Copyediting
Is your manuscript ready for a final, in-depth cleanup?
Many authors are tempted to skip this stage but later come to regret it when they receive negative reader reviews. Don't let your writing be buried by a few honest human errors.
There are three levels of copyediting: light, medium, and heavy. Every manuscript has different needs, but all manuscripts that undergo a copyedit will receive the same treatment for mechanical elements, correlating parts, and permissions. The differences between levels are most salient in how I treat language and content, so please read the chart carefully.
Though line editing is traditionally separate from copyediting, they are often done at the same time. Copyeditors such as myself are trained to finesse language—even as we fix typos and hyphens! Expect some degree of line editing to be part of the copyediting service, especially in a heavy edit.
For help assessing which type and level of edit your manuscript needs, feel free to contact me—no commitment necessary.
Important elements that I will suggest fixes for include
- grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors
- incorrect or polemic usage
- apparent factual errors
- inconsistencies and contradictions
- repetition and redundancy
- distracting, awkward, or imprecise language
- logic and organization
- correlating parts
You will receive
- 2 passes of the entire manuscript
- In-line edits and suggestions in Word’s Track Changes feature (you can accept or reject these changes in the document)
- Queries embedded in the Word document with questions, suggestions, and comments
- A cover letter that outlines global patterns, suggestions, and issues
- By request, a style sheet that details mechanical and stylistic decisions. The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition; Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th edition; and Garner’s Modern English Usage, 4th edition, inform most of these decisions. If your manuscript requires a different style guide, please let me know before I begin the copyedit.
Free sample edit
Request a Quote
To best understand your project’s needs, pricing, and timeframe, I offer a free sample edit of a few representative pages. If the project is a good fit, we can create a plan on how to best move forward together.