Line/Copyediting
Your project's story and structure are solid. Now let's make it sparkle at the level of each paragraph, sentence, and word.
Here you have some options:
All of these services include:
Because we’re all trying to be kind and get it right, I always query, explain, and propose solutions if I encounter language, storytelling, or framing that strikes me as potentially harmful to readers because of connections to ableism, racism, fat phobia, classism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, or any other cultural yuckiness.
- A copyedit attends to consistency, correctness, and adherence to a particular publisher’s (or your own) style requirements: noticing that a sentence’s grammar went wonky, a “you’re” snuck in where “your” belongs, or that the color is spelled “grey” in some places and “gray” in others, for example. A copyeditor combs the text for errors, suggests corrections, and queries the author when uncertain of the intended meaning. This is for you if your manuscript has already been line edited and you are seeking a straight-up copyedit as the editorial stage before proofread.
- A line edit focuses on more stylistic issues such as voice, clarity, readability, flow, point of view, qualities of language including precision and conciseness, and the relationships amongst language, intended audience, emotion, and tone. A line editor will flag mechanical issues when noticed in passing but is not focused on seeking out every possible error. This is the way to go if you want someone to focus eagle-eyed on stylistic qualities, jump into the music of your scenes or sections, and leave the mechanics for later. A partial line edit—this kind of stylistic edit applied to a limited amount of the text—can be an economical option for writers who are confident self-editors but want an outside perspective on what’s working and what might benefit from adjustment.
- The service I typically offer at this stage, sometimes called a heavy copyedit, is a hybrid of these two types of edit. Here, I edit for both style and mechanics, which I see as inextricably linked.
All of these services include:
- extensive in-text edits, comments, and queries,
- a style sheet listing details such as how numbers are treated, which spelling is used when multiple options are correct, the nitty gritty of hyphenation, how the text represents text messages or telepathy or whatever you’ve got going on, and details of citation where relevant (or additions to an existing style sheet if you’re already working from one), and
- a detailed editorial letter tailored to your particular concerns, strengths, voice, and values as a writer.
Because we’re all trying to be kind and get it right, I always query, explain, and propose solutions if I encounter language, storytelling, or framing that strikes me as potentially harmful to readers because of connections to ableism, racism, fat phobia, classism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, or any other cultural yuckiness.
Eliot is everything I want in working with a freelance copyeditor. They’re 100% on the ball, prompt and communicative, and they will nudge me to keep a project moving forward when necessary. They are never shy about asking me clarifying questions, and their speed and accuracy are remarkable. Don't hesitate to hire them.
—Mary Duffy, Editor, Choice of Games
genres & content
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I am available to edit:
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I don’t work on material that involves:
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nuts & bolts
I primarily work in American (US) English and am well-versed in The Chicago Manual of Style and loads of other relevant resources.
For line/copyediting, clients typically send me a Word or Pages file, which I edit using Track Changes and Comments. For interactive narratives, I am most used to working in Sublime Text on games written in ChoiceScript. Let me know if you have other needs.
For line/copyediting, clients typically send me a Word or Pages file, which I edit using Track Changes and Comments. For interactive narratives, I am most used to working in Sublime Text on games written in ChoiceScript. Let me know if you have other needs.
pricing
My rates for line/copyediting services are tailored to individual projects and writers. As we get to know each other, I typically offer multiple options—with examples of what each one looks like on an excerpt of your manuscript—and work with you to figure out what best meets your needs in terms of depth, scope, and cost.
See my Services Menu for current pricing information, including starting per-word rates for these services.
Please be in touch to start a conversation about possibilities tailored to your project!
See my Services Menu for current pricing information, including starting per-word rates for these services.
Please be in touch to start a conversation about possibilities tailored to your project!
What's next?
If you think this sounds promising, let’s communicate! The first step in my process is to get to know you and your work and, of course, answer your questions. From there, I’ll ask to see some excerpts from the text to be edited. All that data allows me to put together one or more custom editorial packages for you to consider, along with samples of what my work looks like in the context of your own writing. Then, if we’ve determined it’s a good fit, we’ll sign an agreement and get to work!
