Mrs Judith Paskin | Children's Books

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I am an experienced proofreader and copy-editor and have worked on a variety of projects (print and digital) for a range of clients. They include educational material for leading publishers (Key Stage 3/GCSE/A Level science and humanities), children's fiction, adult fiction and charity publications. I am happy to do substantial rewriting or development editing when required. I also work as a freelance editor and have a good understanding of the entire publishing process. I am an Associate Lecturer for Oxford Brookes University, teaching editorial and children's publishing courses. 

Media

Books, educational materials, online materials, websites/blogs, audio editing

Experience

Freelance Editor since 2012; Associate Lecturer, MA Publishing, Oxford Brookes University since 2015; Editor, Cornerstones Literary Consultancy since 2015; Commissioning Editor, Plurus Books, 2014–16; Broadcast Journalist, BBC, 1993–2012

Recent training

Copy-editing 2: Progress (SfEP) 2015, Introduction to copy-editing (SfEP), Editorial Project Management (SfEP) 2018, Web Editing (SfEP) 2018, Proofreading theses and dissertations (SfEP) 2018

Clients

Oxford University Press; Pushkin Press; Phaidon Press; Monmouth Editing; HarperCollins; Jacaranda Literary Agency, Singapore; Betterwrite Literary Consultancy; Cornerstones Literary Consultancy; International Labour Organization (part of the UN); self-published authors via Reedsy.com; Engineers Without Borders

Subjects

• Children's (YA, middle grade, picture books, early readers, activity books)
• Education (Primary/Secondary, English, History, Humanities, e-learning)
• Fiction (Adult: thriller, history, romance)

Qualifications

BA English, MA English Language and Literature, MA Publishing

Specialised software

• Availlon Author 
• Adobe InDesign
  
• Adobe Acrobat X Pro
• Adobe Premiere Pro
• Adobe Audition

Testimonials

As a first-time non-native short story writer, I was a bit intimidated when sending out my edit request to an esteemed professional like Judith. I was shocked when she replied instantly, accepting the job, and I have enjoyed our seamless communication ever since. I was genuinely impressed by Judith’s deep and subtle understanding of my intentions as an author while gently plowing through my work. She is a true wordsmith: she used a soft touch and made my stories sound more believable, distinctive, and precise. Judith is very kind, fast, professional, and very thorough. Besides extensive – and at the same time so gentle - editing and proofreading, she gave me a scoop of useful comments on my writing while she formatted and polished my book to perfection. I highly recommend her and can’t wait to work with her again on another book. I couldn’t have hoped for a better editor. She’s truly a keeper!
Helen Greenwald, author of Millennial Disquietude

Judith read WildKat, my middle-school novel when I was struggling to find a publisher, and her analysis and feedback were invaluable. She was hugely encouraging, giving me (and my agent) the energy and gumption to give the manuscript one more push, which led to a book deal with Scholastic. Thanks to Judith's astute observations and suggestions, I made important developmental changes to the manuscript. Major characters were refined and pace issues were addressed, resulting in a story that moves at a far brisker, more child-friendly clip. I feel truly indebted to Judith for giving my manuscript such careful, quality attention - and ultimately, for helping me bring my book to life.
Vittoria D’Alessio, author of WildKat and Archie’s Cloud (published by Scholastic Asia, 2019)

Judith always shows great attention to detail and is very thorough in her editorial work. Deadlines are always met and proofs are always very clearly marked. As a department, our schedules are sometimes very tight so it’s great to know that we have Judith on hand to provide a quick and accurate service for us.
Kathy Webb, former Managing Editor, Children's Books, Oxford University Press

It was wonderful working with Judith. I had a very specific edit request for my middle-grade novel and Judith exceeded my expectations in all areas. Her feedback was very professional and detailed and my project has benefited greatly from her input. I would highly recommend Judith as an editor and look forward to working with her in the future.
Matt Brolly, UK author of Molly and the Sleeping Bug

I have worked with Judith for the past three years and cannot recommend her work highly enough! I really value Judith's in-depth knowledge of the children's book market in the UK. Judith has worked with us on both picture books and middle-grade chapter books and I have found her manuscript assessments and editorial notes invaluable. Her comments are always detailed and insightful, with spot-on analysis of how and where a manuscript might be improved. Judith's editing skills range from comprehensive line edits to full structural edits - always done with a light touch which improves but at the same time allows the work to retain its original charm. I have recommended Judith to a number of my authors and I'm happy to say that many of the books Judith has worked on with us have gone on to find a publisher, which speaks volumes for the quality of her work!
Helen Mangham, Jacaranda Literary Agency, Singapore

Judith is an absolute joy to work with. My experience has been first class and I have no hesitation in recommending her editorial services. Timely, constructive feedback which encourages you to reflect and keep going until your book is as good as it can be. Judith is able to tease out fresh ideas with a sensitive approach. I have found her professional advice to be invaluable.
Alison Page, UK picture book author

Judith provided critique and editing services for a few of my manuscripts. I found her feedback helpful and clear in helping me to tighten my writing and story focus. I appreciated Judith’s good editorial eye and her working style.
Emily Lim-Leh, Singapore-based award-winning author of over 30 children’s picture books

Right from the start, I found Judith affable and genuinely concerned about my feelings and aspirations I had for my manuscript. Judith has the knack of getting into the writer’s mind. I really loved the way she edited and polished up my manuscript without suppressing my voice, in the way I wanted it to be told, for which I am truly grateful. With her appealing sense of humour, without any doubt, Judith’s editing has added more alluring qualities and lustre to my novel. I would wholeheartedly recommend Judith to anyone with a manuscript looking for an editor.
Larnce Alahendra, Singapore-based author of Summer Chrysalis

Judith accentuated the strengths of the children's stories I sent her and informed me of their weaknesses in such a gentle and skillful way that I never once felt less than motivated to work with her and produce the best work I was capable of at the time. She also hand-held me through the copy-edit process and suggested ways to add more kindness and warmth to my stories, for which I am sincerely grateful. 
Chris Green, UK children’s story writer

Judith works to a very high standard. She is my ‘go to’ person when I need a good proofreading job doing. Her proofreading is usually immaculate and she often spots things that several other people in the process have missed (including me). She does the work when she says she will and has never let me down.
Jane Moody APM, Monmouth Editorial

Judith is a pleasure to work with. Her guidance is clear and concise (and on time) and it is pushing me to improve and learn all the time which is exactly what I want.
Ian McCartney, UK author of The Eternal Cycle (reached No.1 in US Amazon Kindle Store, Nov 2018)

Over the past 4 years, I have repeatedly employed Judith as a freelancer on a wide variety of print and digital projects, in both hard copy and electronic formats. I prefer to use Judith over other freelancers because she consistently does an excellent job, meets or beats the deadlines I give her, and proactively identifies potential issues above and beyond the brief. She has exceptional skills and I highly recommend her for any copy editing, development or proofreading job.
Eric Pradel, Development Editor, Oxford University Press

• Editor
• Proofreader

• Picture books
• Children & young adult
• English literature
• Publishing

• Book publishers
• Charities
• Editing agencies
• Indie authors
• Packagers

• Writing