I’ve been a professional copy editor for 10 years, first with the prepress house Publication Services of Champaign, Illinois. Until its closure in 2011, I managed an array of freelancers working on many diverse projects, each having its own goals and stipulations. As I did, my precise, timely work and my knack for working well with others under pressure helped me excel.While providing comprehensive edit review and feedback for professional freelancers, I also regularly stepped in to edit entire books myself, especially for time-critical projects and to give personal attention to an author for whom English was not a first language. Accordingly, I’ve learned to work well in a broad range of styles, and I can provide a guiding hand to a writer even when the going is rough.At Publication Services, keeping production running smoothly meant dealing with authors’ and publishers’ expectations while attending to demands of both quality and budget. And when the editing manager retired and requested that I take over his day-to-day duties in the editing department, it meant handling conflicts between editors and freelancers, typesetters, or artists. Then as now, my ability to work with others helped me boost both quality and productivity.Since 2011, I have continued editing professionally—first while self-employed and since 2017 as The Polished Paper’s senior editor. During this time, I have provided editing services for publishers ranging from Wiley, Elsevier, and Thieme to the University of Chicago Press and Princeton University Press. My recent projects have included a book for Pete Hoekstra, former chair of the House Intelligence Committee, and Robert J. Gordon’s 2016 New York Times bestseller “The Rise and Fall of American Growth.”I enjoy making writing read well, leaving something as it should be with no trace of an intervening hand. When I edit, I aim to understand people so that I can help them communicate effectively. It’s what their message deserves.