Copy and line editing

sentence-level polish
which one do i need?

Copy and line editing explained

Copyediting:

  • Fixes things at a technical level (such as errors in punctuation and grammar). Changes are made to improve the accuracy, consistency, and flow of the text.
  • An industry style guide is applied (such as Chicago for US English, and New Hart’s Rules for UK English). This keeps track of changes and ensures consistency.
  • A comprehensive style sheet is created for the book to track editorial decisions and make sure these are kept in place – even across a series.
  • A copyedit may also include some formatting and tidying up if required, such as chapter headings, page breaks, scene breaks, and indents.

Line editing

  • More stylistic and in-depth. It looks at flow, sense, word choice, passages that could read better, and so on.
  • Focuses on improving your writing stylistically, helping you to become a better writer and to brush up on areas of craft that you struggle with.
  • Addresses things such as: redundancy, confusing or unclear sections, unnatural changes in tone, pacing, and so on.
  • It’s sometimes known as heavy copyediting, as it has crossover, but line editing goes deeper. Think of it like a sentence-level writing coach.
how i edit

My approach

For self-publishing authors, I usually recommend a combined edit, including both copyediting and line editing tasks. This means a more well-rounded edit, covering all bases, both technical and stylistic. It ensures you get the most polished version of your manuscript from one edit, and you get the benefit of some line-level coaching to help you improve your writing in the future. That being said, I’ll always work with your needs as an author in mind, and these services can be separated if you don’t want both.

If you’re seeking traditional publication, copyediting would be provided by your publisher. You won’t need to pay for that service independently. If you’re concerned about sentence-level issues before you submit to agents, a line edit on its own may be beneficial to smooth out your work before submission.

what you get

Service includes…

For a combined copy and line edit, you will receive a fully edited manuscript, marked up in Microsoft Word using the Track Changes feature. This is the easiest way for you to see and understand my edits and comments, as everything is tracked in red. (It’s not as scary as it sounds, promise!).

You’ll also receive a set of editing notes in a separate document, explaining areas of the edit in more detail, and a comprehensive style sheet.

If you aim to pursue traditional publishing and would like a line edit on its own, the style sheet may be left out.

still unsure?

Here’s what other writers say!

Her editing skills are top-quality

I can’t praise Rachel enough. From the first conversation we had, I could see how professional she was, but, more importantly, how much she genuinely wanted to help bring my projects to life. Her editing skills are top-quality, not only catching and highlighting issues for me to address but giving me detailed feedback and critiques to help me improve as a writer. As an added bonus, every deadline was met and work was delivered promptly, which helped me keep to my own schedules. I look forward to working with her on future projects!
dave mccreery
Sci-fi and fantasy author
Website

Enthusiasm and kindness

The editing and feedback Rachel has provided have proven invaluable to the structure of my work, and my progress as a fledgling writer. She not only patiently explained each change she made to my manuscript, but she also gave me advice about the grammatical mistakes I was repeatedly making. Her obvious love of reading and enthusiasm for writing make her a great editor, but her kindness makes her an excellent one. Rachel’s editing was carried out quickly, to an incredibly high standard, and I cannot recommend her highly enough, except to say that I hope to be coming to her with my manuscripts for many years to come.
ashlie m.
YA author

Respecting my voice

The thing that convinced me to keep going was the quality of your editing and the dedication you put into it – you didn’t just point to the issues, you came to me with real, constructive ideas and suggestions. These are very helpful to a non-native English speaker, since showing me what you mean can make up for thousands of words of advice. What’s more, you did all this while truly respecting my voice and authorial style. I am impressed.
catherine stowe
Sci-fi/thriller author
Website

A devoted editor

I am a new writer, and Rachel not only seemed very interested in my book, but she often communicated with me about the editing itself, which I was very new at. Rachel went over my monster of a manuscript and showed me parts that needed to be rewritten, fixed, and changed and I feel my manuscript will become better because of it. If you are a new writer, and would like a professional to go over your book, I believe Rachel is one of the most devoted to making your book the best it can be.
A.L. Hornbeck
Fantasy author
book your copy/line edit