Flo Selfman is a public relations consultant and a proofreader-copyeditor. She was one of the first presenters in Los Angeles to conduct grammar and punctuation review workshops for adults in companies and organizations outside of the academic setting. She has conducted her workshops Where Do I Put the Apostrophe? and Grammar for Grownups for a variety of groups including Book Publicists of Southern California, Pasadena City College Writers Forum, Independent Writers of Southern California, Women in Film, Crystal Stairs, Los Angeles Sentinel newspaper, City of West Hollywood, and the California Federation of Interpreters.

A public relations professional for over twenty years, Flo is owner-principal of Selfman & Others Public Relations in Los Angeles, specializing in entertainment, literary, and lifestyle clients. A graduate of UCLA, where she majored in Psychology, she spent four years as a researcher on Dinah Shore’s morning show, Dinah’s Place, prior to entering the world of public relations. She subsequently earned a California Secondary Teaching Credential and the Instructor Development Certification from UCLA Extension.

She is currently serving an unprecedented seventh term as President of Independent Writers of Southern California (http://www.iwosc.org), one of the area’s most active organizations for writers. Other professional affiliations include Entertainment Publicists Professional Society, Book Publicists of Southern California (charter member; winner IRWIN Award for Best Book Tie-In Campaign 2005), and Publishers Association of Los Angeles.

An experienced workshop presenter, Flo has been an instructor or guest speaker at UCLA, UCLA Extension, Pepperdine, Loyola, Learning Annex, and Columbia College Hollywood. Among her proofreading/copyediting clients are publishers, authors, screenwriters, graphic design firms, and public relations agencies. She delivers eagle-eye proofreading on time and on budget, with complete confidentiality.

Proofreading/Copyediting samples upon request.
Contact: FloATwordsalamode.com.
(Please note that the word “AT” is spelled out to discourage spammers. You know what to use in its place.)

What they say about Flo's proofreading and copyediting:

“Your work on this project has been exemplary. I can’t thank you enough for the skills, the talent, and the commitment you brought to proofreading and ‘fixing’ Basil’s manuscript. We are both very grateful and enormously appreciative. Looking forward to our next project together.” -- Brad Lemack, President, Ingenuity Press USA - www.ingenuitypressusa.com    "Flo Selfman is wonderful. Her proofreading skills have made a tremendous impact on the quality of work our clients submit. Her professionalism and acuity make Flo a delight to work with!" -- Ray Driver, CEO, Reflections Publishing, Inc. - www.reflectionspublishings.net   “When the matter is proofreading, there is no question, no wondering. The response is simple and automatic: For proofreading, call Flo. As keen as are my editor’s eyes, I would not rely on my eyes alone, for I know all too well that writers and editors cannot see certain problems in text they have read a dozen times. They must call upon another set of eyes—expert eyes—to comb that final (or near-final) copy. And if you could proofread our book of spoonerisms, you can surely proofread all else. Good to know you are there.” -- Les Boston, Managing Editor, Stone and Scott, Publishers - www.StoneandScott.com    "Although ultimately it's the script's quality and the demands of the marketplace that determine whether or not it sells, perfect use of language can increase a reader's chance of recognizing the quality of your work. Before sending it to a studio or an agent, always proofread your screenplay several times, then have a friend do it-then give it to Flo!" -- Gary Gelt, writer, In His Father's Shoes; winner, two Daytime Emmy awards, including Outstanding Children's Special (Showtime)   "In today's competitive publishing and film marketplaces, professional presentation is a must! I urge writers to have their work proofread by an expert before they submit - and when it comes to proofreaders, Flo Selfman is number one on my list." -- Monica Faulkner, Editorial Consultant, Faulkner Editorial Services - www.laeditorsandwritersgroup.com   “Without you, the IWOSC newsletter would have been full of grammatical gaffes and punctuation pratfalls. Not a good situation for an organization of professional writers! It’s impossible to catch all the errors in your own work, so your sharp eyes and fast turnaround always saved the day. In fact, I’d advise anyone who works with text to ‘go with the Flo!’” -- Paula Johnson, creative consultant; former editor, IWOSC newsletter - www.PaulaLJohnson.com   "Flo has worked for me twice, on two book-length nonfiction manuscripts. She is organized, focused, and conscientious, and takes an interest in both the content and style of what she is proofreading, and so has caught content errors in the course of her work. She knows grammar and punctuation and some of the more arcane rules of language usage that I have long forgotten about. I recommend her highly.” -- Penelope Grenoble O’Malley, author, Malibu Diary: Notes from an Urban Refugee; Stones Against the Rain: An Anthropology of Urban Cougars   “We know your editing skills to be first rate. Thanks for your diligence and expertise. It was great working with you again.” -- Mark Sedenquist, RoadTripAmerica online magazine; manager of Megan Edwards, author, Roads From the Ashes - www.roadtripamerica.com   “Endless thanks for the proofing on our book - spectacular job!” -- Zane Buzby, Executive Director, The Survivor Mitzvah Project - www.survivormitzvah.org   "You do such fabulous work! I'm in awe of what you do." -- Mel Kaufmann, Total Relationship Marketing expert and seminar leader; author, The Millionaire's Handbook and Little Miracles   "Thanks for your great work. You caught some really bad ones!” -- Melissa Messer, Messer Design (bank annual reports, corporate brochures) - www.messerdesign.com   "Everyone [at a leading international manufacturing company] loved your work! They thought they had found everything but you found at least one [error] on every page, sometimes more." -- William Leidenthal, graphic designer for a 225-page technical manual   "You are an unbelievably patient and intelligent copy editor. Because of your help, my first novel is a book I am extremely proud of. Thank you so much for everything.” -- Kurt Bensworth, author, What Love Looks Like - www.kurtbensworth.com   "This is wonderful editing, as I knew it would be, and I look forward to working with you again." -- Carolyn M. Campbell, Campbell Communications   www.cmcampbellcommunications.com   "I’m so glad you’re in the world! I proofed those pages myself and missed everything you caught.  You’re good!" --Sylvia Cary, MFT, Therapists Who Write Editorial Services  www.TherapistsWhoWrite.com   "Can I just set you on my desk, or better on my shoulder to follow my every keystroke?!!!! Please."   -- Dorothy Supri, Website and Graphics Design A Matter of Pixels.com   "I worked with Flo on several jobs and she was the finest proofreader I ever worked with in this business. She never missed a word or punctuation. I wish all my clients would allow me to use her on every job. Many clients flinch at the extra proofreader charges, preferring to do it themselves. Then after the job comes back from the printer with typos, they're very sorry they didn't allow me to hire Flo."  -- Gary M. Alpern, Hipnotic Inc   www.hipnoticinc.com   “Thank you for making this a better book.”   -- Brad Lemack, author-publisher, “The New Business of Acting”   www.IngenuityPressUSA.com     "As a book designer my publishers sometimes need an editor or proofreader. Flo Selfman is a really good proofreader and a very knowledgeable editor -- plus I just like working with her."  -- Dotti Albertine, book cover and interior designer   www.dotdesign.net    "I hired Flo to edit and proofread my first book, Alex and the Amazing Dr. Frankenslime. Her keen vision and bazillion pairs of eyes ensured my book was highly professional and easy to read. She has a finely attuned attention to detail and a willingness to go the extra mile to track down the correct usage of a word or reference. She found everything I couldn't see and that is truly impressive." -- Margot Desannoy, MFT, Author, Alex and the Amazing Dr. Frankenslime   www.yellowdaffodilpress.com    "It was a pleasure working with Flo; her keen eye caught many mistakes on our project, and I would not hesitate to hire her again." -- Dominic Pagone, Director of Publicity, FX Networks

  

Think you don't need a proofreader?

Neither did the professionals who signed off on documents that contained these errors and many more! * ≈ "Atheletic Hall of Fame" (from a bank's annual report) ≈ "Faulty artists Leonard and Fitz-Gerald play sonatas for cello and piano...." (Los Angeles Times Calendar section) ≈ "Two Night's Lodging" (full-color ad in national magazine) ≈ "The Ox-Box Incident" (from a TV network press kit) ≈ "So I take Flex-A-Min everyday. It works for me." (James Brolin quote in full-page, four-color ad in Modern Maturity magazine) ≈ "...which inspires him to pursue a rigorous workout regime to the amazement of his mother." (from a film review in Daily Variety) ≈ "The United States Veteran's Wish To Thank...." (headline from a full-page Los Angeles Times ad for a fundraising dinner honoring major political and entertainment industry figures) ≈ "...which was reproduced from an original design by Elsa Shapperelli" (from a major film studio press kit) ≈ the director's name spelled two different ways in a studio press kit for a new film ≈ "hor d'ouevres" (from an all-day PR conference brochure sent by a Southern California chapter of a national PR organization) ≈ "Repeated a boilerplate sentence." "Repeated a boilerplate sentence." (TV network press kit document) * If you don't recognize the above as errors, ask Flo!

About Us

Roberta Edgar

Flo Selfman