A selection of testimonials from valued clients.
“Maryanne helped us finalise and submit our report in a tight timeframe. Her detailed edit included simplifying the text for a broader audience; bringing consistency in language and tone; and providing useful comments and tips for improving the report. We really appreciated Maryanne’s responsive, efficient and thorough approach. It was a pleasure to work with Maryanne.”
Stephen Cook
CSIRO
“Maryanne is professional, thorough and meticulous. Her attention to detail and sharp eye for spotting inconsistencies, no matter how small, is impressive. She is also very consultative, working through suggested edits and proof reading changes in close contact with her client. Maryanne is technically skilled at lifting the quality and standard of public-facing publications, where her inputs have improved the use of language to communicate policies to a broader and non-technical audience. Her quick turn-around times have also aided her client in meeting tight deadlines.”
Leslie Williams
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
“Our team engaged Maryanne at very (!) short notice to proof a project update ahead of its public release. Maryanne was incredibly accommodating and understanding of our timeframes and requirements, and provided a much-needed quality control check of our work. Her attention to detail was superb and it absolutely improved the quality of our publication. On top of her fantastic work, Maryanne was a pleasure to deal with. Thank you again!”
Victoria Giddens
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications
“Maryanne worked with us to copyedit two final research reports for the Individual Deprivation Measure to a very high standard. Maryanne understood very quickly the nature of the dense and descriptive statistical text, and was nothing short of brilliant in bringing consistency and clarity to each section of the reports. Maryanne was a pleasure to work with, and was responsive, communicative and swift in completing the work. My management team and I would highly recommend The Happy Apostrophe!”
Dr Angie Bexley
The Australian National University
“The National Archives engaged Maryanne to edit a lengthy, and often technical, guide to records about Bob Hawke in the national archival collection. Thanks to the disruptions brought about by COVID-19, the project saw inevitable shifts in schedule and scope; Maryanne navigated these vagaries with professionalism and flexibility to deliver a quality product. She is a pleasure to work with.”
Penny O’Hara
National Archives of Australia
“Maryanne’s work copyediting and proofreading our 2017–18 Annual Report was excellent. She had great attention to detail and was very quick and communicative. I would highly recommend The Happy Apostrophe.”
Clare Spring
Department of Communications and the Arts
“Maryanne edited and proofread three annual reports for me this year and the quality and timeliness of her work was excellent. I would definitely recommend The Happy Apostrophe to anyone looking for editing and proofreading services. Thank you from one very happy client.”
Janelle Olney
Federal Court of Australia
“We used Maryanne for the first time this year to edit our 2016–17 Annual Report. She was professional, flexible, efficient, reliable and a pleasure to work with. I would recommend her services to others needing an editor.”
Marnie Hodsdon
Department of Communications and the Arts
“Maryanne provided a very professional service as a copyeditor and proofreader for a large historical publication. She had a very good eye for detail and provided suggestions to improve clarity. The book had a lot of detail and Maryanne was able to provide her comments in a timely way for us to be able to meet our deadlines. Maryanne was very easy to work with and her knowledge of Australian Government editing style was excellent.”
Denise Fowler
Murray–Darling Basin Authority
“Maryanne is a highly competent proofreader/editor, with a professional, responsive and friendly approach. I was impressed with her attention to detail, and ability to adapt to a range of requirements, including working in Word templates and editing charts in Excel. I have no hesitation in recommending The Happy Apostrophe to anyone looking for a high-quality proofreading and editing service.”
Serin Werner
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
“Maryanne provided a highly professional and responsive service to the department. She edited a large and sensitive report to a high standard and a short deadline. She was able to turn around subsequent edits rapidly to ensure the publication deadline was met. The quality of Maryanne’s work was appreciated not only by the department, but also by the report’s author, who thanked her publicly in the final document.”
Stephen Paillas
Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport
“The Happy Apostrophe was commissioned to undertake a large editing and proofreading project for the department. This involved a series of research reports totalling over 1500 pages, as well as supporting summary documents. Maryanne was meticulous and consistent throughout the process. She was able to meet the challenging deadlines we were working to, without impacting the quality of her work. Maryanne provided regular progress updates, and was proactive in contacting me to seek clarification if needed. She was also very responsive to any requests or questions I had of her. Maryanne demonstrated a familiarity with the government style manual, and always kept the end user of the outputs in mind. Maryanne was a pleasure to work with, and I would have no hesitation in recommending her as a highly skilled and professional editor.”
Senior Communications Advisor
Australian Government department
“Maryanne is an excellent copyeditor and proofreader. She is professional, efficient, reliable, meticulous and a pleasure to work with. I am impressed by her ability to adapt to the style preferences of different clients (and to remain cheerful while doing so).”
Dr Hilary Cadman
Cadman Editing Services
“Thank you Maryanne for your eagle eye and insightful suggestions for my latest picture book, Billie. Once again, you have helped me polish the final text and ensure that everything is perfect before we go to print. Not only are you a master at your craft, but you are an absolute pleasure to work with.”
Nicole Godwin
Tusk Books
“Maryanne edited our active transport plan and did a great job. We only gave her a couple of days but she was able to deliver a much better product than what we gave her. Maryanne is friendly and very easy to work with. I would recommend her to others needing a good editor.”
Caroline Le Couteur
Member of the Legislative Assembly for the ACT
“Maryanne’s proofreading and copy editing of my PhD thesis improved the quality of my work immeasurably. She identified discrepancies in my referencing style, made sure my abbreviations were consistent throughout and even cross-checked my text with what I had reported in tables and figures. I also learned some useful grammatical tips which I’ll use to improve my future academic writing. I’d highly recommend Maryanne to any PhD, Masters or Honours student wanting to give a final impression of professionalism to their thesis.”
Claudia Pitts
PhD candidate, University of Sydney
“I engaged Maryanne to copyedit and proofread my book, Creating Happy Families – The Three Rs: Routines, Rituals and Rhythm. I have also used Maryanne to edit my feature articles for the Coffs Coast Child Magazine. I highly recommend Maryanne and will use her again for editing I require in the future. At all times Maryanne was a delight to communicate with, responding to my requests and making sound editing suggestions that enhanced the finished product ready for publication. Thank you, Maryanne. You’re a gem!”
Rowena Parkes
Author, educator