I see the literati have arrived.

You have a slush pile to tell the assistant to get through, schedules and contracts to manage, at least one author who needs a phone call and someone has probably scheduled yet another thrice-damned unnecessary meeting that could have been an email. Except you don’t need more email. And you need a manuscript edited. Preferably before the typesetter, book designer and the printer decide to revolt.

Dinna fash yersel. I can save your bacon.

But I do have some ethical rules: I don’t use AI, I keep the em dashes (‘M’ dashes even) if they are allowed in your style guide and if First Nations culture and people are part of the work, then cultural consultation and any sensitivity reading work must come at the start of the publishing workflow, ideally before a draft is written or re-written, no matter how long it takes.

If you come to me with no cultural consultation or permission or you expect sensitivity reading to happen at the end of the process like it’s a tick box proofread then we can’t work together sorry. That’s theft of First Nations culture and identity. Cultural information in a book characterises things and drives how it is written – it has to come at the start of the process or you end up having to dump the book, put something out into the world that gets you backlash instead of kudos or completely start from scratch after wasting time and money on an unethical, harmful time bomb of a draft.

And that isn’t just my preference but the Australian’s government protocol. Just so you know.

If you’re a good egg then hello there, I provide structural editing, copy editing, sensitivity reading and proofreading services. Occasionally I nag you like an older South Asian sister. Because I am one. And things must be done properly—my end and yours. It works. You will love it. My rates are $100 AUD per hour and project times will vary based on the work and what is needed.