Copy Edit
Starting at $0.02 per word. I quote the full price after I’ve seen the manuscript.
What I guarantee. And what I don’t.
What it is
A copy edit is a thorough pass through your manuscript focused on correctness. It’s typically the last editing step before you submit to agents or traditional publishers, or before you start typesetting for indie publication.
Some editors call this a proofread, and if that’s the word you searched for, you’re in the right place. What I don’t do is the pass over a fully typeset book, hunting bad word breaks, rivers, widows, and orphans.
When it’s right for you
A copy edit won’t improve your story or your prose—for those you’d want a developmental edit or a line edit. What it does is keep your manuscript from being rejected over technical mistakes. The right time is when you’re confident the story and the writing are as strong as they can be, and you’re ready to publish.
What you get
Marked-up manuscript
I use Microsoft Word Track Changes and Comments to mark up your manuscript extensively, working on correctness rather than story craft or style. You stay in control of your vision and voice throughout: you accept or reject every change yourself.
I correct punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and grammar. I make sure you’re using the right homophone (what I learned in grade school to call a homonym: they’re, there, and their). I fix spacing problems and check that your chapters are numbered in order and titled consistently. In short, I look out for all the nitpicky stuff.
Clean manuscript
Along with the marked-up file, you get a clean version with the changes already accepted. This copy is useful for reading straight through or for handing to a typesetter once you’ve been through the markup.
Style sheet
A consistency tool, and usually one your line editor already started. If you have one, I update it; if you don’t, I build it. It’s an Excel workbook with tabs for your invented words, characters, proper nouns, locations, and any real words with more than one accepted spelling, so we use one throughout.
A style sheet is specific to your manuscript; style guides are specific to industries. I use the Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition, and Merriam-Webster.com. For some manuscripts I’ll suggest another—a military style guide, say, to keep titles, ranks, and unit names consistent in military science fiction.
Turnaround
2–4 weeks. The full quote will include an expected delivery date.
Sample edit
I’m happy to do a free sample copy edit of up to 1,500 words. I prefer to pull a passage from the middle of your novel rather than the opening; first chapters are usually the most rewritten and polished, so they show you the least.
A sample is the best way to see what I catch. My suggestions stay targeted; a copy edit is about correctness, and large rewrites are how new errors get introduced.
How we start
Contact me for an estimate or a complimentary half-hour chat!