Our personnel are David Brewster, ‘Writer-in-chief’, Ann Bolch, writer and editor, and Heather Kelly, editor.

David Brewster – ‘Writer-in-chief’

David came to professional writing later than some, having spent the first parts of his career in various line management and consulting roles. He background has given him the advantage of a broad range of valuable experience and insights which help him better understand the sorts of things his clients are trying to achieve.

Whatever your needs – copywriting, ghostwriting or any other writing – you will benefit as David draws on aspects of:

• a 20 year career in business management and small business ownership;
• experience as a management consultant and educator;
• tertiary qualifications in writing, science and information management;
• copywriting, book writing, ghostwriting and article writing experience stretching over 10 years.

David’s clients are guaranteed a fresh perspective and a healthy dose of authenticity in the words he produces for them.

Whether your requirement is traditional copywriting – report, a media release, web content, a feature article – or anything else, David will ensure that your message is clear and understandable.

You will find it easy dealing with David. He prides himself on flexibility, organisation and a solid grasp of the language. All of which means you will comfortably meet your deadlines with minimal reworking along the way. David is acutely aware of the importance of sticking to word counts and deadlines. He lives in Brunswick, an inner suburb of Melbourne, Australia, though of course he can work with you wherever you are.

For more general information on David and his background, please visit his LinkedIn profile.

Writing Experience

Books & Ghostwriting

David is the author of two of his own books:

• One Bite at a Time : How every manager can use Six Sigma to make a difference (Monterey Press, 2006; 2nd ed. 2008), co-written with Gary Calwell
• Success with Simplicity : Take Management Back to Basics (Monterey Press, 2005)

Copywriting

• David has been full time copywriting and ghostwriting for four years. Read about some of his recent work here.
• As a ghostwriter and copywriter David has written hundreds of blog posts, articles, company profiles, web pages and other content.
• Over the years David has contributed pieces to The Australian, The Courier Mail, The Adelaide Advertiser and The Canberra Times.

Publishing

David established the ‘Monterey Press’ publishing imprint in 2005 to support his first book. He has since extended use of the imprint to five other books: another of his own and four by other authors. David has assisted these authors in all aspects of the self-publishing process from ISBN registration through editing, design, production, distribution and the meeting of legal requirements. He has recently written a short guide to self-publishing and established a self-publishing ‘coaching’ service. (www.montereypress.com).

Ann Bolch – Writer and editor

Ann combines over six years’ professional writing experience with more than a decade of group facilitation and teaching know-how. She brings active, engaged and personalised words to her clients’ projects. With a strong passion for the rhythm of words and an editor’s eye for detail, Ann will make sure your message sounds right, feels right and reads right. (Er, correctly.)

Ann always delivers on time, to brief and within word limit.

Writing qualifications & experience

Ann has tertiary qualifications in writing, editing, teaching & outdoor education and continues to update her skills (e.g. attending, in 2011, the CAE Grammar for working editors workshop and ASE Manuscript appraisal short course). She has published numerous informative articles, profiles, travel, reviews, essays and fiction. Ann’s experience includes:

Journalism

• Profiles for The Age (Melbourne magazine, Metro, My Career), Outback magazine, Pakenham-Berwick Gazette
• Informative articles for Grassroots, Forty South, The Age
• Travel articles for Herald Sun, The Age, Australian Traveller
• Weekly book reviews for The Age (My Career, 2007-2009)
• Essays for The Age (A2), Australian Traveller, The Australian, Woorilla
• A monthly column about writing, words and reading Signpost magazine

Editing and proofreading

• Edited newsletters, blogs, articles, essays and fiction
• Proofreading of book-length fiction manuscripts and non-fiction
• Selected, worked with authors, edited & proofread articles, fiction & poetry in Woorilla magazine

 Manuscript appraisals

• Structurally edited several book-length manuscripts
• Provided one-to-one manuscript guidance – teasing apart a manuscript’s themes and ideas, challenging assumptions, using association to bring up fresh ideas and making unique links to strengthen the work

Other writing

• Written web text, brochures and media releases for business organisations
• Interviewed, wrote & formatted the inaugural Fernlea House hospice guest memoir
• Devised and facilitated volunteer training to interview, transcribe and compile guest memoirs at Fernlea House
• Interviewed and written web profiles for Volunteering Victoria
• Completed novel manuscript Fourth Drop – about a sawmilling family and community struggling between the extremes of the Tasmanian forest debate

Heather Kelly – Book and website editor, and proofreader

Heather completed a BA at Melbourne University and then joined Melbourne University Press (MUP) as a trainee editor, before heading overseas for two years. Her extensive career has included:

• working as an editor for many publishing companies, in-house or freelance, including: Melbourne University Press, Pitman, Oxford University Press, Penguin, Australian Broadcasting Commission, Macmillan and Monash University ePress
• five years as senior editor at the federal government’s Bureau of Immigration, Multicultural and Population Research
• several years at content production company Media Giants where she edited and proofread websites, magazines and books for clients including Tourism Victoria, Department of Justice, VicHealth, Fernwood Women’s Health Clubs and Sensis.

Recently Heather has edited an academic book for Monash University ePress, edited an academic journal several times a year, and edited various reports and books for Monash Institute for the Study of Global Movements. She has also sub-edited a weekly newspaper and edited several large reports and books for the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (Victoria).

Editing and proofreading annual and other reports is another area of Heather’s expertise; organisations she has done this for include:

• Environment and Natural Resources Committee (Parliament of Victoria)
• Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
• St Vincent’s Hospital
• EPA
• East Gippsland Water
• VicHealth.

Like all good editors, Heather is a stickler for detail and will see an out-of-place comma or apostrophe at 100 metres.