Editing

Do I need an editor?

Yes! While all authors should edit their own work before engaging a professional editor, there are limits as to what can be achieved. As an author you are very close to your work. In fact, you may have been refining and reshaping your manuscript for months, or even years. You become so familiar with the material, it can be difficult to spot ways a text can be improved or the reason a plotline isn’t working.

What kind of editing do I require?

It depends what stage of your writing journey you have reached.

In a traditional publishing house a manuscript will, most likely, pass through several rounds of editing. As these stages often overlap, it can be difficult for debut or indie authors to identify what kind of assistance they require. Broadly speaking, the main stages of editing are:

    • Structural editing
    • Copy-editing
    • Line editing
    • Proofreading

Structural/developmental editing (the big picture): looks at the overall content of your manuscript during the early stages of writing. A developmental edit will help you to organise your ideas, whether fiction or non-fiction, and suggest areas for expansion, revision and improvement. Structural editing will help to identify any areas that are not working and to remedy plot holes and weak storylines.

Line editing (the fine detail): addresses creative content, line by line. A line edit looks at clarity, flow, readability and how well you communicate your message to the reader. Line editing addresses issues such as tenses, repetition, dialogue, narrative, cliché, awkward metaphor and simile, inconsistencies, characterisation, pace and so on.

Copy-editing (the technical check): highlights mistakes relating to the technicalities of language (for example, syntax, capitalisation and hyphenation). Often combined with line editing, and similar to the above, a copy-edit may include some of the previous points.

Proofreading (the final pass): the last stage prior to publication, a proofread is a methodical and systematic check for remaining errors in a text and includes spelling, grammar, punctuation, styles and formatting (such as widows and orphans).

NB As cost is a consideration for most authors, some of the above stages can be combined to suit individual requirements. For example, when editing, at any level, I routinely correct errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation (although I always recommend final proofreading).

Reasons to employ an editor:

    • You are an indie author
    • To polish your manuscript prior to submitting to an agent
    • You lack confidence with spelling, grammar and punctuation
    • English is not your first language
    • It matters to get it right (ie wording of your dissertation)

To read my article ‘Why Authors Need Editors’ in Pen to Print click here.

What kind of texts do you work on?

Each job is unique and has different requirements. No job is too big or too small. I am happy to provide a quote for a just few lines or a full manuscript in excess of 100,000 words.

Examples include:

    • Non-fiction manuscripts
    • Fiction manuscripts
    • Dissertations
    • Business documents
    • Blurbs and synopses
    • Content for websites

Services I offer:

    • Structural editing
    • Copy-editing
    • Line editing
    • Critique / manuscript assessment
    • Proofreading
    • Writing, including blurb and synopsis
    • Assistance with self-publishing

To see a sample of my portfolio click here.