FAQs page
How confidential are my documents?
What if I don’t like the result?
What is copy editing?
Copy editing’ or ‘copy washing’ means working on an existing text to improve its accuracy, flow and overall impact. This can include everything from a quick check for typos, grammar or spelling mistakes, to a virtual rewrite.
Not to be confused with proof reading – which means checking the fine detail of a text, usually before sending it to print – copy editing involves a deeper assessment of the text, designed to significantly increase its effectiveness.
What does it cost?
All my services are charged per word of your source text, for complete price transparency. Please click here for details of services and cost.
Isn’t spell-checking enough?
No. Even the best spell-checkers only pick up actual errors, like misspelt words or spaces before punctuation marks. They do not recognise words that are correctly spelt but wrong – like ‘form’ instead of ‘from’ – and cannot check the arrangement of ideas, style, or tone of voice: the three most important aspects of any text.
Why use Nick Berry?
I am a full-time professional copywriter. It’s all I do. Because of this, you know that your important business communications are being worked on by a specialist. I know what works, and have delivered literally hundreds of successful copywriting projects for some of the world’s leading brands.
My experience working on everything from internal training documents to ads, e-marketing techniques, viral campaigns, direct mail, brochures and more, gives me the ability to precisely craft your copy to achieve the desired outcome.
Couldn’t anyone do this?
In principle, sure. Anyone who has a feel for words can copy edit a text to a certain standard, just as anyone who’s good in the kitchen can have a go at a complicated dish. But it takes a skilled professional to get consistently excellent results. There’s no substitute for the knowledge and judgement that take years of practice and passionate commitment to acquire – things you just can’t fake.
How does this service work?
You send me your texts as email attachments; I edit them; I send them back. It’s that simple. Please do not send hard copy through the post.
It is best if you supply your copy in Microsoft Word, as this programme features good editing and reviewing tools. It is also easy to perform an accurate word count, so you know in advance precisely what you will be paying.
You can supply copy in other formats – including PowerPoint, Excel, web pages or as a PDF – but I will extract the text and return it to you in Word. I apply a small surcharge for this service. Please see surcharges for details.
How long does it take?
I aim to deliver copy editing jobs within three working days, although large jobs like annual reports or training manuals will take longer. I will give you an accurate delivery date once your order has been confirmed.
Express delivery (same day, if I receive your text by 12:00 GMT) or delivery over a weekend, attracts a surcharge. Please see surcharges for details.
How secure are my documents?
To ensure the security of your documents in transit, I use constantly updated anti-virus and firewall software at both desktop and server levels.
How confidential are my documents?
The nature of my work means that I am constantly exposed to confidential information from both private and public sector sources. I take this trust extremely seriously and have never compromised any of my clients. If you would like further reassurance, I will be pleased to sign a confidentiality agreement with your organisation.
What if I don’t like the result?
As you will be supplying me with texts that you, your colleagues or agents created and approved, this is highly unlikely. However, if you can show me why you feel any of my work is not up to the highest professional standards, I will be pleased to refund, in full, any fee charged for that text.
How do you bill me?
As most editing jobs are low value transactions, I will send you an itemised invoice at the end of each month. This reduces both your admin time and mine. If you send me a lot of work, I will invoice you weekly. Larger jobs, with a value in excess of GBP200.00, will be invoiced as soon as they have been completed. Please see my terms and conditions.
