Available services

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Copy Editing

Corrects errors in mechanics (spelling, grammar, punctuation) and style; checks for internal consistency; may involve some content revision at the heaviest level. Project rate depends on level of editing needed and number of rounds of edits. Get a free editing sample and proposal for specifics about your project.

Copy editing covers the following items:

  • Corrects errors in mechanics and usage

  • Ensures consistency in spelling, hyphenation, numerals, fonts, and capitalization

  • Marks inappropriate figures of speech and ambiguous or incorrect words

  • Keeps track of continuity and internal consistency

    • character names and descriptions

    • tense, point of view, and other story elements

    • timeline

  • Eliminates wordiness

  • Smooths transitions

  • Moves placement of sentences to provide better flow

  • Suggests additions and deletions

  • Develops a style sheet (or uses a style sheet if the project already has one)

Note: My definition of copy editing also includes line editing, which is not at the level of developmental editing but does include story elements at the sentence level. (See more details below.)

Copy editing rates range from $10-$30 per 1000 words (1-3 cents per word) based upon the level of copy editing needed (assessed through the writing sample) and the number of rounds of editing.

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Proofreading

Occurs after text has been copy edited as a final step before publication (often after layout has occurred); corrects basic mechanical errors (e.g., typos, subject-verb disagreement, word usage, and misspellings). Flat rate for project based upon word count.

Proofreading covers the following corrections:

  • spelling errors

  • punctuation errors

  • formatting errors

Note: Proofreading is not a substitute for copy editing. Your project needs to go through copy editing before it hits the proofreading stage.

Proofreading rates range from $5-$10 per 1000 words (0.5 to 1 cent per word).

 

Different levels of editing

 

After you’ve finished your manuscript, you have quite a few options for revising/editing your book. These are divided into two main types of editing: story level and sentence level.

Story level

Beta reading: Think of this level as giving a reader (or readers) your manuscript to take on a test drive. The beta reader should give you their overall thoughts on issues such as plot, characterization, and how engaged they were with the story. The beta reader should not provide comments about mechanics (spelling/grammar/punctuation).

Manuscript evaluation/critique: A level up from beta reading, a manuscript evaluation provides a report that analyzes the novel and gives suggestions for improvements.

Developmental editing: At this level, the editor is getting deep into the details of the book, providing overall comments as well as more specific comments within the text itself. The focus here is on plot and story arcs, character development and arcs, structure and pacing, viewpoint and tense, and elements within the genre. This can be an intense process, resulting in a lot of revision.

Note: None of these stages should address issues in mechanics (spelling/grammar/punctuation). It’s not important yet whether you have commas in all the right places when you’re still rewriting whole scenes and paragraphs.

I do not provide story-level editing services. Your manuscript should already have gone through these stages before you send it to me.

Sentence level

Line editing: The major points of the plot, characterization, and structure should be set. During a line edit, the editor still considers elements such as plot and characterization but on a smaller scale—at the level of the sentence. For example, is this piece of dialogue something this character would say? Are the sentences all the same length and thus affecting the pacing in the paragraph?

Copy editing: Described more fully above, copy editing is all about the mechanics of each sentence, looking at the spelling/grammar/punctuation. This is also the level where logical flow from sentence to sentence is checked as well as consistency in story. Does a character’s eyes change color halfway through the story? Does the timeline work out? The editor uses a style sheet to keep track of all the details (from whether you use grey or gray, for example, to descriptions of characters and other such details).

Frequently, editors who work with indie authors will combine line and copy editing. That’s what I typically do, though I recommend at least two rounds of editing to make sure everything is addressed. Editors who have experience with traditional publishing houses make a strict distinction between line and copy editing, so be sure you know what is included by the term “copy editing” when you are looking for an editor so you are both on the same page.

Proofreading: Throughout the process, as careful as everyone can be, errors always slip through. Proofreading is that final run through the manuscript to make sure those errors don’t slip through the cracks. This level often takes place after formatting so that formatting errors can also be checked (making sure words don’t break strangely on lines, running headers are correct, etc.). Proofreading is only going to catch the actual errors, not the stylistic concerns of a line/copy edit.

“It’s incredibly comforting to have someone like Karen in your book’s corner.”

— J.D. Miller, author of The Steel Harvest