Description

Aloha!

I'm Bala, and I consider myself to be a heart-centred entrepreneur.

When I offer my proofreading/editing services to enhance your document/manuscript, I try to integrate personal integrity, empathy, and my desire to make a positive impact on your writing.

While I'm new to Malt, I'm excited to quickly build a network of writerly clients on this platform. I could perhaps condense my editor personality to 5 core traits:

1. Purpose Focus – I often start with a mission to identify and tackle the most consistent and major areas of grammatical/stylistic darkness.

2. Value Alignment – My editorial decisions are guided by my personal and ethical values, but my comments are always compassionate and inoffensive.

3. Relationship Focus – I prioritise authentic relationships with writers. I see my service as a way to build community.

4. Impact over Income – Profit is important for sustainability, but it’s not my ultimate goal. Instead, I measure success through my contribution to a positive transformation in your English writing over the long term.

5. Holistic Approach – I see proofreading not just as a job, but as an extension of my life purpose.

My methodology of editing a Word document is two-pronged: (1) I make direct revisions to produce an immediate impact on the clarity/readability/structure of your text; and (2) I leave in-text comments with colour-coded labels to offer detailed feedback on enhancing your English writing quality over the long term.

Throughout the editing process, I stay vigilant about not hampering your voice in the slightest.

Mahalo!

Languages

English
Native or bilingual

Workplace preferences

Remote only

Primarily works remotely

Scribbr
English Editor
July 2021 - Today (4 years and 11 months)
For Scribbr clients, I edit theses/dissertations, journal articles, research proposals, and general essays for proper language and academic style (APA/MLA/Chicago). I reached a peak copyediting speed of 3200 words/hour in January 2025 through consistently developing expertise in using autocorrect comments (on MS Word) and some handy macros.
Microsoft Word English Proofreading/Editing
COSMIC STRANDS EPUBLISHING PRIVATE LIMITED
Copyeditor
February 2020 - July 2021 (1 year and 5 months)
At Cosmic Strands, I mainly edited books and journal articles on humanities-oriented research topics for SAGE Publications. I also helped train a GenAI model developed as a competitor to Grammarly.
BlueRose Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
Editor In Chief
July 2019 - January 2020 (6 months)
New Delhi, India
I donned multiple hats at my first real job (in-house position), assuming the following responsibilities:
• Managing operations of the in-house literature magazine
• Curating, compiling and editing content for the zine
• Editing long manuscripts (fiction and non-fiction) and providing writing advice to first-time authors