CIEP category: Professional
Email: contact@ianskewis.com
Website: www.ianskewis.com
Hello and thanks for visiting my page.
I’m an experienced editor and proofreader of over two hundred novels in wide-ranging genres, specialising in crime fiction. I have edited and proofread for publishing houses and self-published authors and many of these books have gone on to become bestsellers and award winners. I have also helped debut authors with their novels and these have led to subsequent publishing deals.
As a Professional Member of the Chartered Institute for Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) and the Glasgow Editors’ Network, I believe that editing is a collaborative process and I always maintain a healthy balance of criticism with kindness and respect when helping an author realise their book, whilst always keeping a close eye on the commercial potential that the work may have.
I always respond to enquiries promptly and work to an agreed schedule. I have never missed a deadline and I’m known for completing edits and proofreads ahead of time.
As a bestselling author myself (see website) and a member of the Society of Authors and the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA), I think these attributes put me in good stead to fully appreciate the stresses and strains that authors experience whilst undergoing the editorial process. It is my aim to always bring out the best in authors and their books.
Services include:
- Proofreading & Editing
- Structural & Developmental Editing
- Critiques for Fiction Writing & Novels/Novellas
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any questions you may have.
Thank you.
Testimonials
Ian is a diligent, hard-working editor and proofreader, with a keen eye to detail. I would highly recommend his excellent services.
Betsy Reavley, co-founder and director of Bloodhound Books.
I’ve engaged Ian Skewis as editor for both my novels. He’s a highly diligent and consummate professional, who understands detail and provides the highest quality across the full range of editorial services. Whether you’re looking for a structural edit, copy-edit or proofread, I’m happy to recommend Ian Skewis to any author or aspiring writer seeking publication.
John Harkin, author of The Fear of Falling and A Fear of Dark Places, published by Bloodhound Books.
When I first started taking my writing seriously with the hope of eventually securing a publishing deal, I knew I had a long way to go. I also understood that I would need professional guidance and input. I had completed my first manuscript, which was a book entitled Whittingham. I asked a trusted friend if she could recommend an editor to go through the manuscript for me. She quickly came back to me and suggested I contact Ian Skewis and I am so grateful to her for the recommendation and of course to Ian for doing such a thorough job.
I honestly don’t think I would be where I am now if it hadn’t been for that stage of my learning/writing development. Ian went through the manuscript and found and corrected my typos, grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. Ian was great at helping me to get a sense of what my story needed to really make it pop, he helped me to understand myself as an author and to gain confidence in my ability to bring a story from concept to completion. We worked collaboratively in a way that was perfect for me as an author to get Whittingham to the stage at which I was able to secure mentorships from bestselling authors Harriet Tyce and Nadine Matheson and a course with award-winning author Awais Khan, which was sponsored by Red Dog Press.
With Whittingham I was able to gain representation from Northbank Talent Management.
I also won the inaugural Joffe Books Prize for Crime Writers of Colour with my second book The Raven’s Mark. I believe the reason I was able to win the competition with only the second draft of The Raven’s Mark is that I was able to utilise all I had learned from Ian to write the book confidently from the start.
I now understand myself as a writer and know what I want for my career going forward. Ian Skewis helped greatly in these areas and remains a good friend and loyal supporter. I would highly recommend his services as an editor to anyone.
Christie J Newport, author of Whittingham and The Raven’s Mark, the latter published by Joffe Books.
I engaged Ian to proofread the Sturmtaucher Trilogy with no small amount of apprehension – the word count for the three books is 1.1 million – but Ian took it all in his stride. His proofreading was quick, efficient and very thorough – he checked an incredible amount of historical information as well as the usual grammar, spelling and punctuation that I was expecting, and even pointed out errors in dates, characters’ stated ages and characters with similar names that could have caused confusion (there are a lot of characters). Not only that, but he also suggested edits for readability including flagging up and clarifying the character points of view issues in the trilogy too.
Ian was always available for advice and clarification. In fact, he gave nothing but encouragement and support, and was a calming influence despite the whirlwind of tasks he needed to wade through in order to get the books out there in time.
I would thoroughly recommend Ian’s proofreading and editing services – I’ve had no comments or complaints about the books with regards to proofreading errors, which for a trilogy of that size is remarkable.
Alan Jones, author of the Sturmtaucher Trilogy, published by Ailsa Publishing.
(Above) A small sample of some of the books I have edited and proofread.