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Copyediting and Proofreading |
'You did such a good job with my book ... Thank you for your thoughtful and sensitive editing.'
— Jayne Storey, author of The Athlete's Ascent
— Jayne Storey, author of The Athlete's Ascent
You’ve written something you feel proud of, but is your language as clear as it could be, are your spelling, punctuation and grammar accurate, does your document look tidy, is the narrative watertight? Small inconsistencies are often invisible to the writer, who sees what they intended to write rather than what is actually there, and can create a poor impression or weaken the full impact of their words.
I will edit your document with a fresh and well-trained pair of eyes so that your work looks polished and professional, your language shines, and your message reaches your intended readership. Have a look at my testimonials page to hear how pleased others have been with my work.
What is copyediting?
According to one anonymous author, the copyeditor is 'the person who will save you from yourself'. Is your main character six in Chapter 3 and nine in Chapter 7 with no reference to time passing? Did someone 'slam on the breaks' while you went for a 'five-minute brake'? I will spot these issues and edit your text for readability, consistency and flow.
Copyediting is working on draft text, and includes:
What is proofreading?
Otherwise known as 'the last line of defence', proofreading is the final check before publication. It includes:
For an outline of the differences between copyediting and proofreading, have a look at this factsheet produced by the CIEP.
How do I work?
Every project requires different skills and I will liaise with you at the outset, tailoring my approach to suit your budget and requirements.
After carrying out an initial clean-up of your document, I will edit word by word, line by line – first reading for accuracy and then for sense, meaning and flow. I will get in touch with any queries I have. I usually work in Microsoft Word using Track Changes, which allows you to see all the edits I have made and accept or reject them one by one as you go through. (I am happy to explain this process to you if you have never used it before.) I can also work on PDFs, blind or against copy, on hard copy or on-screen, using mark-up tools or the British Standard Institution (BSI) mark-up symbols.
You are the author of your document, and a successful editorial process relies on good communication and trust between author and editor. My aim is not to re-write your ideas, but to help give them the clarity and consistency they need for your voice to be heard.
How much will it cost?
Every editing job is different. Among other factors, the size, complexity, subject matter and initial state of the manuscript will affect the price. Guided by the CIEP's suggested minimum fees, my rates are £30 per hour for proofreading and £35 per hour for copyediting. I prefer to calculate the cost upfront. Having seen a sample of your work, I will estimate how long I think the project will take me and work out the overall price from there. I will keep in touch with you and let you know straightaway if I think the work will take me more or less time than anticipated.
Contact me today to discuss how I can help you with your project, and please click if you would like to view my Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.
I will edit your document with a fresh and well-trained pair of eyes so that your work looks polished and professional, your language shines, and your message reaches your intended readership. Have a look at my testimonials page to hear how pleased others have been with my work.
What is copyediting?
According to one anonymous author, the copyeditor is 'the person who will save you from yourself'. Is your main character six in Chapter 3 and nine in Chapter 7 with no reference to time passing? Did someone 'slam on the breaks' while you went for a 'five-minute brake'? I will spot these issues and edit your text for readability, consistency and flow.
Copyediting is working on draft text, and includes:
- tidying up your document by removing unnecessary spaces and line breaks
- checking for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors
- applying your house style to ensure consistency in things like hyphenation, capitalisation, numbering; or compiling my own according to your majority usage
- improving the flow and tone of your writing, all the time bearing your intended readership in mind
- formatting your document so that the different elements (headings, lists, quotes etc) are presented consistently
- checking content of tables, lists, illustrations etc against text and captions
- checking references are presented correctly
- querying obvious factual inconsistencies and highlighting items that may need permission to use
- flagging potential legal issues.
What is proofreading?
Otherwise known as 'the last line of defence', proofreading is the final check before publication. It includes:
- checking for essential spelling, grammar and punctuation errors
- making minor changes for sense
- checking that pages and chapters are sequenced correctly
- checking that text is formatted consistently
- checking for consistency in design of text and image elements.
For an outline of the differences between copyediting and proofreading, have a look at this factsheet produced by the CIEP.
How do I work?
Every project requires different skills and I will liaise with you at the outset, tailoring my approach to suit your budget and requirements.
After carrying out an initial clean-up of your document, I will edit word by word, line by line – first reading for accuracy and then for sense, meaning and flow. I will get in touch with any queries I have. I usually work in Microsoft Word using Track Changes, which allows you to see all the edits I have made and accept or reject them one by one as you go through. (I am happy to explain this process to you if you have never used it before.) I can also work on PDFs, blind or against copy, on hard copy or on-screen, using mark-up tools or the British Standard Institution (BSI) mark-up symbols.
You are the author of your document, and a successful editorial process relies on good communication and trust between author and editor. My aim is not to re-write your ideas, but to help give them the clarity and consistency they need for your voice to be heard.
How much will it cost?
Every editing job is different. Among other factors, the size, complexity, subject matter and initial state of the manuscript will affect the price. Guided by the CIEP's suggested minimum fees, my rates are £30 per hour for proofreading and £35 per hour for copyediting. I prefer to calculate the cost upfront. Having seen a sample of your work, I will estimate how long I think the project will take me and work out the overall price from there. I will keep in touch with you and let you know straightaway if I think the work will take me more or less time than anticipated.
Contact me today to discuss how I can help you with your project, and please click if you would like to view my Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.
