Copyedit: Correcting spelling and grammar
Let’s Perfect Your Text
In the business of publishing, good grammar and spelling is essential. But a good copyedit is much more than that. It is knowing the words to delete—and which sentences can be improved.
In simple terms, it is like watching a bartender polishing glasses. He will look for water spots, remove them, then polish until the glass shines. We just happen to do that with words!
For fiction and non-fiction
In fiction, you want your reader to be engrossed and forget that it’s not real what they’re reading.
In non-fiction, a reader may doubt your credibility—the errors show that you haven’t taken care to make the book as good as it could be.
Recommended for:
Writers planning to self-publish, as well as those wanting to make the best impression with publishers and agents.
Copyediting
How does it work?
A copyedit will ensure your text is polished to publishing-industry standards, affording you the same level of professional presentation as a traditionally published book.
When many corrections need to be made, we advise a second copyedit round. A proofread round is also possible. This is a final check of the manuscript to make sure no errors are remaining.
During a copyedit, the editor will carefully read your manuscript to identify and correct any errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
The editor will also make minor changes to the text to improve the overall flow and choice of wording.
Specialist editing software will also be used to perform several additional consistency checks (e.g., capitalization, hyphenation, abbreviations, missing end quotes, etc.). These checks are particularly helpful for non-fiction and academic texts.
I worked with Judith on a copy edit for my book and am thrilled with the experience. Judith set expectations very clearly and stuck to the timeline she provided. I highly recommend Judith and Book Helpline and will definitely use the service again in the future!
Ginny and Judith were wonderful at expertly addressing all of my concerns regarding getting my book edited and published in a relative short time frame. Judith provided top notch editing, and Ginny was magnificent in coming up with a jacket illustration and formatting for my book. The pricing was more than fair for their excellent effort. I couldn’t be happier with the results. Totally recommend!
This is what you’ll get
With a copy edit you’ll receive two files:
- A file in which the changes made by the editor are visible in a different color. The corrections are made directly to the text and clearly indicated with the help of the Track Changes option in Microsoft Word. That way, it’s easy for you to check what the editor changed.
- You will also received a “clean” version in which the changes are integrated in the text. This is the version to use for formatting and publication.
Want to know more?
Call us on (213) 325-5115 or send an email to info@bookhelpline.com. You can also fill out the form below.
Good to know!
Styleguides and dictionaries
US English: We use Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary and the Chicago Manual of Style
UK English: We use Oxford Dictionary and New Hart’s Rules
If you have other preferences, let us know!
About Us
Book Helpline works with independent authors and small publishers. Our goal is to help authors make their books the best they can be: engaging for the reader, fluent, and grammatically sound. We’re as keen as you are to make your book a success!
We’ve edited a wide variety of publications. These include fiction and non-fiction as well as memoirs, short stories, and children’s books. A selection of these publications can be found on our Edited Books page.
Is your book ready for the next step toward publication?
If you think your book is ready for editing, or if you’re not sure, email us a chapter from your manuscript and we’ll let you know what the best next step would be. info@bookhelpline.com. Prefer to call? Phone Ginny on (213) 325-5115.
Book Helpline
(213) 325-5115 | info@bookhelpline.com