Testimonials
Here's what some clients have said about me and my
copy-editing service
'If you want an ace editor or copy editor, in my experience Charles Lauder Jr is the one you want. Don’t be deceived by the “Jr” – when it comes to attention to detail and commitment to quality, there’s nothing “junior” about Charles. He’s tops.'
Gyles Brandreth, author of Oxford Handbook of Theatrical Anecdotes
'Charles Lauder, Jr., is a superb editor. I, along with two other authors, had the benefit of Mr Lauder's work with our book Reading and Rebellion (OUP, 2018). He was patient, meticulous and prompt in all respects at all times. A book like this one, involving 100s of references, 1000s of details can only reach publication with a good editor and in Mr Lauder's case he was precisely that. We owe him thanks and I wish him well in whatever work he hopes to do next.'
Michael Rosen, author
'I highly recommend you as a copy-editor & proofreader.'
Jacqueline Norton, Head of Acquisition, Humanities at Oxford University Press
'Charles Lauder copy-edited two books of mine: The Calculus Story and The Wonder Book of Geometry. These were "popular maths" books for the general public, and therefore needed lively writing as well as technical accuracy. Charles helped me tremendously in getting both, and was especially accommodating whenever I expressed a preference for one style rather than another.'
David Acheson, author
'Charles Lauder brings a keen eye for detail and authenticity, alongside a broad knowledge of many subjects, to the editorial table. His insight and knowledge of Civil War history, in particular, were invaluable to me in a recent sequence set in that period. Quick, perceptive, and thoughtful, I would trust him with any project.'
Wendy Klein, author of Let Battle Commence
Charles did a superb job copy editing my book. I have never worked with a more thorough and careful copy editor, and his attention to detail caught mistakes that literally a dozen other readers (the author included!) had repeatedly overlooked. His work was consistently professional, judicious, and respectful of the author’s intentions—all in all a great experience that made a real difference to the final product.'
Stephen Budiansky, author of Journey to the Edge of Reason
'I am very pleased to recommend Charles Lauder as a skilled and experienced copy-editor. Among other books, he has edited four anthologies in my series of translated short stories for OUP, Amsterdam Tales, Barcelona Tales, Copenhagen Tales and Lisbon Tales and I have a high regard for the clarity and consistency of his work.'
Helen Constantine, series editor of City Tales
''I have been working with Charles for scientific texts since 2021 and he has been my absolute favourite proofreader since then. As a German scientist writing most of my papers and books in English language, Charles was recommended by BAR Publishing (https://www.barpublishing.com) to me. Although my topics are from a very niche subject, he was always able to get the idea without further explanations. His suggestions for corrections were always of technical nature respecting the general idea of the content. In some rare cases when things were unclear, he gave multiple choices for changes - a superb method to sort my own writing. His efficient workaround and punctuality never lead to a second proof sheet and hence the extension of the schedule. Working together with Charles was the perfect working environment for me.'
Dr. phil. Undine Lieberwirth, author of 3D and 4D Cartogrphy of Archaeological Stratigraphy
'Charles Lauder was copy-editor for a literary biography I wrote for Oxford University Press. He works to the highest standard, his eye for detail exceptional. But added to that are two further strengths I greatly valued. One, that he understood the overall context for the details, and so was intelligently at one with the nature and feel of the book itself, rather than serving as a merely myopic nit-picker. Two, that he remained in regular touch, so that his genial communications and updates felt like a sensitive collaboration that enabled this author to feel reassured and able to inform the whole direction of approach. I will be very glad to work with him again.’
Philip Davis, author of Bernard Malamud: A Writer's Life
'Writing a book can be an exhilarating creative experience. But a book is more than its words and illustrations. Careful assembly is required, especially if the book is very technical. Translating what you’ve written into prose fit for publication requires an editor who is knowledgeable, uncompromising and sympathetic. Charles is all of these things. I have no hesitation in commending him to you, and hope to be able to work with him again very soon.'
Jim Baggott, author of The Quantum Cookbook and Quantum Reality
"If you want a top-quality copy-editor, then do your utmost to secure the services of Charles Lauder. They don’t come better. Charles was selected by Oxford University Press to edit my book with Roger Wagner, The Penultimate Curiosity, in which we show how time and again inquiry into the ultimate questions of existence is conducive to curiosity about the material world which we now study by science. Charles combined his meticulous eye for detail with his encyclopaedic knowledge to ensure that the book was accurate and error-free. For my next book, It Keeps Me Seeking, to those skills he added wise recommendations about how to make the style more uniform and what background knowledge we needed in places to supply for our readers. Most recently, in Human Flourishing he resolved numerous stylistic inconsistences between me and my fellow author. Charles copy-edited all three books to a level of perfection which has become a source of widespread admiration. If you aspire to high standards, then you should engage Charles Lauder."
Andrew Briggs, author
'Charles Lauder Jr proofread my and Lesley Sharpe’s translations of Peter Longerich’s Heinrich Hiimler and Wannsee: The Road to the Final Solution and copy edited our translation of Moritz Follmer’s Culture in the Third Reich. We were very satisfied with his work on all three books. We were particularly impressed with the care with which he undertook the proofreading of the Himmler biography, which was a book of over 1,000 pages with a considerable amount of technical German and Nazi terminology. In short, we thoroughly recommend him as an excellent copy editor and proofreader.'
Jeremy Noakes, translator
“Charles worked well with the author in an unusual workflow, and is definitely my go-to freelancer for special/unique projects.”
Freelance production editor
“Many thanks for your work on this title. All your edits were good following the requirement of OUP and special instruction provided. I appreciate you for getting in touch with the author after your final edits to get the unresolved queries sorted out before passing the files to me. Thank you again for your work on this title.”
Oxford University Press production editor