Mission Statement

Coming from an international background in book publishing, I offer my clients a range of high quality editorial and Internet publishing services to help them communicate with their target audience. I believe the key to a professional publication is attention to detail, both in the preparation of text and the design and execution of visual elements of the publication. And I believe that the key to a successful partnership with my clients is good personal communication.

Biography and work experience

Digital publishing qualifications

Education

Also see my Contract project list.

I am originally from Christchurch, New Zealand. After completing college there, I moved to London, England, where I worked as an editor in a scientific and technical book publishing company and was involved in the early stages of computer book publishing.

Over the next few years I had the wonderful experience of living in several parts of the world and working in a number of different functions within publishing. I moved to Austin, Texas, in 1992.

Positions I have held in publishing include:

• Copy Editor and Acquisitions Editor for Chapman and Hall, London, England
• Acquisitions Editor for the New Zealand Government Printing Office in Wellington, New Zealand
• Business Manager for Allen and Unwin Publishers in Wellington, New Zealand
• Fulfillment Manager for Latin America for Time Magazine in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Since 1996, I have worked as an independent contractor, providing writing editing and webmaster services to book and Web publishing companies in Austin TX and California. When not working on client projects, I write memoirs, poetry, short fiction, and essays. I have studied book binding and also enjoy photography. I am involved in the PTA of my local middle school and the fundraising committee for a local preschool.

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Austin is a high-tech city and we are fortunate to have, at Austin Community College, computer labs and a Web Certification program that are among the best in the country. In 1996-97, I obtained A grades in

• Desktop Publishing using QuarkXpress
• Digital Imaging using PhotoShop
• HTML

Subsequently I attended classes in Filemaker Home Page and have offered a basic Web design class using Netscape Composer.

Software and operating systems with which I have a high level of proficiency include:

• Macintosh OSX and Windows XP
• Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint
• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe InDesign
• Adobe InDesign
• HTML
• Fetch, Fugu
• BBEdit, Taco
• Graphic Converter

In addition, I have a moderate familiarity with basic programming in FORTRAN and with Word macros:

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I completed a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Canterbury, in Christchurch, New Zealand, majoring in Mathematics. My degree included courses in English literature, physics, computer science, and chemistry.

It was in my final year of my degree that I was drawn to publishing, a field that would combine my mathematical and scientific studies with a love for language and for conveying ideas through the written word.

After college and while working in publishing, I attended professional development courses in editing and proofreading, publishing finance, and education.

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