My Editing Services

What does an editor even do? Essentially, an editor helps writers prepare their work for publication. Learn about the types of editing I offer so you can speak my language and ask for the right kind of help.

Critique

If you have written a manuscript and you want to get a good idea of its strengths and weaknesses without investing an arm and a leg, you may want to start with a critique. My feedback will let you know what's working, what's not working, and suggest structural and organizational changes you could make for yourself before beginning the editing process.

Comprehensive Editing

In a comprehensive edit, I provide summary feedback on the document as a whole to address the strengths and weaknesses I find, as well as recommend areas to revise or develop.

In addition, I mark up the document with an intensive line and copy edit, meaning I correct style errors such as APA/MLA (or AP, or Chicago style -- you name it!), grammar, punctuation, spelling, word choice, and formatting issues, as well as suggest changes to help with clarity, tone, flow, and organization. I provide comments throughout the document as needed to point out obvious factual errors and problems with logic, or identify corrections the writer will need to make.

Comprehensive edits are the most expensive and time-consuming to complete, and if you are pursuing a big project like a novel or dissertation, a comprehensive edit is only the first step in the editing process.

Copy Editing

​When I copy edit, I correct mechanical errors like grammar, punctuation, spelling, word choice, and formatting. If you are following a style such as APA or MLA, I correct those types of errors as well. I make recommendations to improve clarity, and I comment within the document on everything from organization and structure to items the writer needs to clarify or correct, but I do not attempt to fix major issues and missing content.

In terms of time and cost, copy editing is in the mid-range. This is probably the most common service I provide, but not everyone's work is ready for a copy edit without comprehensive editing first. Writing that has major structural/organizational issues, poorly developed ideas, and extensive mechanical errors must be improved to a minimum level before it can be copy edited.

Proofreading

Proofreading is a crucial final step in the professional publishing process. After all other issues with the document have been resolved, including layout and typesetting, the proofreader's role is to find those persistent, miscellaneous errors missed in all the prior passes during the comprehensive and copy editing phases.

When I proofread, I am checking for all manner of typos and mechanical errors, including style, but I do not concern myself with content.

Still not sure what you need?

Ask! Just reach out to me via my contact page and I will reply with more information. Feel free to request a free 30-minute consultation where I can evaluate your current work, listen to your needs, and recommend the best service for you.

Click to contact me.