Kelly Derrick |

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I am an experienced freelance copy-editor with meticulous attention to detail and a passion for the written word. I edit books for academic publishers in the arts, humanities and social sciences, I also edit fiction, poetry, memoirs, biographies, book proposals, education materials and teaching guides, e-books and companion website material, magazine and journal articles, business marketing material and web copy.

I am used to working across a wide range of subject areas so am happy to consider most projects. Areas of particular interest include gender and sexuality, psychology, sociology, literature, literary studies, history, education, health and well-being, mental health, poetry and cultural studies.

Please get in touch to discuss your particular project.

Media

Books (fiction and non-fiction), multi-author books, illustrated books, educational material, manuals, handbooks, online material, theses and dissertations, distance-learning material, journals, company literature, integrated media, magazines, journals, newsletters, poetry, government reports

Experience

Freelance since 2014.

Clients

I edit books for academic publishers (either direct or via production management companies), including Taylor & Francis, Hodder & Stoughton, Cambridge University Press, Manchester University Press, Sage, Intellect Books, Goldsmiths Press, Bloomsbury and Pluto Press. I also work with a variety of independent authors. 

Subjects

Archaeology, architecture, arts, behavioural sciences, biography/autobiography/memoirs, children/teenage publishing, communication studies, country/area studies, criminology, cultural studies, dance and theatre, development studies, education, English literature, fantasy, fiction, film studies, fitness/health, food and drink, gay & lesbian studies, gender and sexuality, gender studies, history, home and leisure, language, law, literary studies, literature (world), management, media studies, medicine, military studies, music, personal development, philosophy, politics/government, popular culture, psychoanalysis and psychotherapy, psychology, religious studies/theology, social work and social care, social sciences/studies, sociology, sport, theatre and performance, travel/tourism, urban studies

Qualifications

MA English Literature (Distinction)

BA (Hons) English Literature (Distinction)

Copy-Editing by Distance Learning (Publishing Training Centre) 2014

Testimonials

 The copy editor for our handbook was exceptionally pleasant, understanding, supportive, and competent during the process. I’ve been through a lot of this kind of work in my 40+ years of book writing and Kelly Derrick is a real pro. Thanks to you and others at Routledge for finding such a wonderful copy editor.

James M. Kauffman 

The Handbook of Special Education (2nd ed., Routledge, 2017)

Thanks very much Kelly for your fantastic work.

Gavin O'Toole 

Politics Latin America (3rd ed., Routledge, 2018)

Thank you so much for your professional help!

Lynn Tang 

Recovery, Mental Health and Inequality (Routledge, 2017)

Thank you for your excellent work in attending to the quality of this handbook. We really appreciated your responsiveness and attention to the fine points!

Jean B. Crockett

Handbook of Leadership and Administration for Special Education (2nd ed., Routledge, 2018)

Kelly Derrick was the copy-editor Routledge and its affiliates hired to copy-edit my latest book, Creating a Freelance Career. Kelly is very easy to work with, highly professional and respectful, and very detailed oriented (which is especially important in a copy-editor). She questioned anything that was unclear, made a word or phrase change here and there and made my book the best it could be. 

Kelly has a great command of American English spellings. She fact-checked names of people and places to make sure they were spelled correctly (for example, the way Herbst Theatre is spelled the British way as opposed to the American way though it is located in San Francisco). And she knows Chicago Manual of Style and the other style guides inside and out. Working with her was a pleasure and I'd love to work with her on future projects.

Jill L. Ferguson

Creating a Freelance Career (Routledge, 2018)

Many thanks for your meticulous work on Discourses of Brexit, which I'm sure has made it a better book.

Veronika Koller

Discourses of Brexit (Routledge, 2019)

All of the authors would like to say how grateful and impressed we are to you for the work you have done. This was outstanding – as many authors said "But I am sure I found all of the references, etc. ..."

You have many many new friends around the world and I would personally like to thank you. THANK YOU.

Professor John Ravenscroft

The Routledge Handbook of Visual Impairment (Routledge, 2019)

We are really grateful for your excellent and efficient work with our book, one of the best copy-editing experiences we have had! I really hope we can work together before long! 

Joseph P. Forgas

The Social Psychology of Gullibility (Routledge, 2019)

Thank you once again for all your hard work. Your copy-editing has been exemplary. I am very pleased to have worked with you.

Perry R. Hinton

Stereotypes and the Construction of the Social World (Routledge, 2020)

Thank you so much! I really appreciate finding an editor as meticulous as you! 

Gretchen Heffernan

Carving Elora Winter (Backlash Press, 2020)

 It was wonderful working with you. The book is better for it.

David Redles

Hitler and Nazi Germany (Routledge, 2020)

Thank you for the extensive copy edit of the book! Terrific work! It has really improved the readability of the text! Again, compliments on your work! 

Bob M. Fennis

The Psychology of Advertising (3rd ed., Routledge, 2021)

Thank you very much for doing such a fantastic job. It is the most thorough copy-editing job I have seen in my experience as a book author.  

Wolfgang Stroebe

The Psychology of Advertising (3rd ed., Routledge, 2021)

• Editor