Sally Moss |
- [email protected]
- Phone
- 0845 652 2080
- Organisation
- Sally Moss Editorial
- Membership Grade
- Professional Member
About Sally
I support professionals, authors and academics whose work has a positive social or environmental impact.
Let me...
• carry out research for you, complementing your expertise with mine
• write for you, so you can concentrate on the rest of your to-do list
• edit and proofread your own writing, so it’s always fit for purpose and represents you at your best
My clients are based in the UK and around the world. They solve problems, share their creativity and advance knowledge across a wide range of fields.
I take a friendly and down-to-earth approach to my work. Whether you serve your local community or make a global difference, I’d be pleased to hear from you about your positive project.
'Your knowledge of the subject matter from an editor’s perspective was valuable in helping us to weed out industry jargon and make a complex subject accessible to the layperson.'
'I knew at the end of the process that my work was as good as I’d hoped it could be. This was confirmed when Medium selected my essay to promote across its site.'
(Please scroll down to read client testimonials in full.)
• • •
MY EXPERIENCE
I’ve been researching, writing and editing in roles across sectors for over two decades, and I’ve been a committed activist and creative writer for even longer. I became a freelance editorial specialist in 2008.
I frequently take part in training programmes and workshops so that I can offer maximum versatility to my clients in changing times - for example, in recent years I’ve developed my understanding of zero carbon planning, nonviolent communication and effective use of social media platforms.
Good working relationships, as well as good work, are important to me, and I’ve collaborated successfully with people from a broad mix of personal and professional backgrounds.
• • •
SUBJECTS
There are a huge number of ways to make a positive social or environmental difference. Subjects I work on include the following:
• environment, climate change, climate psychology, climate justice, resilience, ecological regeneration, ecocide, decarbonisation / transition to zero carbon, sustainability
• nonviolence, social justice, activism, community-building
• human rights, equalities, compliance, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, feminism
• sexual violence, childhood sexual abuse (CSA), survivor activism
• mental health, physical health, personal growth, trauma / trauma-informed practice
• social sciences, humanities, education, economics, politics
• arts, creative writing, theatre, improv / improvisation
• biography, autobiography, reminiscence
Working on a different subject? Contact me with your query
• • •
CLIENTS
• businesses
• charities and non-profit / voluntary sector / third sector organisations
• UK public sector bodies
• creative professionals
• independent authors (fiction and non-fiction)
• academics and students (undergraduate and postgraduate)
• anyone else whose work has a positive social or environmental impact
• • •
MEDIA
I've worked extensively on these materials:
• project summaries, articles, reports, manuals, newsletters
• fiction and non-fiction manuscripts, creative non-fiction, flash fiction, short stories, scripts for performance, memoirs, life writing, other creative writing
• website copy, blogs, social media content, marketing materials
• academic papers, essays, theses and dissertations
• educational materials
• funding applications
Working on other materials? Contact me with your query
• • •
SKILLS & SERVICES
• research
• writing / rewriting
• developmental editing
• substantive editing, including editing for plain English
• line editing
• copy-editing
• proofreading
• editing non-native English / English as a second language (ESL) / English as an additional language (EAL) / English as a foreign language (EFL)
• anglicising
• • •
BLOG
Sample post: Communicating climate change: from words to solutions
'With the climate crisis, language has a lot of heavy lifting to do...'
• • •
TRAINING AND MENTORING
- Environmental transition:
• 5th International Conference on Ecolinguistics (International Ecolinguistics Association) 2021
• Zero Carbon Britain: Making it happen! (Centre for Alternative Technology) 2017
• Permaculture design (WEA North West) 2014
• Weatherfronts 2014 & TippingPoint Newcastle 2012 (TippingPoint; communicating climate science through the arts)
• Ecopsychology (WEA North West) 2013
- Arts and media:
• Sustainable stand-up (Sustainable Stand Up) 2022
• Improv into sketch comedy (Liverpool Comedy Improv) 2019
• Introduction to film-making (WEA North West) 2014
• Radio journalism (Liverpool Community Radio) 2012
• Introduction to playwriting (Liverpool Everyman) 2011
- Data journalism / investigative journalism:
• Story-based inquiry method (Centre for Investigative Journalism) 2022
• Data-driven investigations (Centre for Investigative Journalism) 2022
• Finding stories with data (Centre for Investigative Journalism) 2022
• Digital tools for investigation (Centre for Investigative Journalism) 2022
- Nonviolent communication (NVC):
• Nonviolent communication foundation training (Sarah Ludford) 2019
- Editorial:
• Non-fiction developmental editing (CIEP) 2024
• Plain English for editors (CIEP) 2021
• Web editing (CIEP) 2020
• Editing for fiction (SfEP, now CIEP) 2016
• Using macros in editing (Archive Publications) 2015
• Proofreading problems (SfEP, now CIEP) 2009
• Mentoring scheme (SfEP, now CIEP) 2009
• Basic proofreading by distance learning (Publishing Training Centre) 2008
- Digital / social media:
• Facebook and Instagram (Women's Organisation) 2018
• Blogging for business (Women's Organisation) 2017
• Hootsuite (Women's Organisation) 2016
• Facebook (Women's Organisation) 2016
• Understanding SEO (Women's Organisation) 2015
• LinkedIn (Women's Organisation) 2015
• Twitter (Women's Organisation) 2015
- Marketing and business:
• Business coaching (Edit Boost) 2018-2024
• Sales development (School of Management, University of Bradford) 2008
• • •
QUALIFICATIONS & AWARDS
• Permaculture Design Certificate
• Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (Trinity Board)
• BA Hons Interdisciplinary Human Studies
• • •
SOFTWARE
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
WordPress: editing text, liaising with developers, developing site structure and generating SEO plugin content across a range of themes
• • •
ADDITIONAL ROLES
I was a member of the CIEP Environmental Policy Working Group (EPWG) from March 2021 to June 2022.
I coordinated the Liverpool CIEP group from May 2016 to August 2020.
I was a member of the CIEP social media team from 2011 to 2012.
• • •
TESTIMONIALS
Sally, thanks again for the time and effort you put into our report on the local energy agenda. It has been well-received by other local enterprise partnerships and the government department which commissioned it.
Quite apart from the errors you picked up, the polish you gave to the grammar means that the final document scans much better.
Your knowledge of the subject matter from an editor’s perspective was valuable in helping us to weed out industry jargon and make a complex subject accessible to the layperson.
- James Johnson, Head of Regional Programme, Local Energy North West
• •
I contacted Sally to proofread my doctoral dissertation prior to final submission. Sally's meticulous attention to detail and incredible dedication to her craft is truly remarkable. ...
Sally asks insightful questions, remembers the storyline and works tirelessly to clarify complex ideas, all while retaining the essence (style) of the original work.
Her critical skills and understanding of the subject have really enhanced the text, bringing clarity and precision to my dissertation. I am more than delighted with the result.
- Maryoriet Salgado, social researcher and gender specialist
• •
I hired Sally for a full edit on an 8,000-word short fantasy story which I was due to submit to a competition.
Sally went through the story with a fine-tooth comb and found all sorts of little places where a better word or restructuring a sentence could make all the difference. She was also the first of several readers who saw the story prior to submission to point up a key revelatory paragraph near the end that needed a lot of work to clarify.
Overall, I feel the edit really strengthened the story. Having had a professional look at it also enabled me to more effectively sort through the feedback I got from friends who beta-read it for me and helped my confidence when the time came to finally submit.
- R.J. Davnall, independent fiction author
• •
T.wai is a small independent research institute. For the past couple of years, Sally has been involved in the production of the T.notes, two-page policy briefs that address the major issues of international debate at the global and regional level. Each covers a different topic and is written by a different author (often a non-English native speaker).
As the coordinator of the T.notes project, I see Sally as an enabler of my work. She has always been able to work effectively on different topics (at times very specific), ensuring coherence among the different pieces.
T.wai’s editorial process has to be flexible and quick and Sally is constantly available to accommodate our needs. I know that irrespective of tight deadlines or other challenges, her work is always rigorous.
- Lorraine Charbonnier, Junior Research Fellow at T.wai – Torino World Affairs Institute
• •
I had been writing one particularly important piece, a personal essay, for a long time. I knew that I needed another person to edit it, someone who wasn’t as close to the content.
As I had never worked with an editor before, I was unsure if my expectations were realistic, but you actually surpassed them.
Your communication and clarity were fantastic – you gave me a clear breakdown of the process at the beginning, and at no point did I feel that my voice was being removed from my work. I knew at the end of the process that my work was as good as I’d hoped it could be. This was confirmed when Medium selected my essay to promote across its site.
I would happily recommend you to anyone else, particularly if the piece was sensitive or ‘difficult’ in some way. Your unique combination of being a highly skilled editor and an empathetic human being make you a joy to work with.
- Sabita Khatri, independent non-fiction author
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Associated skills
Disclaimer note
The CIEP Directory of Editorial Services should be considered a point of first contact and prospective clients must satisfy themselves that members are capable of the work on offer. The Institute cannot be held responsible for the quality of work provided by any member listed in the directory. The members themselves are responsible for the maintenance and accuracy of their entries in the Directory and the CIEP has not made any attempt to vet them. The institute cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies in the Directory. Inclusion in the Directory as a freelance does not necessarily mean that the member is self-employed as defined by HM Revenue and Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions.