Meticulous proofreading for Catholic writers
Hello, I’m Tess Marie, a qualified and experienced proofreader, a full member of ACES (American Copy Editors Society), and a graduate (with distinction) of the College of Media and Publishing. Best of all, I’m a practicing Catholic, a devoted wife, and a loving mother of five. I’m blessed to live in the Midwestern US, a lovely land of farms, fields, forests, and lakes. When I’m not enjoying God’s beautiful outdoors or spending time with my family, it’s my pleasure and privilege to specialize in proofreading Catholic manuscripts.
Why hire a proofreader?
Serious authors want their work to be the best it can be. Authors glide easily over errors and typos in their own writing because they’re so familiar with it. Unfortunately, these same errors often jump out at readers, ruining the work’s credibility. A trained proofreader finds not only the obvious typos, but the sneaky, tricky errors as well.
I eliminate errors so your words can shine
My eyes are sharp, but my comments are kind. I particularly enjoy proofreading Catholic fiction (I’m a published author of four novels myself, which means I understand the nuances of the genre), but I also consider nonfiction projects as my schedule allows.
I proofread for
- Capitalization
- Spelling
- Typos
- Grammar
(Such as correct subject-verb agreement, dangling modifiers, and parallel construction.) - Punctuation
(For example: Most authors wrongly use an opening single quotation mark [ ‘ ] in place of an apostrophe [ ’ ] to indicate a missing letter at the beginning of a word. Word processing software doesn’t know any better. Do you?) - Word usage
(Is that gait or gate? Rein or reign? On to or onto?) - Word consistency
(Did John Elling on page 12 change to John Eling on page 50?) - Repetitive words
(Authors are often blind to pet words or phrases used over and over, but these repetitions often annoy readers.)
Proofreading is the last quality control before publication
Proofreading is not a substitute for developmental or content (big-picture) editing, so if your manuscript needs that kind of overhaul, it’s not yet ready for proofreading. I do not critique plot, theme, characterization, or overall structure. My work involves fine-tuning. This means I focus on the details—each letter, space, word, and punctuation mark. Is each one used correctly so the sentence reads clearly? Rest assured, I will not change your voice or style or rewrite paragraphs.
How do you view my changes?
I typically work in Microsoft Word with Track Changes turned on, but I also accept Google Docs, Microsoft Office documents, and PDFs. Your file is returned with all edits clearly marked, and it’s then up to you to choose whether to incorporate each change or not.
My corrections are guided by industry-standard resources
The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style
The Chicago Manual of Style
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary
Your work will be held in strict confidence
I do not share your files with any outside source, and I will gladly sign an NDA at your request. Your peace of mind is my priority.
I’m a proud member of the following professional organizations
