WHAT SETS LORNE RUFFELL APART FROM OTHER copy EDITING services?
Decades of cross-cultural experience and business experience. We provide unparalleled, world-class expertise in these areas.
We are truly global citizens with a global perspective on business and language issues.
There are some outstanding Toronto copy editors and proofreaders. But only a handful specialize in business and financial editing to the degree required by the financial industry. Among this handful, we strive to be the finest. It’s our passion to work at the intersection of business and language. After all, if it’s not a passion, why bother?
If you’ve found this page, then you have important content that has to be right. Let us show you what Lorne Ruffell can do for you. Contact us for a free consultation.
We have in-house people for that. why do we need you?
Our clients have terrific in-house people! But in-house people sometimes lack that last bit of objectivity to identify weaknesses in your business copy. They’re just too close to it. So weak writing and careless errors make it to publishing that never should have seen the light of day.
Maybe your team is stretched pretty thin with other projects but you don’t need a full-service PR agency. There are lots of reasons you might wish to bring in an outside editorial consultant like Lorne Ruffell.
Website designers, software developers, researchers, and MBAs are great at what they do. But, with much respect, it’s usually not words and language. Even if it is, there’s always room for improvement. We find all those embarrassing little (and not-so-little) errors and incomprehensible wording in your copy that give potential customers, partners, and other stakeholders a negative impression of your business.
We humbly suggest your copy would greatly benefit from our independent perspective.
Can I ask my website designer, software developer, creative agency, or Marketing team to work with you?
Of course.
Why can’t I edit my own writing?
You can. Our typical client already has a great writer or content team. The documents come to us having already gone through a round or two of editing. This is where our second-read expertise really shines. Like the old adage, “a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client,” we respectfully suggest that any important document can benefit from an outside perspective.
What’s your most popular service?
A lot of businesses use our website review service. We thoroughly review your web copy, removing all those embarrassing little typos and grammatical errors that can leave visitors with a negative impression of your business. This review can usually be done for less than $500 and is money well spent. Your website will look more professional so visitors will be more likely to do business with you. Every professional practice and small business should have this done.
Beyond the traditional editing companies, we offer expertise in content writing, marketing, branding, PR, and other communications issues without the high cost of a full-service PR or creative agency.
What are your rates? Can I get a quote?
We regret that often we cannot give a quote until we get into the project. That's the nature of editing. A one-pager could need hours of work and several rounds, whereas a 20-page report in need of light proofreading might only take a few hours. Once we get into the documents, we can give you an idea of how much to budget. We proceed only with your approval. We have found this to be the fairest arrangement for both the client and the editor.
Our clients demand quality without compromise and understand that this takes time. We give your documents the time it takes to do a great job.
In the U.S. or Canada, a skilled, experienced editor with a post-graduate education bills starting at around $40 per hour (or an equivalent page rate), depending on the nature of the work. This rate is at the low end of professional services. At Lorne Ruffell, we are in line with industry rates.
The following paragraph is on the home page but it bears repeating when we think about rates and the real value of editing:
Businesses work hard to establish and maintain their reputations. Quality, error-free copy, edited to the highest standards imaginable, directly supports those reputations, making editing a great investment in your business’s reputation.
Contact us for a free consultation.
Okay, but we really need a quote
We understand the need to nail down the editorial budget.
However, we also feel strongly that editorial services done right should be a win-win proposition. Flat rate, page rate, job rate, piece rate, prepaid, all-inclusive, service package, call it what you will; a firm quote is a win-lose, if not a lose-lose, deal. Either the editor is paid poorly and the copy suffers or the client overpays for a quote padded with contingencies.
Furthermore, the editing process often involves requests for changes and revisions, further consultations, and edits based on new material. So we usually cannot give a firm quote upfront. Following the initial consultation, we talk more about your needs for the project. Then we give you an estimate for the agreed-upon scope of the project as we understand it at that time. From experience, we know that this is the fairest and best arrangement for you to get the results you need.
Please contact us and describe your challenges. We’ll help you find a level of service that fits your budget.
What if I just need a good proofreader?
If all the text really needs is thorough "proofreading," we will bill our minimum rate. Please understand that even light copy editing with few changes requires the editor's time, linguistic and grammatical expertise.
can I pay more (said no one ever)?
You can pay more by hiring a freelancer via a connection platform, who’ll be happy to take a cut for matching you with a freelance writer/editor.
You can pay more by hiring a large creative agency. After all, they’re the expert storytellers, right? Just make sure the story they’re telling isn’t how much profit they’re making off your account!
Sure, some clients are comfortable hiring freelance talent via a connection platform. (However, you might want to check out the “Choosing an Editor” section of the home page before doing so.) And yes, some clients are doing a complete rebranding and really do need the integrated resources of a large creative agency.
can you do it by tomorrow?
It’s best to schedule your writing/editing needs well in advance. Occasionally, we can complete a short piece of writing within 24-48 hours. This level of service is reserved for select clients who keep us on retainer.
What’s taking so long?
Our typical client has very high standards and so do we. We’re taking the time that’s needed to get your copy just right.
Editorial work is often more time-consuming than one might think. We usually have to check back with the author about the intended meaning of the text. The author’s sentences might be long and complicated, so getting your copy just right takes time.
Consultations also depend on the author’s availability. When it’s 9 p.m. on Wall Street, Yeouido is just waking up. Our clients work in other time zones and have other business priorities. We do our best to schedule the necessary writing consultations at your convenience.
Many first-time authors and clients are not prepared for a time-consuming process. They get frustrated and wonder what’s taking so long. They rightly rate their writing quite highly and so might not realize the intensive work that’s still needed to get the document to a world-class standard.
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NB: We cannot assume any responsibility for errors introduced to the text after we have sent the final draft. Sadly, some clients will introduce “Chinglish,” “Konglish,” etc. to completed documents without running the new material by us.
do you edit printed materials or web copy?
Both! To the same exacting standards.
Why does my editor need advanced degrees?
Even though your manuscript is not a Shakespearean sonnet or a Dickensian novel, a highly educated editor will have expertise and experience across a wide range of texts, offering helpful corrections and suggestions and asking the right questions.
Completion of graduate studies indicates the discipline to research, organize, and complete large projects.
What if I'm not a global business with cross-cultural issues?
No problem. Though editing text with a cross-cultural component is our specialty, a lot of our clients are right here in Canada and the U.S. We can help any individual or organization craft copy that presents a professional image.
What if I require services that you don't offer?
Please see our services page for editorial services we have experience in. We specialize in copy editing. We also consult on content (copywriting).
is there anything you don't do?
We specialize in copy with a cross-cultural component. We frequently act as outside editors (freelancers) for business. We don't normally work in fiction or developmental editing.
Our expertise is in words, not layout. Once the text is edited to the client's satisfaction, the client then accepts the completed document and transfers it to their publishing software.
What software do you use?
We work — edit, write, reword, fix grammar and punctuation, comment, and ask questions — almost exclusively in Microsoft Word ®. Samples and documents in other formats will need to be converted to Word ® prior to submission.
It’s customary to have some back-and-forth about your needs for the copy by email (and over a phone or video call for a more complex brief). Our preferred email is Gmail with its integrated chat and meet features.
how has ai changed content & editorial work?
At Lorne Ruffell, all our writing and edits are done BY humans, FOR humans.
While artificial intelligence (AI) is getting smarter every day, AI-generated copy has quite obviously been generated (“written”) by a computer program. It tends to be poorly written.
Content writers and editors use software to make suggestions. But it takes decades of experience — that only a real person has — to accept or reject the suggestions to get the copy just right.
What’s your privacy policy?
We’re happy to address any privacy concerns you might have. We abide by the privacy laws of Ontario, Canada. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any privacy concerns or questions at lorneruffellcommunications@gmail.com.
Our website uses Google Analytics ®. No data is collected that could identify you personally. Only very broad characteristics, such as your country and operating system, are collected to improve your experience and service. The website collects cookies by default and offers a secure connection. You may turn off cookies in your browser settings under Privacy and Security Settings or delete cookies after your session.
Any information you provide to us is used for the sole purpose of communicating with you about making your business copy the best it can be.
Your documents are stored on our drives (or on a cloud drive) while we work on them.
You, the customer, retain all copyright to works submitted.
If you have any privacy concerns or questions, please contact us.
Do you still do academic writing?
A lot of us started in academic writing. We very occasionally take on academic work at a scale rate (competitive with editors of academic English). Often, this is for someone whose first language is not English (academic ESL). He or she is writing in English and needs a "native speaker of English" to get the manuscript ready for submission.
will my editor have a doctorate in my subject?
We get it. Your subject is very specific. But your writing or research should be accessible to readers from other disciplines. In fact, it may be immensely valuable to explain your ideas to someone outside your field. "Tell me like I'm your next-door neighbour." It is when speaking to people outside our discipline that we are often forced to clarify our ideas.
However, if your content is indeed so specialized that none of our editors is a good fit, we are ethically bound to reject the project in a timely fashion and at no cost to you.
Please see a list of some subject areas we have worked in here.
Is my English good enough? (non-native speakers of English)
We have found that most educated, non-native speakers of English can write quite well. There do tend to be more editor queries and more back-and-forth conversations about the meaning of the text. On the rare occasion that we cannot understand enough of the text, you would need to hire a translator before we could do the copy editing.
Have a question that isn’t answered here?
Ask us! (on Facebook Messenger; opens in new window). Please also use FB Messenger to contact us if it has been 24 hours since you sent us an email and you have not received a response.