SERVICES PROVIDED

I provide copyediting services for all kinds of writers. In addition to the typical errors copyeditors correct, there are several more things I look for. When you are done writing and making any changes to your story, my job is to completely polish your novel. When I’m done editing your manuscript, there will be no more errors.

COPYEDITING FICTION

Here are the things I look for when editing a fiction manuscript: 

• Spelling Errors

• Grammatical Errors

• Punctuation (such as missing quotation marks or overused suspension points)

• Capitalization (I’ll make sure it’s correct and consistent.)

• Tense

• Syntax (I’ll rearrange sentences that are awkward to read.)

• Repetition (such as too many participial phrases in a row)

• Sentence Structure (If there are sentence fragments, I will do what I can to correct them without changing the feel the author is going for.)

• Continuity (If a character gets shot in the right arm, I’ll make sure it doesn’t suddenly switch to the left.)

• Timeline Errors (I will discover them and then do what I can to help you figure out how to fix them.)

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I will be vigilant while editing your novel, looking out for anything that doesn’t seem right. If a character does something that seems contrary to how you’ve described him or her, I’ll bring it to your attention by inserting a note at that point in the manuscript. Or if a character does some math, I’ll check it (to the best of my ability) and let you know if it’s wrong. I don’t draw a firm line between the things I’ve listed above and other errors I see. If I detect that something is off, I will always let you know and will help in whatever way I can.

COPYEDITING NONFICTION

Here are the things I look for when editing a nonfiction manuscript: 

• Spelling Errors

• Grammatical Errors

• Punctuation (such as missing quotation marks or misused ellipses)

• Capitalization (I’ll make sure it’s correct and consistent.)

• Tense

• Syntax (I’ll rearrange sentences that are awkward to read.)

• Repetition (such as an overused word or phrase)

• Sentence Structure (If there are sentence fragments, I will do what I can to correct them without changing the feel the author is going for.)

• Names (If it’s a famous person, I’ll make sure the name is spelled correctly. If it’s someone only known to the author, I’ll make sure it’s spelled the same throughout the manuscript.)

• Locations

• Dates

• Quotations (I’ll verify that the quotation is completely accurate and is attributed to the right person.)

• Endnotes and Footnotes (I’ll check the order to make sure there are no skipped numbers, and I’ll verify that each note is connected to the right source.)

• Sources and Bibliographies (I’ll make sure the source is written completely accurately and is in the correct format.)

• Fact Checking (If there are any facts mentioned that don’t fit under the categories above, I will do my best to verify their accuracy.)

STYLE GUIDE

I refer to the Chicago Manual of Style for all of my editing. I stick with American English rules, but if I notice British spellings (like "theatre," "behaviour," or "grey"), I'll defer to the writer's preference and will make sure everything is consistent throughout the novel. If there is a certain styling that you would like to keep in your novel, please let me know, and I’ll check for consistency with that, too. For instance, the Chicago Manual of Style says that suspension points should be three spaced periods. But if you have a preference for Microsoft Word’s special formatting for suspension points, let me know, and I’ll make sure all of them are formatted that way.