As a writer of the South Asian diaspora, most of my books revolve around settings, themes and characters of South Asian origin, and in specific to India. But I'm often copy-edited by non-South Asian editors and often a turn of phrase or a language nuance has to be explained.
And then recently during a conversation with other South Asian creatives, I realised I'm able to request a South Asian copy editor - not only to bridge the cultural divide but also correct me if I have got something wrong within the culture.
So I sent out a tweet requesting for recommendations and here are some amazing South Asian copy editors I identified. Most of these folks are based in the UK with an occasional exception.
Ayesha Chari - https://twitter.com/ayesha_chari
Riffat Yusuf - https://twitter.com/ryusufedit
Mariam K S Hakim - https://twitter.com/MariamKSHakim
Shweta Krishnan - https://twitter.com/shwetakrishnan
Alia Waheed - https://twitter.com/AliaWaheed
Mohini Gupta - https://twitter.com/mohinigupta28
Naima Rashid - https://twitter.com/NaimaRashid_
Before you recommend one of the editors listed to your publisher, do check with the copy editor whether they work on projects similar to yours.
If you are still looking, in the UK, try, the CIEP - the professional body for copy editors. They might be able to recommend a suitable copyeditor.
Chitra Soundar, is a writer, author and storyteller. She is also the founder of The Colourful Bookshelf.