Hello.

I’m Harriet Empey, an experienced copyeditor, proofreader and magazine subeditor based in Melbourne, Australia, but originally from West Cork, Ireland. Harriet Empey Editorial Services combines my enjoyment of the art de vivre (art of living) with my love of grammar, spelling and the written word.

I enjoy working with food, travel and lifestyle publications, products and businesses. My interests include food and wine, languages and culture, travel and tourism, health and wellbeing, homes and gardens, nature, the environment and the countryside.

For the past decade I have worked as a freelance magazine subeditor and proofreader. I started off as a subeditor, proofreader and writer for Expat Living Publications in Singapore, where I worked on Expat Living Singapore, Expat Living Hong Kong, EX, and annual Kids, City, Travel and Body & Mind guides. More recently I have been working for Provincial Living, a quarterly Australian lifestyle magazine for Francophiles and people who love the provincial way of life. The magazine contains features on travel, food, wine, interesting people and culture from around the world, but especially France, French-speaking countries and Australia.

I’ve been a Francophile since I first visited France at age 13 and I now speak fluent French and hold a Bachelor of Arts in French. Working and living in France for three years gave me a good understanding of French culture, too, so I really love editing and proofreading content about France.

I’m also a keen cook and began baking as a young girl. In my spare time I enjoy cooking from scratch, experimenting with new recipes, visiting farmers markets and cellar doors. I was blessed to have grown up in West Cork, Ireland, where there are many amazing food producers, and I’m now living in the foodie capital of Australia – Melbourne. Some of my best food-related memories include coming fourth in a Tate & Lyle gingerbread baking competition at age 16; doing a food writing workshop with Ruth Reichl, the former editor-in-chief of Gourmet; and taking a cooking class in Singapore with Irish cook Rachel Allen from Ballymaloe Cookery School.

One of my proudest achievements was subediting and proofreading Cooking with Ascot Vale Primary School – a cookbook filled with recipes from the Ascot Vale community.

I have copyedited and proofread lifestyle books for trade non-fiction publishers, including Plum – Pan Macmillan, Thames & Hudson Australia, Affirm Press and Smudge Publishing.

Previously, I worked in in-house roles in public relations, member communications, internal communications, corporate affairs, event management and sponsorship in a wide range of sectors, including retail, food and beverages, health, sports, shipping, logistics and marine services. I have also worked for one of France’s biggest magazine publishers and for an incoming tour operator in Ireland. In these roles I have produced newsletters and annual reports, edited and proofread travel itineraries, reports, media releases, EDMs, marketing material and advertorials.

I have a working knowledge of Photoshop, InDesign, WordPress, Kentico, Campaign Monitor, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

Professional membership

• Professional Member of the Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd)

Continuing professional development

I’m a firm believer in the value of CPD and I regularly take courses to keep my skills up to date.

• Editing General Non-Fiction, Lorna Hendry (2021)
• Editing Narrative Non-Fiction, IPEd (2019)
• Towards Publication, RMIT Associate Degree in Professional Writing and Editing (2018)
• Advanced Professional Writing – Text, Design and Strategy, RMIT Associate Degree in Professional Writing and Editing (2018)
• Advanced Editing – Content and Collaboration, RMIT Associate Degree in Professional Writing and Editing (2017)
• Magazine Writing and Editing, RMIT Associate Degree in Professional Writing and Editing (2017)
• Freelance Writing for the Media, RMIT Associate Degree in Professional Writing and Editing (2017)
• Creating Digital Content, RMIT Associate Degree in Professional Writing and Editing (2017)
• Writing Professionally – Effective Communication, RMIT Associate Degree in Professional Writing and Editing (2017)
• Copyediting and Proofreading, RMIT Associate Degree in Professional Writing and Editing (2016)
• Introduction to Editing Practice, RMIT Associate Degree in Professional Writing and Editing (2016)
• Working with Text and Image, RMIT Associate Degree in Professional Writing and Editing (2016)
• Writing Non-fiction – Research and Readership, RMIT Associate Degree in Professional Writing and Editing (2016)
• Introduction to Copyediting, Editors Victoria (2015)
• Travel Writing, Australian Writers’ Centre (2014)
• Food Writing Masterclass with Ruth Reichl, Melbourne Writers Festival (2014)
• Structural Editing of Non-fiction, National Book Development Council of Singapore (2012)
• Advanced Copyediting and Proofreading, National Book Development Council of Singapore (2012)
• Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop and Acrobat Pro), ACE Training, Singapore (2011)
• Creative Writing short course, Centre for Adult Education (2006)
• Magazine Writing short course, RMIT (2005)

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in French and Spanish with Portuguese, University College Dublin
• Postgraduate Diploma in Public Relations awarded by the Public Relations Institute of Ireland
• Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations and Sales awarded by the Institute of Commercial Management (UK)

About the logo for Harriet Empey Editorial Services

I’m Irish and I wanted my logo to reflect my heritage. The triskel is an ancient Celtic symbol and there are numerous theories about the significance of its three arms, which show forward motion and stand for unity of three. For some, it means the unity of the physical, mental and spiritual, or life, death and rebirth. For others, it symbolises eternal life, the flow of nature and spiritual growth, or the past, present and future. Some believe it corresponds to the three Celtic realms of the land, sea and sky.

Logo designed by Natalie Dwyer of Design Republic in Co. Cork, Ireland.