About me

Luke Finley Editorial is owned and run by me, Luke Finley. Here are the things you’ll want to know about me:

professional editor and proofreader since 2013/14
hundreds of hours of experience copy-editing and proofreading
specialisms include social and public policy, development economics research, equalities and diversity, community relations, social sciences, memoirs …
… but I work on lots of other subject matter too
Advanced Professional Member, Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP – formerly the Society for Editors and Proofreaders)
I’ve trained with CIEP and Publishing Training Centre
with fellow editor Laura Ripper, I wrote the CIEP training course Plain English for Editors and the second edition of the CIEP guide Editing into Plain English
I’m also a tutor on several CIEP courses.

Before 2014 I worked in the public sector, on social policy, community relations and community engagement. Before that I was an anti-racist organiser and educator in the voluntary sector. This is relevant too, because:

I have broad knowledge of the subject matter, conventions and terminology of these fields/sectors
I wrote all sorts of texts myself: policy documents, project outlines, funding bids, public consultations, campaign publicity
my finest hour: boiling down a 50-page council policy to 10 pages of practical, plain-English guidance
even if it wasn’t in the job description, I was just always one of those people others ask to check their spelling, grammar, punctuation and wording.

Before that:

I worked in book publishing for a couple of years after graduating university, in the editorial and production departments
I got a first-class degree in Combined Studies in Arts from Newcastle University, mainly in English literature and language.

Luke Finley

English was always my best subject at school, and books were always my thing. Apparently I could recite The Giant Jam Sandwich from memory almost as soon as I could talk.

Luke Finley Editorial is based in North Shields, at the mouth of the Tyne in north-east England. This site features images of some of the local coastline.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Luke Finley edited our Annual Report ... He did a most excellent job ... 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. His work was most thorough and very helpful indeed.

Ben Hopkinson, Chair, North of England Refugee Service (NERS)

Luke Finley’s fantastic editorial skills and service have been invaluable in preparing Triple Line’s research for public dissemination. Going beyond the call of duty, his thorough attention to detail, understanding of the subject matter and helpful comments have been instrumental in ensuring that Triple Line produces top-quality and readable research papers. Luke is reliable, prompt and approachable ... a pleasure to work with.

Anne-Marie O'Riordan, Triple Line Consulting

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.

Author published with Routledge

Just a quick note to compliment 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/places 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.

Author published with Cambridge University Press

Luke is an extremely approachable and hardworking individual who has helped me and my company PNE Enterprise immensely with its corporate identity ... 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.

Melissa Middleton, Manager of PNE Enterprise, Newcastle upon Tyne

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.

Ami Toben, author of Debating Religion

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.

Tammy Bottner, author of Among the Reeds (tammybottner.com)

Luke Finley is an Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading