Proposal Management &
Business Document Editing Services

The written word continues to be a primary means of exchanging information and ideas worldwide. With a potential English-speaking audience of between 470 million and 1 billion individuals, ensuring that publications communicate in a clear, concise fashion is critical.

Contact Us

Washington, DC Metro &
Pittsburgh, PA

rpfile@editorialsolutionsllc.com
(202) 256-9524

About Us

Editors are aware that they must, with apologies to Yeats, “Tread lightly because they tread on [authors’] dreams.”

Editorial Solutions provides professionals who are instrumental in helping organizations and individuals to manage internal resources to produce compelling content. For certain business documents, the editor assists the author by:

  • Setting clear expectations of both parties

  • Reviewing the manuscript and determining improvements

  • Remaining true to the intended meaning

  • Eliminating errors and ambiguities that might raise doubt among the audience.

In the case of Sales and Marketing documents, there is often a limited time in which to produce content that is compelling, concise, competitive, and compliant. For proposals, deadlines, SMEs other professional obligations, and a host of other obstacles necessitate a level-headed approach to remaining on track and on schedule.

Areas of Service

Proposal Management

Editing

Copywriting

Proofreading

The Proposal Management Process

Editorial Solutions follows a Shipley-based process in order to produce compelling, concise, competitive, compliant, and timely submissions to Federal, State, Local, and Commercial organizations in the United States and abroad.  Mr. Ross Pfile is APMP certified and adheres to the belief that every proposal is a collaborative effort that requires communication, coordination, and cohesion in order to be successful.  From storyboarding, through color review meetings, Subject Matter Expert contributions and compilations, to compliance checks and internal approvals, Mr. Pfile helps clients respect schedules and deadlines, identify deficiencies and areas of non-compliance vis-à-vis client requirements, and realize rewarding, responsive submissions.

The Editorial Process

Editorial Solutions begins each assignment by asking the following questions in order to determine as much relevant information as possible about the manuscript:

  • What is the manuscript topic?
    Determines how much if any additional research will need to be done in order to produce a verified manuscript.
     

  • Who is the target audience?
    Determines the level of understanding: technical or nontechnical, professional, academic, etc.; age / educational level; web-enabled.
     

  • What is the manuscript length and the level of editing required?
    Determines the level of effort to complete the assignment whether it is copyediting, proofreading, or developmental (substantive) editing.
     

  • What is the preferred style?
    Determines how the information is presented in accordance with the publisher’s requirements.
     

  • What is the deadline?
    Determines the pace of completion and number of review cycles.

Initial responses to these questions open the dialogue between the editor and the author which will continue throughout the review process. While on the surface the answers to some of these questions may seem obvious, one of the most important factors is clarity in the responsibilities in order to manage expectations. For example, in the “level of editing,” determining if the editor will also be fact checking or verifying cited information is crucial to determining the level of effort required to meet the deadline and the publisher’s budget. Figure 2 describes an overview of Editorial Solution’s approach to the editorial management process and how the responses shape the approach.

  • Content
    Suggest format to convey desired message
    Remove unnecessary content

  • Organization
    Ensure logical structure
    Rewrite/Restructure text to fit format

  • Tone
    Improve Readability

  • Detail
    Ensure consistency
    Identify gaps

  • Clarity/Style
    Clarify technical terms of jargon
    Ensure adherence to publisher’s requirements (Style Guide)

  • Consult with client to define objectives, audience, and deadlines

  • Obtain detailed instructions from the client and review for clarity

  • Ensure that all necessary information has been assembled

  • Review and compose draft manuscript

  • Format the manuscript to conform to the style guidelines prescribed

  • Submit for approval and revise accordingly

  • Repeat for second and future drafts

  • Ensure the revised manuscript conforms to client comments and instructions

  • Finalize and compile correct files, including supplementary documents, to send to the client in a timely manner

“The editor is the author’s safeguard, ensuring that everything produced is of the highest quality and exceeds expectations.”

The Review Process

We use a rolling review process, when possible, which allows us to build upon the author’s input for subsequent section reviews. The initial rounds of this process are described in Figure 3; the process is repeated until the entire manuscript has been reviewed. Throughout these review cycles the editor adds to/expands the style sheet, verifies table/figure/exhibit call outs and edits their captions as appropriate, verifies references, and determines if permissions are needed. When the final review has taken place, the files are returned to the client, and any further author queries are noted.

Internationalization & Localization

With an ever-increasing global audience, we recognize editors must also be aware of the effects of “internationalization” and “localization.” The editor must be culturally sensitive and aware of any aspects of a manuscript that may have the potential of being interpreted unfavorably. Editorial Solutions makes every effort to ensure that messages are clear, unambiguous, and free of cultural misinterpretations. Some examples of potentially culturally “loaded” references that we look for include:

  • Colloquial expressions 

  • Slang

  • Images (particularly of people, gestures)

  • Colors 

  • Holidays

  • Legends

  • Humor (local color).

Confidentiality

We recognize and respect the confidentiality of research and the highly confidential nature of some of the documents we handle. Editorial Solutions adheres to a privacy policy that guarantees 100% confidentiality and allows authors worldwide to submit their work with complete confidence. Mr. Ross Pfile holds a “Current” “Secret” Security Clearance from the U.S. Government, and is willing to sign binding confidentiality agreements. All documents are transmitted through a secure VPN to limit exposure of client information.

Ross Pfile

Proposal Manager,
Editor, and Writer

In any professional relationship, a client is looking for “a good fit.” Three factors define this “fit”:

  • Experience (qualifications, training, and time in the field)

  • Compatibility

  • Trust (endorsements and examples).

For the last nearly two decades, Mr. Pfile’s career has focused on development and global business expansion thanks to his extensive experience managing business proposal processes for Fortune 50 companies and his Certification from the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP). Mr. Pfile is a recognized speaker and presenter responsible for developing and delivering both introductory- and advanced-level courses for non-native English speakers on effective “western style” presentations (methodology, messaging, styles, delivery, etc.) and improving public speaking skills. His robust management and organizational skills enable him to quickly adapt and respond to shifting business requirements, project demands, and organizational environments.

Beginning in the early 1990s, he primarily employed his wide-ranging and impeccable editing skills and innate ability to use the written word to reach the widest audience on international development programs for the World Bank. With more than 30 years of practical English-language editorial and publishing experience, Ross Pfile has a verifiable track record of delivering excellence and reliability. His clients have included such diverse and influential organizations as the World Bank Group (focusing on Health, Education, Population, Nutrition, AIDS prevention, and child labor and reintegration), the United States Government (National Center for Education Statistics, part of the U.S. Department of Education), public and private corporations both in the United States and abroad, and non-profit groups on a volunteer basis.

He takes an active role in assisting clients with the development (both technical and creative), management, and clarification of priorities to create reader-friendly, impactful, and timely publications. Mr. Pfile is familiar with a variety of general and professional Style Guides including The World Bank Style Guide, The Government Publishing Office Style Manual, The Chicago Manual of Style, and The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage, among others, and is committed to ensuring that manuscripts adhere to the specific style guides of the publishing organization. He has provided both remote and on-site editorial and production support in addition to training and consultation and has contributed to various types of published and unpublished documents such as:

  • Proposals including Commercial and U.S. Federal bid responses and client sales proposals

  • Reports including research reports and corporate annual reports

  • Technical Documentation including technical and procedures manuals, and user guides

  • Marketing Materials including marketing plans, brochures, newsletters, press releases, audio/visual aids, etc.

  • Training Courses and Training Aids including job-related, and end user training materials.

He has strong multicultural, international collaborative experience leading multidisciplinary, multinational teams for international clients. Mr. Pfile is a native English speaker, has a World Bank rating of "Near-native" fluency in French, and has worked in nearly a dozen countries.

Published Editing Examples

The following are examples of published documents edited by Mr. Ross Pfile that can be found in the public domain.