Copy editing
What is copy editing?
What isn’t copy editing? A complex and demanding job, this is the stage a manuscript goes through after developmental editing to get it ready for typesetting. It needs to be correct and consistent throughout, as well as clear, engaging and unambiguous. As such, copy editing looks at the text from a few different angles.
Such as?
Perhaps the quickest way to answer that question is to divide the job into two broad categories.
Applying an overall style and correcting the text:
correcting and standardising the grammar, spelling and punctuation
checking and formatting the referencing and index
marking up the text elements for the typesetter
2. Looking at the content to make sure it says what it means to say, without mistakes and as clearly as possible:
making sure the text is coherent and doesn’t contradict itself
picking up on ambiguities and inconsistency in the phrasing and details
checking and editing tables, graphs and figures
identifying material that is potentially offensive, insensitive or non-inclusive
fact checking and amending as necessary
What about things like tone, sentence structure and word choice?
Yes, they are definitely part of the overall copy-editing process. They come under the heading of line editing, which focuses on the organisation and presentation of content. It involves rewriting to improve style or eliminate ambiguity, reorganising and tightening the text line by line. So while copy editing thinks in terms of correctness and consistency, line editing thinks about flow and clarity.
It’s often easier to think of this as a separate job because writers sometimes want line editing by itself, but it is easily combined with copy editing.
What does a copy edit look like?
The main body of the text is marked up onscreen in Word, which means it comes back to you with lots of red lines in it (other colours are available). All changes are recorded like this so that you can decide what to keep or discard.
Anything in the text which can’t be addressed without your input is recorded as an author query, and amendments are made when you’ve had the chance to look over these and respond.
What you’ll get back is an edited manuscript along with author queries, a style sheet showing the style decisions made, and any other documentation needed to explain things.
How much does it cost?
Honest answer: it varies. It depends on the specific job.
A non-fiction book with tables, figures and references that requires a lot of fact checking naturally takes longer than a novel, where the focus is on the consistency and correctness of the text and the details of the story.
The quickest way to find out is to email me. When I’ve got an idea of your project and needs for it I’ll give you a straightforward answer about the price. I am always happy to carry out a sample edit so you can decide whether you think I’m a good match for your project.
How can I find out more?
You can get in touch to talk about your needs and request a sample edit. I’ll gather some information from you and complete an edit on a short section of your text, returning a marked-up document along with any other documentation. It’ll give you a good idea of what a complete copy edit will look like, and help you decide whether I’m the right editor for you.