“I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning, and took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back again.”
~ Oscar Wilde
Copyediting
On copyediting
In the biz, the first draft of a book is called rough copy. Some rounds of edits and revisions later,* the manuscript is polished and ready for public consumption.
Copyediting, then, is the process of reducing friction. Every spelling error, badly chosen word, or self-indulgent detour is an abrasive spot in the text that can haul a reader out of the flow of your story like a fish on a line. (Editors also talk often about improving the flow, incidentally.) These mistakes are chances for readers to think ‘Wait, what?’, blink, and surface back into reality. What’s to stop them, once they’ve paused, from putting your book down for good?
The list of faults a good copyeditor will notice is endless, but here are some of the most common:
Grammatical and linguistic errors
Misplaced commas, ‘button-down shirt’ when you mean ‘button-up shirt’, etc..Poor phrasing
‘Rob smiled with a smile on his face.’**Upset timelines
Hopping from June to August, as the chapter containing July was edited out.Stilted dialogue
Heavy exposition, unnatural phrasing, poor characterisation, etc..Bloat
A lot of obvious bloat is removed during the dev edit, but another 10 or 15 percent of redundant word count usually lingers until copyediting.
Some authors delude themselves into thinking their book is faultless, and even if it’s not, people won’t notice. Wishful thinking, I’m afraid. People will notice, and people will care. They’ll care if you get the names of their sports teams wrong and they care if you force your characters into shorts at Christmas time. They’ll care if you write ‘to’ instead of ‘too’ or ‘infer’ when you mean ‘imply’. They’ll care if you kill someone off and then have them sipping tea three chapters on, and by all the gods, if you force them to read the word ‘zestful’ more than once, they’ll have your guts for garters.
So edit, edit, edit. Sand every rough edge. Polish until your book glows. Then get a second pair of eyes on it, because I promise there’s always more to find.
*Anywhere between 1 and 1,000.
**A real example I found in the depths of my notebook.
My Service
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Send an enquiry through the contact form.
I’ll reply within 48 hours and set up a consultation call (phone or video, whichever you prefer).
We’ll discuss your book and your goals for the edit, as well as your budget and any other relevant information.
Next is the free sample edit. I’ll assess a few pages of your draft, which will give me a good sense of the level of your writing and show you what kind of edits you can expect.
Once we agree the scope of the project, I’ll put a quote together and send a letter of agreement for you to sign.
The work begins. Once I receive the signed letter, deposit of funds, and your draft, I’ll get stuck in.
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A marked-up copy of your manuscript in MS Word. In-line edits will be shown through the ‘tracked changes’ function, and I will leave commentary throughout to highlight issues that need further input or discussion.
A personalized style sheet (unless you are using an existing style guide, such as New Hart’s Rules).
Up to one hour of post-edit consultation to go over any areas of concern, with the option to extend for a further fee.
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I will not use AI to edit your work. This is for two reasons:
I fundamentally oppose the encroachment of AI into creative spaces.
I do a better job than AI does.
If you have further questions, please bring them up in our consultation.
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My standard rate for an all-inclusive copyedit is £13 per 1,000 words. That said, my service is flexible by design. If you’re only looking for a style-edit with no line editing or commentary, I’ll create a quote tailored to you.
My initial consultation is completely free with no obligation, so please do reach out through the enquiry form. I’d love to hear from you.
Let’s Work Together
Ready to polish your manuscript? Get in touch to discuss copyediting.