Welcome!

I am a copy editor and proofreader based in Toronto, Ontario, in Canada. I have more than 10 years’ experience editing legal marketing and communication materials, and more than four years’ experience editing books. I have edited memoirs, annual reports, magazines, websites, newsletters, brochures and more. As your copy editor, I will perform sentence-level editing of your written material. My goal is correctness, accuracy, consistency and completeness of your project. I strive for the best experience for the reader. Please contact me to see how I may be of service. I look forward to working with you!

See my Portfolio!

Services

Copy Editing

• edit grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage
• edit for correctness, accuracy and completeness
• check for consistency and continuity
• edit tables, figures, and lists
• query
• sensitivity reading

Proofreading

examine content after layout for errors in text and formatting, including:
- line and page breaks, text flow, visual elements, table of contents
- consistency and accuracy of elements such as page numbers, cross-references, running heads, captions, and links
- font, widows, orphans, tables, figures

Specialty Areas

adoption – transracial (I am an adoptee.)
the arts – specifically, film, theatre and dance
Black Canadian history
intersectional feminism
2SLGBTQIA+
Ontario’s legal profession (lawyer, paralegal)
race, class and gender
Women’s Studies

Project Genres

• annual reports
• articles
• books (non-fiction, memoir, children’s, young adult)
• booklets
• brochures
• corporate documents and reports
• in-house publications
• marketing materials
• media advisories
• news release
• newsletters
• transcripts
• website content

Client Testimonials

“Debbie was absolutely wonderful to work with and responded to our call for a timely response, an accurate interpretation of our work-in-progress editorial style guide, and she identified those hard-to-see typographical errors that would have been very unfortunate on our part had she not discovered them. Her sleuthing for our mistakes saved us over and over again!”

Ontario Medical Association

“Working with Debbie was an absolute pleasure. Her transcribing skills were accurate and efficient and we were surprised at how quickly she was able to turn around fifteen-plus interviews for our documentary. Would definitely use her services again in the future.”

Regan Latimer, Bee Charmer Productions

“Hearty thanks to Debbie Innes for her incisive suggestions and proofreading.”

Lawrence Hill, Beatrice and Croc Harry

[kindly thanked in Acknowledgements]

“Debbie recently completed the copyedit of a STEM-focused manuscript for middle readers as her first project with Annick Press. It was a pleasure working with her. I especially appreciated her prompt and considerate communication throughout the process. Her thoughtful questions at the outset of the edit assured me that she was taking a comprehensive approach, paying attention to both the science content and the reading level for the age group. Debbie demonstrated ease in implementing the nuances of our house style guide, and her final edit was detailed and thorough. Both the author and the substantive editor commented that Debbie had made several great catches in her edit. I look forward to working with Debbie on future books.”

Kaela Cadieux
Managing Editor, Annick Press

“Dear Debbie, Many thanks for your collaboration on our publications this year [2021]. We look forward to working with you again in the future!”

The Power Plant – Harbourfront Centre

“Debbie was wonderful to work with. Her clarity and attention to detail made the proofreading process a breeze. What a superstar! She’s funny, wonderful to work with, and an all-around awesome chick. For sure get this one on your project.”