Copy Editing

What is copy editing? Copy editing is the second-to-last phase of professional editing. A piece that is ready for copy editing has been through at least one other professional editor, but usually several. For books, copy editing comes after big-picture services like book coaching, manuscript evaluations, developmental editing, and line editing.

Copy editing focuses more on the smaller details after the larger elements have been addressed—like story arc, character development, plot holes, etc.

Copy editing:

• Corrects incorrect or confusing sentence structure

• Checks for consistency in spelling, punctuation, font usage, numbering, capitalization, abbreviation, hyphenation, etc.

• Checks for inconsistencies in the story, including setting, character description, plot points, etc.

• Fact-checks

• Corrects errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, and syntax

• Checks for formatting inconsistencies

• Checks for adherence to chosen style guide and dictionary (most memoirs use the Chicago Manual of Style and the Merriam-Webster dictionary)

If your manuscript is ready for copy editing, great! Let’s get started!

If you’re not sure what type of editing you need, don’t worry! Get in touch with me, and upon a quick look at your document, I can let you know.