Line and Copy Editing
Line and copy editing are two similar but distinct steps in the editing process. Line editing focuses on transitions, point of view shifts, story flow, redundancies or unnecessary story tangents, sentence fragments, and smooth dialog. Line edits may also look for adherence to overall themes in the manuscript.
Copy editing focuses on the technical aspects of writing and grammar: punctuation, capitalization, appropriate word choice, quotations, and subject/verb agreement, for example. A copy edit will also check for consistency in character and place names, and unique words.
Interested? Contact me to set up a consultation and a sample edit, which is done free of charge and includes the first five pages of the manuscript and five pages from the back half of the manuscript. Based on the sample edit, I will develop a quote for your work.
What a line edit includes:
- A close reading of the manuscript, with special attention paid to transitions, point of view shifts, story flow, redundancies or unnecessary story tangents, sentence fragments, smooth dialog, and overall themes;
- In-line corrections/suggestions on the electronic document itself, via track changes;
- Unlimited email correspondence;
- One-hour phone or Zoom conference call (after delivery of edited manuscript) to discuss revisions
What a copy edit includes:
- A close reading of the manuscript, with special attention paid to grammar, word choice, punctuation, capitalization, appropriate word choice, quotations, and subject/verb agreement, and consistency of character and place names;
- In-line corrections/suggestions on the electronic document itself, via track changes;
- Unlimited email correspondence;
- One-hour phone or Zoom conference call (after delivery of edited manuscript) to discuss revisions