Welcome!

Hi, I'm Rachael, a thorough, flexible and reliable copyeditor and proofreader based in Wiltshire, UK. I copyedit and proofread fiction and board games for independent and self-publishing authors, publishers and designers, and have been freelance since 2015. I'm an Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) and I trained with The Publishing Training Centre (PTC) and the CIEP. You can find details of my qualifications and training here.

I wrote a blog for The Publishing Training Centre about my editorial career in fiction and board games, which you can read here: Freelancing in fiction and board games.

You can find out more about me, my editing career and my membership of the CIEP in their Meet our members feature.

I keep my skills and knowledge up to date through regular training courses with professional editing and publishing organisations.

If you’d like to work with an editorial professional who can help you ensure accuracy, clarity and consistency in your book or board game, click on the relevant button below for more information or get in touch. For examples of some projects I have worked on, please see my portfolio.

"I hired Rachael to proofread my debut alternate history work, The Cyclone's Eye. Her attention to detail was just what my manuscript needed in its final proofreading round. Judging by some of her insightful comments and observations, I can tell she would also make an excellent developmental editor and copyeditor. I definitely recommend her, especially but not exclusively to writers of historical fiction, for any level of editing, and I will be back when the sequel to The Cyclone's Eye is ready for professional editing."

T. J. Farlow, Author of Historical Fiction/Fantasy

“I just wanted to thank you again for your tremendous help. You've worked wonders with my manuscript, removing repetition, showing me where content has been duplicated, and drawing attention to gendered language. I'm highly confident my book is much tidier and reads much better as a result.”

“I’d like to thank copyeditor and proofreader Rachael Mortimer for her revisions, which corrected and helped my writing’s flow.”

Alex James, Science-Fiction and Fantasy Author

"It was a real pleasure working with Rachael. Not only did I have confidence in her professional proofreading skills, but her enthusiasm and communication about the book was really encouraging and gave me lots of ideas about how to excite my audience. I look forward to working with her on future projects."

Kate Cunningham, Reading Riddle

“Rachael proofread my rulebooks for Mission Command: Normandy, a fairly large World War 2 historical miniatures wargame. For the final rules, this involved a Reference Manual of over 120 pages, and an 80 page How to Play guide, including extensive sections of historical background. Rachael’s professional approach, communications skills, and fast turnaround ensured that we picked up on inconsistencies in style, grammar, spellings, and layout. It is always a pleasure to work with Rachael, and she is a vital part of our game publishing process.”

Alan Paull, Surprised Stare Games

"Rachael ensured consistency and clarity across both the components and rules of a new game I was hoping to pitch to publishers. Her thoroughness and attention to detail ensured that I could present the best version of my game and maximise its chances of success."

Matthew Dunstan, Game Designer