
Mary McCauley
Trading as: Mary McCauley Proofreading
Based in: Wexford
Professional memberships
Full Member of AFEPI Ireland
Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP, formerly SfEP)
Member of Plain Language Association International (PLAIN)
Educational qualifications
BBS (Hons) Marketing
Institute of Public Administration (IPA) Certificate in Local Government Studies
Training and professional development
- Plain English for Editors (SfEP, 2019)
- Writing in Plain Language (Plain Language Commission, 2019)
- Plain English Business Writing (Plain English Campaign, 2019)
- Advanced PerfectIt (Cadman Training, 2019)
- Practical Mark-Up of PDF (SfEP, 2017)
- Writing and Editing for the Web (Publishing Training Centre, 2016)
- Rewriting and Substantive Editing (Publishing Training Centre, 2016)
- Editorial Project Management (Publishing Training Centre, 2015)
- Advanced Copy-Editing (Publishing Training Centre, 2015)
- Grammar Plus (Publishing Ireland, 2013)
- On-Screen Editing 1 (SfEP, 2013)
- Basic Proofreading by Distance Learning (Publishing Training Centre, 2012)
- SfEP annual conference (London 2014, Birmingham 2016, London 2017)
Languages
Irish (basic)
Experience
I have 15 years’ research and administrative experience (almost entirely in the public sector).
Since starting my editorial business in 2012, I have:
- provided editing, plain English editing and training, copyediting, proofreading, style guide training, project management, picture research and e-book conversion review services to government departments, public sector bodies, businesses, publishers and authors
- presented several seminars and workshops, including regular guest speaker (2014–17) for a Local Enterprise Office’s Start Your Own Business programme and a Marketing Tools for the Freelance Editor seminar at the 2014 SfEP annual conference in London
- project managed, co-edited and co-authored the parish history Oylegate Glenbrien: A Look Back in Time.
Services offered
Editing, copyediting, plain English editing, proofreading, creating and developing style guides, editorial consulting, training
Media
- Government and public sector reports, policy documents and guides
- Business and corporate content: reports, strategies, policies, directories, presentations, newsletters, online material, guides, flyers, forms
- Educational materials, distance-learning materials, manuals, guides
- Magazines, e-zines
- Books, multi-author books, illustrated books
Subject areas
Public sector: government and public sector content, public administration, local government, state bodies, social policy, public policy, style guides
Business and corporate: general, business to business (B2B), business to consumer (B2C), internal communications, marketing, management, small business and SMEs, style guides
Education and training: primary and secondary level, vocational, further education, distance learning, e-learning
Clients include
Government and public sector
- Department of Children and Youth Affairs
- Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport
- Enterprise Ireland
- Health Service Executive (HSE)
- Irish Research Council
- Road Safety Authority (RSA)
- SOLAS (Further Education and Training Authority)
- Wexford County Council
Businesses and publishers
- Crimson Communications
- Divine Mercy Publications
- Drury | Porter Novelli
- Folens Publishers
- FWG Forensics
- Rosie the Wedding Planner
- Specialty Coffee Association (SCA)
Examples of work undertaken
A lot of the content I work on is confidential. I can provide a more detailed portfolio of projects on request.
- Annual reports: Wexford County Council, 2011 to date
- Forensic investigation reports: FWG Forensics, 2016 to date
- Reports and other content: Road Safety Authority, 2016 to date
- Reports and other content: Irish Research Council, 2016 to date
- Reports and 25 magazine: Specialty Coffee Association, 2017 to date
- Get A Life In Tourism magazine: Crimson Communications/Irish Hotel Federation, 2017 to date
- Envy Italy magazine: Envy Publications, 2018–19
- Reports and guide: HSE, 2016–18
- Primary Teacher’s Yearbook 2019–20 and 2020–21; Post-Primary Teacher’s Yearbook 2020–21; Explorers SESE 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Class student books; Sounds Make Words 2nd Class student book; Real World Geography Student Learning Log; Essential Science Workbook; and Essential Science PowerPoint teaching slides: Folens Publishers, 2016 to date
Testimonials
I would like to express my sincere thanks to you for your outstanding work on the Essential Science Workbook [Folens Publishers]. I have worked with many editors over a long period but you are one of the finest that I have ever met. You took your work very seriously and did a super job reading the manuscripts, getting back to us with queries, suggesting areas for improvement and continually checking and rechecking with us to ensure that everything was perfect. Receiving a manuscript from three different authors is always challenging since each of us is writing independently of the others. However, you managed this very skilfully – like the conductor of an orchestra making sure that we were all in tune with each other! I hope that I will have the opportunity to work with you again.
Dr Declan Kennedy, author, senior lecturer in Science Education at University College Cork
I have found Mary McCauley to be highly professional, capable, committed to deadlines and pleasant to deal with. Unlike many proofreaders who are ‘self-taught’, Mary has one of the industry’s recognised professional qualifications, and that makes a huge difference to the quality and creditability of her work. She is also very generous in sharing her knowledge about the latest writing style trends and conventions, and she has helped me shape the current style guide for The Market magazine.
Mary Sweetman, production editor, writer and journalist
For the last 10 years, I have run my own marketing, business training and wedding planning companies and a lot of my time is dedicated to writing business blogs, business e-zines, website content and training course content. For the 10 years previous, I worked as a magazine editor and was trained by Reuters in Fleet Street London. I can spot a mistake in other people’s work a mile off (I can’t read a newspaper or book without searching for mistakes they have missed!). However, when it comes to my own written work I can’t see the wood for the trees. For years, I have churned out work and sent it out into the universe thinking it was okay. When I’d read over it at a later date, I’d spot mistakes here and there so I employed the services of Mary McCauley ‘just for reassurance’ and I can’t believe how riddled with mistakes each of my pieces are! Mary goes through each piece with a fine tooth comb; she is amazingly efficient, always before deadline and thorough. I now feel much more confident about uploading content and sending out material as I get Mary to go through everything for me. An excellent and crucial service if you are serious about your business.
Rosie Meleady, business owner
Additional information
Further testimonials are available on my website, and client references are available on request.
I also publish relevant content on my blog Letters from an Irish Editor.
If you think I could help you with your document, I’d love to hear from you. I’d be happy to give you a free, no-obligation quotation.
Thank you for taking the time to read my directory entry.