Eva van Emden, (she/her) BSc, MSc

Profile

Freelance editor with more than ten years of experience editing trade books, magazines, scientific and technical writing, proposals, corporate reports, websites, and self-published books. Certified copy editor and proofreader.

Editorial skills
   • Proofreading, copy editing, stylistic editing, structural editing, research and fact checking, consulting and manuscript evaluation
   • Technical and academic editing
   • Websites and ebooks
   • Localization (Americanization and Canadianization)

Scientific, technical, and medical editing
I have degrees in biology and computer science, with course work in software engineering, bioinformatics, medical terminology, biochemistry, ecology, earth science, climatology, statistics, math, physics, and chemistry. I edit proposals, professional reports, grant applications, academic papers, and medical documents.

Editing for inclusivity
Supportive of LGBTQIA+ authors and themes.

Education and professional development
   • Certified copy editor and certified proofreader with Editors Canada
   • BSc biology, MSc computer science
   • Simon Fraser University’s editing program: courses in copy editing, proofreading, grammar, and indexing
   • Poynter News University Poynter ACES Certificate in Editing
   • Editors Canada professional development workshops in substantive editing, writing and editing for the web, technical editing, Canadian copyright law, indexing, editing fiction, research and fact checking, picture research, and editorial ethics

Selected projects
   • Copy editor, My Ackee Tree: A Chef’s Memoir of Finding Home in the Kitchen by Suzanne Barr with Suzanne Hancock, published by Penguin Canada
   • Copy editor, proofreader, West Coast Veterinarian magazine issues 34–48 (ongoing), published by the Society of BC Veterinarians
   • Copy editor, Unvarnished: Autobiographical Sketches by Emily Carr edited by Kathryn Bridge, published by the Royal BC Museum
   • Proofreader, Bats of British Columbia, second edition, by Cori Lausen, David Nagorsen, Mark Brigham, and Jared Hobbs, published by the Royal BC Museum
   • Proofreader, The Flora and Fauna of Coastal British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest by Collin Varner, published by Heritage House
   • Copy editor, Employer Transit Subsidy Study by Peter Hall et al., a report from the Simon Fraser University Urban Studies Department
   • Americanization, The 10-Day Plan to Nourish & Glow by Amelia Freer, published by Appetite by Random House
   • Transcription and script editing for an online course, Generative Art and Computational Creativity, offered by Kadenze
   • Transcription and compilation of Metro Vancouver’s Sustainability Dialogues
   • Structural editor, No News Is Bad News, by Ian Gill, published by Greystone Books
   • Editor, On the Edge: The State and Fate of the World’s Tropical Rainforests by Claude Martin, published by Greystone Books
   • Copy editor, petrographic reports
   • Dutch to English translations of medical manuscripts

Testimonials

“I have now published nine non-fiction books, two of them self-published. Each book had a different editor, with seven of them assigned by the various publishers. Eva was recommended to me by a friend who teaches editing. I consider Eva’s editorial work to be the best I have had. She did primarily copy editing, stylistic editing and fact checking for my self-published book on Jane Austen and my approach to psychotherapy. Her queries re: my text were thoughtful and invited me to think more about my own meaning. She clarified my intent in ways that were consistent with my own writing style and clearly made it better. She was easy to work with, understood what I wanted, and was quickly responsive to my questions. In addition, Eva did the work on uploading my manuscript to Amazon’s CreateSpace self-publishing program (as well as Kindle and BookBaby) and made it fit their strict requirements. Her skills in doing this were especially valuable to me. I highly recommend her.” —Ron Richardson, Jane Austen’s Guide to Good Relationships

Languages
   • Working languages for editing: English
   • Translation: Dutch to English

Personal interests and subject matter expertise
   • Sport: rock climbing and mountaineering, running, triathlon, cycling, whitewater kayaking, horse sports, martial arts
   • Dance: ballroom dance, swing dance, Argentine tango
   • Pottery and ceramic arts