to a grammatical code. The answer lies within the author’s purpose of writing. If the intended audience is family and friends, then a few typos won’t go amiss. However, if the writer is trying to attract readers or create financial gain, proofreading is highly recommended.

Professionally

People form opinions of you (and by extension, the organization you work for) based on the way you write. Documents or websites that contain numerous errors look sloppy and unprofessional. This causes potential clients or investors to wonder if your business is conducted in the same manner.

Almost twenty years of experience in editing manuscripts will benefit you greatly!
If you want your work to be seriously considered by agents, editors, or publishers, it needs to be free of grammatical
and mechanical errors. This is where Literally Precise can help you.

Manuscripts

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Do you want your website to showcase professionalism and accuracy?
Do you want it to be easily navigated and understood? We offer services that will assist you in these areas and more.
Let us give your website the help it needs to bring you the business you want.

Web Content

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Nothing seems to speak for you or your company more than a newsletter or update.
Multiple errors can reflect poorly on you or your business. We can proofread or copyedit your communication
to ensure that you are accurately represented.

Newsletters & Updates

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Advertising errors don’t usually generate legitimate business. They may cause an increase in web or street traffic,
but unless you’ve implemented an intentional mistake, that increased traffic won’t be reflected in monetary gain.
A quick, professional review of advertising materials will help keep your company credibility in check.

Advertising

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If you want to ensure that your academic papers are free of errors, let us look at them. We offer services to check for
correctness in grammar and mechanics as well as advice on how to make your paper more effective. Our experienced
English Composition instructor can give your essay greater clarity and cohesion.

Academic Papers

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Having someone edit your resume or curriculum vitae is well worth the money spent.
Research has shown that poorly written resumes are likely to be discarded. Make sure you aren’t disqualified for a job
based on writing errors.

Resume and Curriculum Vitae

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Most of us have been sent invitations or announcements that have mistakes in them. Unfortunately, this can cause the
actual event to take a second seat, while the mistakes become the focus. Don’t let this happen to you! Save yourself stress,
time, and money (reprinting can be expensive) by letting us check your document first.

Invitations & Announcements

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About Michelle

I am a grammar enthusiast by nature. I am the person who notices the misplaced apostrophe, missing comma, or misspelled word and tells everyone about it (whether they care to hear it or not). I love languages in general, but English fascinates me. I went to university to study psychology and came out with a bachelor’s degree in… wait, linguistics? One seemingly random grammar course and I was hooked. Add my analytical, perfectionist temperament and here I am—a freelance editor.

Experience

As an editor and proofreader, I have edited over 300 projects in various genres including books, catalogs, newsletters, advertisements, and other printed material. I used to teach English Composition at a private college where I focused on helping students improve their essay writing and communication skills.

We have used Michelle’s editorial skills for hundreds of projects. Her overall knowledge of the English language, grammatical excellence, ability to create clarity and cohesion in existing text, remarkable time management skills, and attention to detail combine to make her a highly capable and efficient editor who consistently meets deadlines.

Carlton Garborg

President of BroadStreet Publishing

I would like to express my deep appreciation to Michelle Winger for her proofreading skills necessary to resolve my shortcomings… You have become my number one source for proofreading. Your skill and guidance have exceeded my expectations.

Steve Harrison

Author

Michelle Winger has provided an invaluable service to us over the past 10+ years in proofing and editing college documents, from our student handbook to ad copy. She is very professional, accurate, works quickly, and understands how to serve her customers by asking the right questions and grasping the scope of a project before beginning an edit. We look forward to a continuing relationship with Michelle and highly recommend her to the business and education community.

Lori Beyer

Admissions Director

Michelle’s keen eye for accuracy, and her wise advice on style and formatting, gave me confidence that my master’s thesis would meet the standards of academic excellence expected at the graduate level. Contracting with her to read my paper was a good investment.

Mike Neterer

Somali Adult Literacy Training

Michelle provided very thorough copy editing services to our company. The project lasted several weeks and she was extremely prompt in all phases of the initiative. We definitely would use her expertise again.

Randy Dirks, Ph.D

VP Advancement

As a student in Michelle's class I was pleasantly surprised by her passion for English and the writing process. Her love for language, and gifting to teach in an encouraging way, is something I had not encountered before. Her love for writing rubbed off on me and now I maintain a blog as well as semi-monthly newsletters. Thank you, Michelle, for making a difference in my life by sharing your knowledge and love for the writing process!

Keegan Johnson

Student

Hand over any proofreading or editing to Literally Precise and you can forget about those nagging questions: Did I forget something? Should I reword it differently? You can breathe deep and relax. Literally Precise is exactly what it claims—precise, thorough, and committed to excellence.

Carol Garborg

Author

I was glad to hear that Michelle was going to have her editing business. She did some work on my book. She was precise, conscientious, helpful, and accurate in her editing. I would recommend people strongly consider using Literally Precise.

Edward E. Dudek

Author

FAQs

What is the difference between editing and proofreading?

Though the two are closely related, editing and proofreading are very different. Editing literally means to edit for publication. An editor pays close attention to the details of a project in order to make it ready for publication. Proofreading is performed on almost completed material with the intention of finding and marking errors. Perhaps an easier way of defining the difference between the two is to think of them as two different steps in the same process. An editor works on developing material in the early to middle stages, while a proofreader comes in at the final stage to ensure flawlessness.

I’ve read through my project multiple times, and it looks pretty good to me. Do I still need someone else to look at it?

Even professional editors should have their material read by someone other than themselves. It is virtually impossible to look at your own work objectively. You are likely to read what you intended to write, rather than what is actually written. Getting an outside perspective is critical to successful writing.

What is included in your editing service?

Literally Precise offers four different editing services. These services are determined by differing levels of document revision. To see the list of specifics offered in each level, see **page**.

How do I know what type of editing is required for my project?

To determine what level of editing is needed, submit a sample of your project. The sample will be reviewed, and you will be sent a recommendation of which service level would best suit your project. Once you have decided on a service and your desired completion time, an estimate will be sent to you.

How long will it take to complete my project?

The turnaround time for a project is dependent upon the type of document submitted and the urgency of its completion. Upon submitting a sample of your project, you will be sent an estimate of completion time. Rush projects will be charged an additional fee.

Is my material safe with you?

The privacy and confidentiality of your project is of utmost importance to us. We will not share your work, or portions of your work, with anyone outside of our company. Your business is no one else’s business.

Contact me