Women in the Waves > About
About Jane Ross and MJR Publishing Services
I come from a background in book publishing, having started my career working for some of the most respected names in global print publishing.
With over 10 years as a freelance editor and publishing consultant, I offer my clients a range of high quality editorial services to help them communicate with their target audience, whether in print or on the internet.
Look for my profile on LinkedIn.com.
See also a list of selected publishing projects.
Bio and Work Experience
I am originally from Christchurch, New Zealand. After completing college there, I moved to London, England, where I worked as an editor in a scientific and technical book publishing company. I was involved in the early stages of the computer book publishing industry, acquiring some of the very first computer books for Associated Book Publishers.
Over the next few years, I had the mind-broadening experience of living on three different continents and working in a number of different functions within print publishing, including:
- Copy Editor and Acquisitions Editor for Chapman and Hall, London, England (now an imprint of the Informa media empire);
- Acquisitions Editor for the New Zealand Government Printing Office’s Publications Department in Wellington, New Zealand;
- Business Manager for Allen and Unwin Publishers / Bridget Williams Books in Wellington, New Zealand;
- Fulfillment Manager for Latin America for Time magazine (international edition), based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
In 1992, I moved permanently to Austin, Texas, with my husband and young daughter, when my husband took a position at the University of Texas at Austin.
Since 1996, I have worked as an independent contractor, providing writing and editing services to book and web publishers and non-profits.
Publishing Qualifications
The primary focus of the services I offer is editorial content. After college and while working for mainstream print publishers, I attended professional development courses in editing, proofreading, and publishing finance through Publishers' House, London, and the London College of Printing.
As a new freelancer in 1996, realizing that desktop publishing and the internet were likely to play a huge part in publishing in the 21st century, I enrolled for digital publishing courses in:
- Page layout (QuarkXpress);
- Digital Imaging (Adobe Photoshop);
- Web Design (HTML).
Though my focus remains editorial, this early grounding in digital media has given me the language and understanding to stay current with ever-evolving trends in digital publishing.
The basic tools that I use every day, however, remain Microsoft Word, a good dictionary and the Chicago Manual of Style.
College Education
I completed a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Canterbury, in Christchurch, New Zealand, majoring in Mathematics. My degree also included courses in English literature, physics, computer science, and chemistry.
It was in the final year of my degree that I was drawn to publishing, a field that would combine my mathematical and scientific studies with a love for language.
Community Involvement
I believe strongly in the importance of community for writers and publishing professionals and have volunteered on behalf of non-profit organizations that provide this support.
For Story Circle Network, a non-profit that encourages women to write the stories of their lives, I held a board position for three years and oversaw the organization's print publishing projects. For FreelanceAustin, which provides networking opportunities for communications professionals in Austin TX, I was the program coordinator for a year and part of the website design committee. I also participate in Austin Women in Communications and the Writers' League of Texas.
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