Luke Finley |

Since setting up Luke Finley Editorial in 2013/14, I've edited and proofread hundreds of books, reports, briefings, websites, dissertations and other texts. Clients include publishers, charities, think tanks and research organisations, businesses, academics and students, and self-published writers.

I'm an Advanced Professional Member of CIEP and have done training with the Publishing Training Centre and CIEP. I co-wrote the CIEP training course Plain English for Editors and the second edition of the CIEP guide Editing into Plain English, and I've presented on plain English at two SfEP annual conferences.

Before becoming an editor, I worked in the public and voluntary sectors, in social policy development and implementation, community relations, engagement and empowerment. I understand the concerns, priorities and terminology of those sectors, and the kinds of writing they produce.

This previous career was a reflection of my personal commitment to social justice, human rights, and equality, diversity and inclusion. I seek to carry these values into my work as an editor, working wherever possible on writing that challenges racism, homophobia, transphobia and other forms of marginalisation, discrimination and prejudice.

Experience

• freelance since 2013
• EDI (equality, diversity and inclusion) director on the CIEP governing council, 2020–2022
  
• writing, rewriting and plain-English experience from career in public and voluntary sectors, 2001–2014
• editorial and production roles at two publishing firms, County Durham, 1999–2001

Clients

Clients include:

• Publishing industry: Bloomsbury, Brill, British Academy, Cambridge University Press, Helsinki University Press, Manchester University Press, Palgrave Macmillan, Taylor & Francis
• Non-publishing industry*: Ada Lovelace Institute, ARTICLE 19, Centre for Progressive Policy, New Economics Foundation, Runnymede Trust, Transparency International
  
• Other: commercial clients (website and marketing text, catalogues), academics (journal articles), students (MA and PhD dissertations), local authorities (funding bids, plain-Englishing policy documents
  

*some major clients, including international institutions, cannot be listed because of confidentiality agreements

Qualifications and training

Publishing Training Centre: Copy-Editing Skills (2014)

CIEP (formerly SfEP): Editing with Word (2018), Practical Mark-Up of PDFs (2017), Efficent Copy-Editing: Strategies and Tactics (2016), Brush Up Your Grammar (2015), On-Screen Editing 1 (2014), Copy-Editing 1 (2013), Proofreading 1 (2013)

Newcastle City Council: Plain English online course (devised by Plain English Campaign; 2007)

Newcastle University: 1st Class BA (Hons), Combined Studies in Arts (cross-disciplinary degree, main subjects English literature and language) (1998)

Testimonials

I have worked with a number of copy-editors over the years; you've been one of the best if not the best ... I hope we get to work together again.

Luke’s fantastic editorial skills have been invaluable in preparing Triple Line’s research for public dissemination ... thorough attention to detail, understanding of the subject matter and helpful comments ... Luke is reliable, prompt and approachable, making him a pleasure to work with.

Luke edited our annual report and did a most excellent job. Some 10,000 words of text, written by several different people, some of whom were not native English speakers … became a coherent whole in very readable English [without losing] the individual tone of each piece of writing.

Luke did an excellent job of editing a major European funding bid on youth participation for Newcastle City Council and international partners. It had been drafted by several writers, some writing in their second or third language. Luke’s attention to detail greatly improved the accuracy and enhanced the flow of the bid. His understanding of the bigger picture helped us to avoid repetition and get within the word limit. The end result was a polished and professional bid. We’d recommend Luke’s services to anyone wanting to give their funding bids the best possible chance of success.

Luke is an extremely approachable and hardworking individual who has helped PNE Enterprise immensely with its corporate identity. Without Luke, our e-bulletin would look different every month and would be full of spelling and grammatical errors. How do I know this? Because that’s how it was before Luke. Not only does Luke do an amazing job but he also helps us keep our 'voice', meaning that our business work still sounds like it has come from us.

Just a quick note to compliment your copy-editor, Luke Finley, on his work. He was really quick ... extremely thorough, but didn't edit more than necessary ... and he caught a number of issues where I'd been inconsistent ... He did a terrific job and was pleasant and professional throughout. I'd work with him again in a heartbeat, and would recommend him to anyone else without reservation.

Working with Luke has been an absolute pleasure in every way! It's not just a question of his being an exquisitely skilled, organized, timely and intelligent editor, it's that he gets exactly where you're coming from and can help you express yourself in the best way possible. I couldn't have done it without him, and don't intend on working without him in the future.

It was a pleasure working with Luke. He was thorough, prompt, and paid attention to details I had missed. Would highly recommend him as an editor.

• Editor
• Proofreader

• Anthropology
• Art & culture
• Biography, autobiography & memoir
• Business & finance
• Psychology & psychiatry
• Humanities
• Political science
• Social sciences
• International relations
• Sociology
• Media studies
• Television, film & radio
• Language arts
• LGBTQIA+
• Music
• Public policy