Working with me

I’m Luca, a proofreader and editorial support professional based in Nottingham, United Kingdom. I work with charities, small organisations and fiction authors to help them communicate clearly and confidently. I enjoy paying attention to detail and helping things make sense – whether that’s a novel, a newsletter, or a longer report.

My work broadly falls into two areas:

• working with organisations to prepare content for publication through proofreading and/or proof-editing
• working with authors to improve their manuscripts through structured story and craft feedback, as well as proofreading and light editing

While the contexts are different, the underlying aim is the same: to help you refine what’s already there so that it reads clearly, consistently and with intention.

My interests are fairly wide-ranging, so I’m open to working across different genres and industries. That said, there are a few areas that tend to be a particularly good fit:

• I’ve worked with multiple nature charities, and I enjoy learning about nature, wildlife and climate change
• In fiction, I tend to pay particular attention to story structure and character arcs, and I especially enjoy contemporary, not-too-literary fiction

If you’re not sure whether I’m the right fit, feel free to get in touch with a bit of information about your project – we can always have a chat and figure it out together.

My hope for the clients I work with is that they come away from the process feeling empowered, and with their sense of ownership intact. If something – a sentence, a paragraph, a scene, an arc – isn’t quite working and the answer isn’t straightforward, I’ll do my best to help you explore possible solutions. However, the aim is never to impose my own style or preferences, but to give you something more helpful than “this doesn’t work for me”, and to get you thinking about ways forward. In the end, the choice about how to proceed, whether it’s about a character arc or the placement of a comma, is always yours.

Background and experience

I’ve been working in editorial roles since 2018, supporting a range of independent authors across different genres, as well as local nature charities and small businesses.

Alongside my editorial business, I work part time in an academic library. In this role, I provide frontline support to users, helping them get the most out of library services and ensuring the day-to-day smooth operation of the space. Behind the scenes, I also lead and contribute to a range of medium- and long-term projects aimed at improving the user experience.

I find that the library work nicely parallels my editorial work. Both benefit from a broad knowledge base alongside an in-depth knowledge of my particular field: in the library, we have our core services and activities but as we are the first port of call for many queries, it does help to know a little bit about everything; similarly, in my freelance work, while my expertise is proofreading and storytelling, it is often useful to have an understanding of the subject of the work I’m commenting on.

Most importantly, in both roles, I support people with the right information to help them move forward in the right direction – my jam exactly.

My educational background includes degrees in Creative Writing (BA, First-class Hons) and Publishing (MA, Distinction), and ongoing postgraduate study in Information and Library Studies.

I also hold a proofreading qualification from the Publishing Training Centre.

And, though I haven’t used it directly in this work, I also have a Certificate in Accounting from the AAT (Distinction) – just in case you needed any more proof that I enjoy meticulous, detail-oriented work!

Recent CPD (non- or self-assessed)

As part of my commitment to professional development, I also regularly set aside time to learn and refresh my skills. Not all CPD comes in the form of formal training: sometimes it’s reading a book, exploring a new tool, attending a workshop, or studying a specialist topic in more depth. The courses and activities below represent some of the more structured CPD I’ve undertaken recently to support my work as a proofreader and editor.

• An editor’s guide to editing references, Publishing Training Centre (2026)

• A comprehensive guide to copy-editing, Publishing Training Centre (2026)

This course provided a thorough overview of professional copy-editing, covering grammar, style, consistency, fact-checking, house style, inclusive language, and publishing workflows. It also explored how copy-editors work with authors, designers, typesetters and proofreaders throughout the publishing process.

As someone with a Publishing MA and a proofreading qualification, much of the content was familiar to me, but it was still a useful refresher on publishing processes and best practices, especially as I consider whether to formally train as a copy-editor.

• Proofreading PDFs, Publishing Training Centre (2026)

This practical course focuses on professional PDF proofreading workflows in Adobe Acrobat, covering mark-up tools, comment management, customisation, keyboard shortcuts and best-practice approaches for communicating editorial changes clearly and efficiently. It emphasises accurate, consistent PDF annotation and collaborative review processes used in modern publishing and editorial work.

Having worked extensively with PDFs and Adobe Acrobat over several years, much of the course content was already familiar to me. Even so, it provided a useful refresher on the software’s capabilities, highlighted some efficiency tips and shortcuts I hadn’t used recently, and reinforced industry best practice for clear, effective PDF mark-up.

• Describing language, OpenLearn (2026)

A practical, linguistics-focused course exploring how English works at every level, from the building blocks of words (morphemes) through to sentence structure and real-world language use. Covering key word classes (nouns, verbs, adjectives and more), the course sharpens the ability to analyse meaning, structure and nuance in written communication.

I completed this course as a focused refresher on grammar and language mechanics, working through it rather more quickly than the suggested 24 hours. While not groundbreaking, it was an enjoyable and valuable way to keep my editorial “ear” and analytical skills finely tuned.

Note: Click on a line to expand it and view certificate and/or reflections.

Outside work

When I’m not working, studying or pursuing my own creative interests, I can often be found with a good book (no surprises there). I enjoy a wide variety of genres, both fiction and non-fiction, but have a particular soft spot for contemporary fiction with a strong character arc.

I’m also a huge nerd about The Sims 2, for which I have several spreadsheets and Notion databases. I probably spend just as much time (if not more) organising and planning as I do actually playing! And downloading mods and custom content – for a game whose last expansion pack came out in 2008, it has an absolutely thriving online community, and it’s wonderful to see.

If I’m not reading or simming, I’m probably spending time with my wife, maybe going for a walk in nature, doing cryptic crosswords together (in a manner of speaking – Charlie is usually better at it than I am) or watching something fun on TV (recent and ongoing shows include Taskmaster, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Schitt’s Creek).

So, between words, spreadsheets, time in nature, and the occasional puzzle, that’s more or less me. If you think we might be a good fit, feel free to get in touch – I’d be happy to hear more about your project.