Copyediting

You’ve finished your book, and you’re confident that the story and plot are sound, or, in the case of non-fiction, that it’s organised well and flows logically. Maybe you’ve had feedback from beta readers, or you’ve worked with a developmental editor. And you’ve done your own editing too. Now’s the time for copyediting!

After working on your book for so long, you know it intimately, and it’s incredibly difficult to take a step back and see it objectively. A copyeditor can really lift your book to the next level of professionalism.

Copyeditors look at things like:

• spelling, punctuation and grammar
• clarity and consistency
• unnecessary repetition and redundancy
• whether timelines work
• correct use of tenses
• any ambiguities
• point of view issues

They also look at the way the sentences and paragraphs are put together. They might suggest improvements to enhance the readability of your book so that your readers stay engaged and immersed.

I should mention that some editors differentiate between copyediting and line editing, with line editing being the stylistic process of improving rhythm, flow, and word choice, and copyediting being the more mechanical business of correcting spelling, punctuation and grammar. I combine both in my copyediting and carry out whatever level of editing is appropriate.

Please note that in copyediting I don’t rewrite your work – I make suggestions for you to accept or reject. Your book remains your book!

If you’re not sure whether this is the type of editing your manuscript needs, don’t worry. Just get in touch and we’ll work it out together.

I want to thank you for a job phenomenally well done. Every insight you provided helped the clarity of my meaning.

Guile Branford, Independent author

Does your manuscript need a copyedit?

Are you self-publishing? If so, you really do need to have your book copyedited to make it as slick and professional as possible. Editors who write books also hire copyeditors!

Are you planning to query agents or publishers? If so, you may not need copyediting, because if your book is picked up by a publisher they’ll carry out their own editing. But the field is extremely competitive, so some writers choose to have their manuscript copyedited first to give it a boost. The choice is yours!

What you get with a copyedit from me

1. A line-by-line edit

I’ll edit your book line by line, addressing the kinds of issues listed above. I’ll always stay focused on maintaining your voice and your style, and I won’t make changes for the sake of it. Where I do offer solutions, they’ll be as simple and minimally intrusive as possible.

I explain my edits so that you can understand the reasoning behind them and take that knowledge into future writing, and I applaud the stuff that’s great, so you know to do more of it!

I’ll do all this using Tracked Changes on MS Word (the industry standard). If you’re not familiar with this, let me know and I’ll help!

(I can work in other applications. If you’ve written your book using something other than MS Word, drop me a line and I’ll see what I can do.)

2. An editorial report and style sheet

I’ll write an editorial report to outline any recurring issues in the manuscript and explain how I’ve addressed them and mention anything else I think you need to know.

I’ll also create a style sheet. This documents decisions regarding spelling, punctuation, capitalisation, word choice and so on, giving you context to understand my edits. You can share this style sheet with your proofreader further down the line, so they’ll be aware of these editorial choices (and won’t accidentally ‘correct’ any of your intentional stylistic decisions!). A style sheet is also invaluable as a reference document if you plan to write further books in a series. You can read more about my style sheets here.

If you’re not sure whether a copyedit is what you need, feel free to get in touch.
I’ll be happy to advise and can offer a sample edit to illustrate. 

What you do with the edited manuscript

When you receive the edited manuscript, you’ll need to go through it and decide whether to accept or reject each of my edits. It’s your book, so the final say rests with you. If you need clarification on anything, you can email me, or we can arrange a video call.

Depending on what we’ve agreed together, you might then send it back to me to implement changes or apply formatting so the manuscript is ready for typesetting/layout.

Will your book be error free after copyediting?

That can’t be guaranteed, particularly if there is a lot to address at the copyedit stage. Also, errors can be unintentionally introduced when you review the edits, or during the interior design and layout process.

If you’re self-publishing, I strongly recommend you hire a proofreader after the book has been designed and before you go to print.

If there were extensive edits during the copyedit, or you decided to make considerable changes to the manuscript after it, you might even want to consider another round of copyediting before moving to the design stage.

Cost and timescale

These depend upon the length of your book and the level of editing it requires. I usually ask see your manuscript so I can assess the work needed and quote a project rate, so we both know the cost up front. I can offer payment in instalments for larger projects.

You’ll normally need to book your edit in advance so we can agree on a schedule.

To enquire

Just send me an email! Please include:

• the name of your book
• the genre
• the wordcount
• what your plans are (such as seeking a traditional publishing deal or self-publishing)
• whether your manuscript has been through any previous rounds of professional editing
• any other details you feel might be important

I’ll get back to you, and we can take it from there.

Please also take a look at my Terms and Conditions for more information about working with me.