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 whose eyes change colors from one page to the next (with no scientific or magical interference, mind you!), 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. 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:

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?
Consistency. Is the main character named Jemma in chapter one but Gemma in chapter eight? 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?
Clarity. Will the audience understand the vocabulary and sentence structure? Are there any words or sentences that are confusing?

What's included in a copyedit?

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

Your edited manuscript, including my comments and tracked changes.
A clean version of the edited manuscript with all my changes accepted and comments deleted.
A brief edit summary, which goes over any major changes I made and draws your attention to questions that may need your consideration.
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 with me, where you can ask any questions you have about the edits I made. This follow-up can be done via email, video chat, social media message, or even text if that’s your preference.

How much does it cost?

$0.02–$0.04 USD per word

(That’s $1,000–$2,000 for a 50,000-word novel.)

Pricing depends on the complexity of the project and the amount of editing required. Contact me directly (toni@editsbytoni.com) to get a personalized quote.

*Note that I currently offer whole-book copyediting only to clients I've worked with before. (The process goes much, much smoother if I'm already familiar with your writing style.)

If you're new to me and my editing, I offer a single-chapter copyedit (7,000 words or less) for $150 to brand-new clients. You can also check out my other editorial services here.