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Suzanne Arnold editor

@suzannearnold.com
1K followers 725 following 1.2K posts

Helping authors and businesses polish their text for publication: non-fiction editor and proofreader. Diploma in Egyptology. Random nature photos (not AI-generated). In the UK. She/her www.suzannearnold.com linktr.ee/suzannearnoldeditor

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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 24/09/2026
Well that was a nice surprise in the shops this morning: a book I worked on ages ago. The feeling of excited recognition never goes away 🥳 DK book: DIY know-how with show-how
Hardback book on a shop shelf. DIY: know-how with show-howSame book. Caption: seeing it on a shop shelf never gets oldContents page. Author acknowledgements with my name circled
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 18/09/2026
No surprises here but interesting to have more research on it: ‘While AI tools can make communication more efficient and polished, the researchers suggests their use can also promote more uniform styles that mask “authentic voices” and reduce variation in tone, culture and identity.’
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 17/09/2026
Excellent hour time-travelling through @merriam-webster.com with @petersokolowski.bsky.social at #ACESVCON26 @acesediting.bsky.social
Photo of Peter’s presentation on my laptop. Peter’s slide shows ‘airport, airplane, aileron, airspeed, antiaircraft, air force, air fare, barrel roll, triplane, wingspan’ entering the dictionary 1900–1914. My caption says ‘no surprise that these words entered the dictionary just before or during WWI…’Slide: ‘Pappardelle, tagliatelle, zabaglione, osso, buco, pecorino, mozzarella, orzo’. My caption: ‘… but some of us may be surprised to see these arrive at the same time. They show the effects of immigration into the US’
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 16/09/2026
Being edited: a relationship with someone who gets you and wants you to succeed. Joyfully uplifting keynote from Kory Stamper at #ACESVCON26 on editing as being all about human relationships. It’s not about imposing a rule book, but listening and understanding what you’re trying to do.
Photo showing Kory’s title slide on a laptop screen. Slide: editing is not about rules; it’s about communication
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Amy Sherman @andcleverness.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
hello, edibuddies, an annual publication that I do copyediting for is looking for a new proofreader. Most of the freelance folks I know are copyeditors or developmental editors, so I'd be glad of any recommendations for folks who proofread academic work in the humanities/social sciences. thanks!
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 14/09/2026
What does the idiom ‘to walk back’ mean? Video may not be my greatest strength, but my latest blog post looks at some phrases using ‘walk’. rust-bat-855c.squarespace.com/config/pages...
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 14/09/2026
Great tips on records to keep while you write, so that if necessary you can prove you did write it.
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 10/09/2026
Axel Scheffler on AI: 'the Gruffalo and mouse more or less recognisable as my drawing in a completely alien context that I had never created. You can see the Gruffalo in Silicon Valley...' @thebookseller.com www.thebookseller.com/comment/ai-i...
thebookseller.com
AI is a real threat to illustrators, and the government must act
Axel Scheffler thought he could ignore AI… until he saw what it could do.
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 03/09/2026
Another wonderful month to be grateful for – thank you, world! 😁 I have two editing conferences this month, alongside more Egyptology and business editing. #AmEditing
Highlights August 2026
•  Finished copy-editing an academic book     on upcycling
•  Copy-edited a law book
•  Copy-edited Egyptology journal articles
•  Copy-edited a business communications book
•  Proofread a book of Celtic myths
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 25/08/2026
Fascinating article, but this is what shocked me most: ‘“Until the 1980s, surgeons performed surgery on newborn babies without anaesthesia because they assumed that a newborn baby would not be capable of feeling pain,” Dr Birch says.’ Had surgeons never met a newborn baby? 😱😭
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 21/08/2026
Thank you, internet – that really helps me know what to try next 😁
Error message: An error has occurred. Please try again.
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 20/08/2026
Interesting study from China showing (as you’d expect) that using AI as a shortcut reduces learning but using it as a tutor can be beneficial. No surprise, but it’s good to see data.
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 14/08/2026
For what? #edibuddies will see it immediately. If you don’t see it yet (and there’s no shame in that – it’s hard to see), look closely at the penultimate word…
Screengrab of an error message asking for permission to access a folder ‘for reading and writting files’, with two Ts in ‘writing’.
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 12/08/2026
'A policy should set out to publishers how or if AI has had a hand in your idea or final manuscript, and then how you use it for research, marketing and admin support' – great guidance from @thebookseller.com for authors on writing an AI policy. www.thebookseller.com/comment/shou...
thebookseller.com
Authors need transparent AI policies, if only to protect themselves
An industry built on the idea that writing and creativity are hard-earned skills has, understandably, reacted badly to the rapid development and acceptance of large language models (LLM).
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 11/08/2026
When F and I clash in this way, I always imagine the F kicking the dot, which flies off to the right of the screen. Yep, I'm still noticing the ligatures, or non-ligatures, while I edit: www.suzannearnold.com/blog/ligatures #AmEditing
Screengrab from Word showing the overhang on a lower-case F sitting just below the dot on an I.
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 11/08/2026
Working outside this morning before the sun comes around here. There’s a parakeet chattering away in the tree and I’m working on consistency in an academic book on upcycling. Bliss! #AmEditing
Selfie with my laptop next to a balcony railing, with a green tree beyond.
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 07/08/2026
Could those in colonised lands be more likely to write in a style of English that's similar to the 'classics' generative AI was trained on, and could that explain recent accusations? Interesting perspectives in this article. www.thebookseller.com/news/numerou... @thebookseller.com
thebookseller.com
‘Hard to ignore’ – AI speculation sparks debate about whether authors of colour targeted
A number of authors recently suspected of using generative AI in their writing has sparked a debate online and in the trade about whether authors of colour are being disproportionately targeted by spe...
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 06/08/2026
Could UK publishing become less London-centric? Interesting perspectives in the Bookseller. www.thebookseller.com/features/no1... @thebookseller.com
thebookseller.com
No10 North: will publishing follow Westminster?
For many in the industry, Burnham’s decision to establish No10 North is symbolic. If political decision-making no longer needs to be concentrated in Westminster, they argue, perhaps publishing does no...
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 05/08/2026
Word choice can powerfully affect how readers react to a text. Try choosing different words and see how they change what you’re saying – and which options most accurately convey your intended meaning. www.suzannearnold.com/blog/word-ch... #NonFiction #WritingNonFiction #NonFictionWriting
suzannearnold.com
The power of word choice — Suzanne Arnold
English Grammar Day 2025 on how word choice can influence readers
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 05/08/2026
'Looking ahead, as these cancellations continue to pile up, the industry may soon be forced to codify policies to address similar situations as they arise.' #GenerativeAI #AI #BookSky
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 04/08/2026
This is why I love editing: always learning. To me, snowballing is a thing you do after the cold stuff falls from the sky in winter. ❄️ But I’m copy-editing a piece about research whose data collection involved snowballing. After a moment’s confusion, I now know that it’s also a sampling method 😁
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 04/08/2026
Couple of major points in this update from @thebookseller.com ... 'Currently, with no concrete way of proving AI use one way or another, agents are weighing trust against using AI detection tools… Little consensus has emerged…'
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 04/08/2026
I'm notoriously bad with spiders. But I figured a book about them would do me good and be interesting – and it did and it was 🥳 Yes, it also did make me wince at times! But it was really interesting and I was glad I'd braved it.
Highlights July 2026
•  Proofread business thought leadership
•  Proofread accounting guidance
•  Proofread a photo book of spiders
•  Started copy-editing an academic book on upcycling
•  Took some time off.
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 31/07/2026
This is coming up a lot in something I'm working on, so here's a reminder to make sure your copy–paste settings for links are suited to what you're writing. For a print book, for example, this is no good: 'Article title | website name'. geekrewind.com/how-to-chang... #AcademicSky #NonFiction
geekrewind.com
How to Change Copy-Paste Settings in Microsoft Edge
Easily adjust your copy paste settings in Edge to choose between hyperlinked titles or plain text URLs for a seamless browsing experience.
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 31/07/2026
This week's @economist.com has a couple of interesting articles on generative AI... ‘their baggy prose puts a premium on editing skills. After all, even the best writers need a good editor to keep them sharp.’ www.economist.com/leaders/2026...
economist.com
AI is getting better at writing. Humans must get better at editing
Our investigation suggests how
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 31/07/2026
Would you say ‘there are a plethora’ or ‘there is a plethora’? Does your answer vary depending on the context? This is a good example of how proofreading is about so much more than typos. #AmProofreading
Photo of parkland, with text superimposed: ‘there are a plethora’ or ‘there is a plethora’?Photo of a pond. Text: you may be surprised by how much time editors and proofreaders spend pondering these questions Photo of rabbit. Text: often, we answer ‘it depends’Screengrab from Merriam-Webster dictionary suggesting using singular to emphasise grouping and plural to emphasise individual elements
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 30/07/2026
'When the core architecture of the business remains unchanged, AI becomes decoration—a thin layer of intelligence applied to workflows that were never designed to absorb continuous intelligence' – Time Magazine time.com/article/2026...
time.com
AI’s Execution Problem
“The defining challenge of the AI era is no longer invention alone. It is execution,” writes Nigel Vaz.
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 30/07/2026
How can a batch of McDonald's fries help explain an Asian economic crisis to US readers? Jack Hart's 'Story Craft', on narrative non-fiction, with compelling examples. #WritingNonFiction #NonFiction #NarrativeNonFiction #NonFictionWriting www.suzannearnold.com/blog/book-re...
suzannearnold.com
Book review: Story craft — Suzanne Arnold
Whatever you’re writing, you’ll find useful lessons and ideas.
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 29/07/2026
I’m alternating chapters of a gorgeous photo book about nature and an academic book about reusing and upcycling. One’s a proofread on a typeset PDF, the other is a copy-edit in tracked changes in Word. Both are fascinating. I love my job! 😍 #AmEditing #FreelanceLife
Selfie sitting at a laptop outside with a green tree in the background.
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 26/07/2026
While looking for something else, I’ve found one of my favourite examples of corporate speak. This was while I was sub-editor of ‘F1 Racing’ magazine, while McLaren’s new site was being built, which apparently is 23 years ago 😱
Attributed to Ron Dennis, head of McLaren: ‘This new building makes optimum use of the lateral optical interface’, with a note saying ‘Paragon HQ has lots of windows, says Ron Dennis’ interpreter’.
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 24/07/2026
Blue whale heart is person-sized 😮 Mind blown. I love comparisons like this that enable you to visualise the unimaginable. (And yes, I checked: National Geographic more or less agrees – it says 5ft: blog.education.nationalgeographic.org/2015/08/31/h...)
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 24/07/2026
What a wonderful surprise in today’s post – a copy of @rogersteare.bsky.social’s book ‘Ethicability’. I proofread this a few weeks ago. An extra treat was discovering that Jacqueline Harvey (a @the-ciep.bsky.social friend) had also worked on it. Books really are a team effort. Thank you all 😁
Ethicability, a slim white hardback volume, photographed in front of a leafy tree. The contents page. A snippet from the acknowledgements, thanking Jacqueline and me.
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 23/07/2026
Halfway between your worst nightmare and hype: interesting explanation and analysis of the OpenAI hacking incident. www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/epi... @thenewsagents.co.uk
globalplayer.com
HackGPT: How AI escaped the lab and went rogue - Podcast Episode | Global Player
<p>Have we just crossed the AI Rubicon? OpenAI has revealed that one of its models was involved in an "unprecedented cyber incident". One of its AI programs escaped a controlled testing environment, g...
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 22/07/2026
I was once chosen to work on a DIY book BECAUSE of not having subject knowledge – which meant I could sense-check step-by-step instructions from the perspective of an inexperienced reader. #EditingNonFiction #NonFictionEditing #NonFiction www.suzannearnold.com/blog/does-an...
suzannearnold.com
Does an editor need to know the subject matter? — Suzanne Arnold
A lot depends on what needs doing. If the editor needs to help shape text for a non-expert reader, for example, sometimes it’s helpful to have an editor who doesn’t know the subject. Other times, it’s...
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 22/07/2026
Interesting glimpse of how some academics are using generative AI and how they feel about it. #AcademicSky
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 22/07/2026
Good news for many authors, though as others have said it doesn't fully make up for things.
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 17/07/2026
Like so many of the best things in life, my Egyptology started by accident and I never could have predicted where it would take me. So here’s my Egyptology origin story. #NonFictionEditor #EditingNonFiction #NonFictionEditing #NonFiction
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 17/07/2026
There you are, working in tracked changes, and you insert one letter, but Word shows two letters as having changed. What’s going on? Blog post now live on font ligatures: www.suzannearnold.com/blog/ligatures #NonFiction #EditingNonFiction #NonFictionEditing #AmEditing
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 15/07/2026
A few highlights from this morning’s #StetWalk, including a gorgeous moth! #AmEditing #FreelanceLife
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 14/07/2026
And as if that weren’t alarming enough, it was London Climate Action Week, yet somehow they managed not to mention it.
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 13/07/2026
Storytelling isn't just for novels – it's powerful in non-fiction too. #NonFiction #BusinessWriting www.suzannearnold.com/blog/storyte...
suzannearnold.com
Storytelling in business writing — Suzanne Arnold
Plain language and stories help convey messages. I recently copy-edited a powerful example
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 10/07/2026
This was an unexpected analogy! 😂 Pick the grapes out of the quinoa, not vice versa. You can’t proofread everything at once. Instead, focus on one thing at a time, such as that examples are correctly numbered – pick out the grapes, not the quinoa. #ProofreadingNonFiction #NonFictionProofreading
Photo of a box of grapes containing a layer of quinoa. Text: Don’t try to proofread everything at onceCloser photo. Text: check numbering separately from reading for typos, for exampleCloser photo again, showing quinoa with just a few grapes: pick the grapes out of the quinoa, not the quinoa out of the grapes
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 09/07/2026
This is one of the reasons I don't paste client text into generative AI tools. Even putting aside the ethical questions, it's not reliable enough and would create extra work for me. So no, I won't paste your text into a bot. (And if/when I do in future, it'll only be with permission.)
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 08/07/2026
Datacentres are a ticking time bomb. We must make sure AI’s benefits outweigh the costs | Nicki Hutley
theguardian.com
Datacentres are a ticking time bomb. We must make sure AI’s benefits outweigh the costs | Nicki Hutley
They suck up energy and water, and blast out heat. Just who is better off from all this investment – aside from tech bros?
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 07/07/2026
I saw the Sam Ryder Jesus Christ Superstar in London last night. Stunning production. This morning, I’ve finished some corporate thought leadership. And now I’m settling in for some CPD.
Photo of the stage set seen from above: scaffolding at the back of the stage, with the orchestra in its upper layers, and a large cross-shaped walkway across the stage.
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 06/07/2026
‘In the UK the position appeared to be “wait and see”, while the EU AI Act is beginning to bring in obligations around AI systems, although not all of these directly affect copyright.’ @thebookseller.com
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 03/07/2026
I’m having a day off and have just finished ‘The Correspondent’ 😭 Beautiful, weepy, thought-provoking. I loved Virginia Evans’ answer at Women’s Prize Live on why an older character: ‘Everyone’s life is interesting. And it gets more interesting every year.’ This book delivers on that!
Paperback copy of ‘The Correspondent’ photographed in front of a green leafy tree. Photo of Evans reading at Women’s Prize Live. Text on the image: Evans also said, of writing it, ‘I felt I was laying down the track as the train was coming.’
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 03/07/2026
Trust an editor to read multiple versions of the same news story and get distracted by whether the document was found in February or May! (These are the details trained editors habitually watch out for, which is how we spot things that seem to others like incredible finds.)
Screengrab of Guardian story about the Declaration of Independence, saying it was found ‘in late May’BBC story, saying ‘in February’
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 02/07/2026
This was the highlight of English Grammar Day 2026 for me: editor @tomfreeman.bsky.social on why it’s not always best to rigidly follow all ‘rules’ (or to follow all rules rigidly?). There’s greater value in ensuring that text is logically structured and clear. #EnglishGrammarDay
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Suzanne Arnold editor @suzannearnold.com · 02/07/2026
'Without new readers there are no future book festivals. 'Without new readers there are no future bestselling authors.' (I feel for the poor Bookseller staffer wincing at that typo in the web page metadata. So easily done, yet so visible.)
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