Copyediting comes at the fourth stage of the editing process. It looks at the mechanics of your writing. I’ll read each sentence of your manuscript carefully and seek to fix all errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, consistency, and word usage while preserving your meaning and voice. With your permission, I may rewrite tangled sentences or suggest alternative wordings. When I do, I’ll let you know what my suggestions are in the text. I’ll also mention my suggestions in my weekly email correspondence. I’ll make sure your text conforms to a specific style. If your manuscript includes captions, tables, or footnotes, I’ll check those against the text.
I’ll edit your manuscript using the Track Changes function in Word, and I’ll compile a detailed style sheet that includes every editing decision I make. The style sheet includes every character, setting, editing decision, misspelled words, foreign words, phrases, and exceptions to the preferred style guide. I’ll include the style sheet when I return the edited manuscript. It will also be used by the proofreader who proofreads your manuscript.
While copyediting your adult fiction or nonfiction text, l use the Chicago Manual of Style 17th ed. and online. I also use the Merriam-Webster New Collegiate Dictionary 11th ed. and online. Both are standards in publishing.
If I‘m editing craft books, I use books that are standard for those genres, such as the Knitting Stitch Bible, the Crochet Stitch Bible, and respected knitting or crochet websites and publishers style guides, as well as the style guides mentioned previously. If other crafts have valuable resources, those will be mentioned on the style sheet.
For culinary manuscripts I use Words into Type, The New Food Lover’s Companion, and The Recipe Writer’s Handbook, publishers style guides and online sources, as well as the Merriam-Webster New Collegiate Dictionary.
When editing children’s books, I use the Children’s Writers Word Book, the New Scholastic Children’s Dictionary, and the publishers style guides. Sometimes I use British dictionaries, such as the Collins Dictionary online or The Oxford Dictionary, if I’m working with text that needs to be neutralized.
Add on services, such as a post-edit cleanup, are also available and I’ll explain, offer, and discuss these after I return the edit, or when requested.