What is copyediting?
Copyediting is sentence-level editing to take a raw draft and make it ready for publication, whether that be self-publishing, posting on a blog or website, or during the traditional publishing process. Some independent authors like to have their draft copyedited before formal submission to an agent or publisher, even though it would be copyedited again prior to publication, to ensure their work is as polished as possible and to give it the best chance of being accepted.
How do I know if I need a copyedit?
Copyediting before publishing any text publicly is incredibly beneficial. Publishing a copyedited text will make you appear more professional, dedicated and serious about what you are publishing. But how do you know if your work is ready for copyediting?
Copyediting should only be carried out on a complete draft when you are certain you are happy with the overall structure, plot, characterisation, etc. The text should have been read by at least one other person who has given you objective feedback (read: not your partner, mother, best friend, etc!) and confirmed that the general structure and plot are good with no gaping holes. Ideally, a draft should have a manuscript critique and/or development edit carried out first to ensure these larger issues have all been dealt with and the material is ready for copyediting, but I appreciate this is not always possible.
Copyediting should only be carried out on a complete draft when you are certain you are happy with the overall structure, plot, characterisation, etc. The text should have been read by at least one other person who has given you objective feedback (read: not your partner, mother, best friend, etc!) and confirmed that the general structure and plot are good with no gaping holes. Ideally, a draft should have a manuscript critique and/or development edit carried out first to ensure these larger issues have all been dealt with and the material is ready for copyediting, but I appreciate this is not always possible.
What does it include?
During a copyedit, I will address issues involving:
During a copyedit, I will not address issues requiring:
During a copyedit, I will address issues involving:
- spelling, grammar and punctuation
- tone and level, bearing in mind the intended readership
- imposing house style (if applicable) and consistency with things such as spelling, capital letters, date formats, numbers, character descriptions
- items requiring permission e.g. images, quotations, etc.
- structure – not big changes, but ensuring it is logical and clear
- limited fact checking (place names, dates, etc.)
- flagging up potential legal issues.
During a copyedit, I will not address issues requiring:
- substantial rewriting
- major restructuring
- developing or planning content
- obtaining permissions e.g. for images or quotations
- extensive fact checking
- designing how the final pages will look
- solving legal issues
- producing any images or graphics.