Writing and publishing services

I specialise in information — how to organise it, how best to present it to different audiences and in different media, and of course, how to write clear, punchy instructions to help people understand the things they need to know.

I specialise in software user and training guides, procedures and process manuals, but also write corporate newsletters, technical articles, flyers and brochures. Today, most clients want the finished product as electronic copy (usually Acrobat PDF files or web pages), but I can also arrange for typesetting, printing and binding etc.

If you need any information analysed, processed or presented, just ask. If I can’t do it myself, I may well be able to advise you how to, and who can, do the job.

Here are more details of the main areas where I can help people with writing and publishing their information in an effective and appropriate way:

Software manuals, training guides and user guides

I trained as a software technical author with ICL (now Fujitsu Services), and have over 30 year’s experience of writing user manuals for all levels of user, technical specifications, training guides and tutorials. From first outlines to the finished text, or any stages in between, I can help.

Process and procedure documentation

With extensive experience in pharmaceutical, healthcare and general business environments, I can turn my hand to capturing your business and technical procedures and processes in easy-to-read, accessible handbooks. (I have specific experience in processes for clinical trial data capture and management, clinical decision support, programme office and document production.)

Writing for the web

I can design and write web pages for many purposes, and can also advise on processes for publishing and maintaining information, once it is on the web.

Copy editing

If you have a document written by many different contributors, or which needs polishing, I can edit the text so it reads consistently, is formatted properly, conforms to any standards, is properly indexed and so on.

Jobs like this often require “quick and dirty” editing — although the perfectionist approach is admirable, it is often out of the question for time or budget reasons. Although it may seem contrary to common sense, you need a real expert to do this — being able to do “the best job in the time” is a skill that only comes with experience.

I can write to your own corporate house style, or propose a suitable approach and design for an individual project, perhaps providing custom templates to support your own staff.

Publication

If you want printed manuals, I can help you find a printer and manage the production.

Copywriting and desktop publishing

As well as full-blown projects, I am happy to undertake small-scale jobs: newsletters, flyers, brochures, leaflets etc. Whether you need a few black and white copies of your latest price list, a programme for an event, or a full-colour newsletter to announce something to your company, I can do it.