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Copyediting

You want your readers completely absorbed in your story. Don’t let the little stuff trip them up! Whether it’s a misspelled word or a character who sits down even though they've been sitting this whole time, it’s the details that can kick your reader out of your fictional world and remind them that it’s indeed just a book. And who wants that?

What exactly is copyediting?

It’s a word-by-word, syllable-by-syllable, forget-the-forest-let’s-focus-on-the-trees edit of your manuscript, meant to catch all the minute errors and slip-ups that you’d prefer your readers not notice.

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Copyediting focuses on the 5 Cs, listed here in the order I personally prioritize them while editing:

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Clarity: Whether the writing makes sense.

Continuity: Whether the facts of the world and actions of the characters connect without error or interruption.

Consistency: Whether choices in spelling, grammar, and punctuation stay the same throughout.

Conciseness: Whether passages are excessively wordy or repetitive.

Correctness: Whether spelling, punctuation, and grammar are correct.

 

This service is perfect after you’ve taken care of all the big changes (think character arcs, overall structure, plot, etc.) and have already combed through for errors yourself.

 

Here’s what I’ll be looking at:

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  • Punctuation. Are all the quotation marks facing the right way? Are there commas in all the places you need them? Does each sentence end with punctuation?

  • Spelling, Typos, and Homonyms. Are all the words used in their correct contexts, and are they spelled properly? Did you write principal where you meant principle?

  • Syntax. Are the sentences written in a way that conveys your meaning clearly? Do all the modifiers modify the right words/phrases? Are all the sentences complete?

  • Grammar. Is the overall tense consistent? Do the verbs agree with their subjects? Do the pronouns match their nouns?

  • Clarity. Will the audience understand the vocabulary and sentence structure? Are there any words or sentences that are confusing enough to trip up a reader?

  • Continuity. Does the magic system contradict itself? Do characters leave a room after they've already left or sit down after they've already been sitting?

  • Consistency. Is the main character named Jemma in Chapter 1 but Gemma in Chapter 8? Is the serial (aka Oxford) comma used in some places but not others?

  • Conciseness. Are there any words or sentences that are repeated or redundant? Are there any places that are wordy enough to be distracting?

  • Correctness: Allowing for individual author voice, are the spelling, punctuation, and grammar of the writing correct as per the dictionary and the Chicago Manual of Style?

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What's included in a copyedit?

When you get your edits back from me, you’ll find four documents:

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  1. Your edited manuscript, including my comments and tracked changes.

  2. A clean version of the edited manuscript with all my changes accepted and comments deleted.

  3. A brief edit summary, which goes over any major changes I made and draws your attention to questions that may need your consideration.

  4. A style sheet detailing your preference in spellings, punctuation usage, and other style elements, along with listing characters and settings.

 

You also get a one-hour follow-up Q&A with me, where you can ask any questions you have about the edits I made. This follow-up can be done via email or video chat.

How much does it cost?

Short Stories/Novelettes (up to 20,000 words) - $600

Novellas/Short Novels (up to 50,000 words) - $1,400

Standard Novels (up to 90,000 words) - $2,500

Long Novels (up to 130,000 words) - $3,600

Epic Novels (up to 200,000 words) - $5,600​

​*Note that full-length novel copyedits are only available to returning clients.

 

If you're new to me and my editing, please book a Mini Copyedit (see below) or another editing service to get started. Once we know each other a little better, we can talk about a full-length copyedit. You can check out my other editorial services here.

Mini Copyedit

A mini copyedit is the exact same as regular copyedit. (Want to know what exactly is involved? Scroll up!) The only difference is that it covers 7,000 words from your manuscript instead of the whole book.

Why book a mini copyedit?

There are several ways to make use of a mini copyedit! Here's what some past clients have used it for:

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  • To improve your own knowledge of writing mechanics for future books.

  • To test out whether we're a good editor-author match and whether my editing style suits your personality and writing style.

  • To spot-check a novel that was previously edited, but readers have been contacting you about errors.

  • ​To preview the types of errors that might be present elsewhere in the novel so you can do a more thorough job self-editing. (Great for authors who don't have the budget available for a full-novel edit.)

  • To edit a specific part (or parts) of the book that wasn't previously edited—the author's note, the acknowledgments page, the back cover blurb, a newly added prologue or epilogue, etc.

How much does it cost?

$150 for up to 7,000 words

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