Copyediting

Your manuscript is nearing its final form. Ideas flow logically, plot holes are filled, and chapters and appendices are ideally placed. It’s time to look at the words more closely.

Note: The copyediting service described on this page is tailored for nonfiction manuscripts. I offer a separate, slightly different copyediting service optimized for fiction manuscripts.

Copyediting involves a sentence-by-sentence, word-by-word, letter-by-letter look at your text. When I copyedit, I’m generally checking the following:

1. Spelling
2. Word usage
3. Syntax
4. Grammar
5. Additional style conventions
6. Clarity
7. Unintentionally repeated words and typos not covered above

By the end of copyediting, your manuscript should be polished and professional, unhindered by grammar errors or inconsistent style.

What’s included?

When I copyedit, I always include the following:

• The edited manuscript. I use Microsoft Word’s Track Changes and comment features to make changes and suggestions in the document.
• A 1–2 page editorial letter explaining the most common types of edits.

I usually include a third item:

• A style sheet customized to this manuscript. This style sheet covers unusual or otherwise notable points of spelling, grammar, and usage. This helps ensure that the author, any proofreader the author may hire, and the copyeditor are on the same page regarding style decisions.

A note on style: Many writers are first introduced to style guides when they’re learning to cite sources. However, style guidelines cover much more than citation format. For example, The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS), my preferred style guide, gives tips on word choice, comma use, bibliographies, ellipsis format, and more. When I say “style conventions,” I’m usually referring to conventions laid out in CMOS or another style guide. However, I don’t consider those to be ironclad. I allow—and sometimes encourage—appropriate deviations from the client’s chosen style guide. “Appropriate deviations” are decided on a manuscript-by-manuscript, case-by-case basis.

What copyediting is not:

1. Proofreading. Copyediting and proofreading are easily conflated outside the writing industry—but to a professional book editor, they’re very different. Copyediting is part of preparing a text for publication. In this stage, I edit for grammar, word usage, and style. Proofreading usually happens after an edited text is prepared for print (or e-book). In that stage, I check for anything missed in copyediting, and I flag errors that may have been introduced in the typesetting/design process. My publisher clients usually provide me with a PDF instead of a Word document, so I’m seeing each page the way the reader will.
2. Fact-checking. If you write about the Pythagorean theorem, I’ll ensure “Pythagorean” is spelled correctly, but I won’t check to see whether your assertions about the theorem’s history are correct. That said, if you write that a square has three sides, I’ll flag it and ask if you meant “triangle.”
3. Substantive editing. I’ll check for clarity on a sentence level, but it’s not the copyeditor’s job to ensure your arguments are clear or that your introduction doesn’t ramble.
4. A guarantee of perfection. Industry standard isn’t perfection. The longer the manuscript is and the more grammar errors there are to begin with, the more likely it is I’ll miss something. There’s also some room for subjectivity, especially in creative writing. I can guarantee I’ll deliver work at or above industry standard, and that the end product will be more polished and professional as a result.

Is your manuscript a good fit for copyediting?

Every project and author has different needs. Here are some signs copyediting may be the right next step for your manuscript:

• Your manuscript has already been edited for developmental concerns.
• You have performed extensive revisions on your own.
• You are happy with your manuscript’s structure, pacing, and logic.
• You have added and formatted any notes, bibliography, and appendices to the best of your ability.
• You just want a professional to ensure there are no embarrassing grammar errors left.

Before I copyedit a longer work, I will edit an agreed-upon sample. The purpose of the sample is threefold:

• To get to know each other. I will adjust my editing style based on your needs and preferences. Some writers prefer more meddling than others.
• To give me an idea of the manuscript’s needs. This affects my fee.
• To determine whether we want to proceed. Professional editing is an investment. I want you to be confident that I am the right editor for you. If either of us does not wish to continue after the sample is completed, we will part ways here.

If you’d like to hire me for both substantive editing and copyediting, my comprehensive editing package may be right for you.

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