Meet Judith Schwartz | Copy editor providing editing, proofreading, writing and other skills for advertising/marketing agencies, nonprofits, individuals and companies.andnd business.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Judith Schwartz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Judith, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
After Peace Corps and world travel in the 1960s, then coming to Denver, two children to support, with the boys and I being the first residents of Warren Village, the first single-parent housing in the U.S., I became a court reporter and deposition taker, putting out transcripts of major Denver personalities in the political, real estate, construction and medical fields, I then worked in crime victim assistance, including with the police and developing crime prevention materials. Next, I worked in the early years of the HIV/AIDS health epidemic and created materials to assist people newly infected to assist them in their lives. I was encouraged to become a copy editor for advertising/marketing agencies and worked on everything from Denver Zoo materials to packaging to restaurant menus. Along the way I was personally copyediting materials for authors, grad school students, educational and financial organizations, nonprofits, medical organizations, business schools, etc., and so, after many layoffs, terrible supervisors who did not care about their employees and approaching the right age, I was able to fully engage in my own business. I have never had to market myself as people who knew me or were recommended by them have continually brought business to me. I have copyedited books now selling on Amazon, including one by a Nobel Prize nominee friend who provided camps for children affected by war to just be kids away from the trauma. Present clients include a law firm with 12 sites across the U.S. and a major Washington office, a wind energy company, agency doing rural banking organization advertising, an airplane engine company, and many more. I am an ace fact checker and that makes it fun. At 77, I enjoy what I am doing and can provide educational funding for my grandkids. A win-win situation.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am proud of the excellence of my work and the rapport I have established with my clients. I have worked with so many people who are trying to do good work in this difficult world. Nothing in life is really easy but always accepting challenges and new topics has been fulfilling, and all the people I have worked with appreciate that. Whether it takes me 15 minutes or 40 hours, I stick with it and make sure the product is well-edited and that I am available for any questions people have. I use the appropriate style guides and have developed style guides for major companies so we are all on the same page, so to speak. The hardest part is getting people to read through, aloud if possible, so they can find errors before it goes to me. I get paid by the time it takes me but encourage people to be their own copy editors. Not something that people do in this fast-paced world, unfortunately.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The Denver Art Museum, Clyfford Still Museum, Botanic Gardens, Museum of Nature and Science, Colorado Ballet, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Santa Fe and other art districts. I attend all the art festivals and dance festivals. There are too many restaurants to name but all ethnic and world food restaurants are my favorites. I knew Lily who started the first Thai restaurant in the U.S. on Logan St. and then her son and wife’s that was across from the old Stapleton Airport. Eating out was dull until the immigrants from Vietnam and other countries arrived and we could enjoy fabulous cuisines. I will be attending a local Turkish restaurant with my Turkish neighbor soon.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
A graduate school professor who told me I had the stuff to complete the master’ degree and my daughter-in-law who encouraged me to become a copy editor. Plus, my family and friends who stood by me during the many job layoffs. And my clients who always thank me with exclamation points when I return the completed documents back.