A very common thing people ask me about is what the various levels of editing entail. While different editors have different definitions of each level of editing, this is how I usually explain things to people. Developmental editing (sometimes called structural editing) should be done first. This examines the big picture and structure of a manuscript. What follows is line editing, which deals with style and refining of each line of text. Copyediting comes next. In addition to making minor revisions to text for clarity, a copyeditor checks things such as grammar, punctuation, word usage, and consistency in things such as point of view, tense, and narrative details. Some people lump line editing and copyediting in together. A copyedit can be viewed as a less intensive line edit. A line edit can be viewed as a heavy copyedit. In my experience, most of the time a new author is looking for a "proofreader," they're actually looking for a copyeditor, especially if they've only self-edited their manuscript and have yet to work with any editor at all. Proofreading is done last and is the final check for anything that managed to slip through the cracks during previous rounds of editing while confirming that appropriate style guides have been followed. A proofreader checks for typos, incorrect spellings, formatting irregularities, missing or duplicated words, and any glaring errors that may inhibit a reader's enjoyment of the text. Something else to note is that each higher level of editing is typically more expensive because it requires a higher degree of skill. I myself offer only copyediting and proofreading. I have done line editing, but it's not something I currently have a price tier for. I don't offer developmental editing because I am not trained or qualified to do so. I do on occasion offer suggestions to things that fall within the developmental editing umbrella when a client asks me to or if something stands out as needing attention, but that's a far cry from offering it as a full-fledged service to an entire manuscript. I have an amazing developmental editor friend who I refer people to when they ask for a developmental editor recommendation. That's the gist of the various levels of editing. I encourage anyone interested in learning more to seek out additional definitions in order to better grasp the differences, because I do understand this stuff can be confusing. If you're looking for a copyeditor or proofreader, feel free to get in touch with me. I'd love to chat about working on your manuscript. Timothy #amediting #writingcommunity #editing #copyediting #proofreading #books #fiction
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No editor is perfect... but I sure try. That's why I give every manuscript that comes my way three passes before I'm comfortable sending it back to my client. The first pass is just to digest the story and characters. I don't do any research or make any style decisions here. I only correct the most obvious of errors. The second is where I do the bulk of the editing and style sheet building. This is the slowest pass. The third is basically a final proofread where I check all my work and look for anything that previously slipped through. I've never regretted doing this third pass. Additionally, I always encourage clients to send their manuscript back to me after they've gone through all the Tracked Changes and comments. In my experience it's very common for authors to miss some of these edits, which is why I check the manuscript again in order to ensure none of my work was accidentally missed. Of course this is after I've gone through all of their changes they've made in response to my comments, for example some rewriting or expounding on certain things. Even after all of this, I would still never assure someone that my work is perfect and has no errors. I believe it's wrong for any editor to promise such because we are all human and humans make mistakes and miss things. However, my goal is to always try to get each manuscript as close to perfect as possible. I'm Timothy, a copyeditor and proofreader who specializes in fiction. The rest of my year is pretty packed with manuscripts, but if you've got something you'd like worked on in 2025, feel free to reach out to me so we can start a conversation. I provide free sample edits so we can see if we're a good fit for each other and so you can see where your money is going. Timothy #amediting #writingcommunity #editing #copyediting #proofreading #books #fiction
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Here's a proofreading tip for you. If you're working with text that has dialogue (or really any quotation marks), make sure each opening quotation mark has an accompanying closing quotation mark, and vice versa. Each time you encounter an opening quotation mark, remind your brain to check for a closing quotation mark as well, even if you have to jump ahead before reading on. This is easy when reading short lines of dialogue, but it's common to get lost or forget as paragraphs become longer and have a lot of other punctuation. Also, Microsoft Word isn't very good at recognizing a missing quotation mark. Just another reason why a professional editor is valuable =) Timothy #amediting #writingcommunity #editing #copyediting #proofreading #books #punctuation
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Did you know that Merriam-Webster lists "goose bumps" as an open compound? This isn't a terribly common word I come across, but whenever I do, it's quite often misspelled. I attribute this to the massively popular Goosebumps children's book series. As a child of the '90s, these books were everywhere. They also had the coolest covers. I'm 100% on board with giving kids spooky stories to read. It's just unfortunate that the side effect is ingraining a misspelling in them that they carry forward into adulthood when they become writers. Timothy #amediting #writingcommunity #editing #copyediting #proofreading #books #fiction
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One space makes all the difference. "I can't eat any more." >>> I'm full. "I can't eat anymore." >>> I'll never eat again. #amediting #writingcommunity #editing #copyediting #proofreading
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You're writing your book and you have characters with professional titles. Do you know when to properly capitalize or lowercase them? If you're following the Chicago Manual of Style, you should capitalize professional titles when they immediately precede a personal name and are thus used as part of the name (traditionally replacing the title holder's first name). Otherwise, professional titles are normally lowercased when following a name or used in place of a name. I just finished rewatching the American version of The Office, so I'll use an example from that show to demonstrate. In the show, Robert Lipton is a senator from Pennsylvania. (Notice how "senator" is lowercased in this sentence.) Here's when you would capitalize it. In the show, Senator Lipton marries Angela Martin. (Notice that it's capitalized here due to the above mentioned guideline.) Here's an exception. You do capitalize a professional title when used in direct address. "I look forward to seeing you at the polls, Senator." This style guideline can be applied to any professional title in your story. I'm currently copyediting a fantasy series, and I've used this approach with titles such "king," "captain," and "dean," to name a few. I hope this has been helpful to any writers reading this post. If you're ever unsure about the best way to approach things like this, an editor can help. I'm an editor specializing in fiction, and I'd love to work with you. I'm experienced with the Chicago Manual of Style, which is an industry standard in book publishing. Feel free to reach out to me if you'd like to chat. Timothy #amediting #writingcommunity #editing #copyediting #proofreading #books #fiction #cmos
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My editor friend is trying to grow her LinkedIn network, so I'd like to give her a boost today. Her name is Kerri Jackson, and she's a wonderful editor I've known for several years now. She has over two decades of experience and is my personal editing hero. While she is a well-rounded editor, two of her specialties that stand out to me are developmental editing and academic editing. I don't do either of these types of edits, so whenever I'm in contact with someone who is looking for them, Kerri is my go-to recommendation, and the reviews on her website show just how happy her clients are with her. Kerri is my closest editor friend, and she would be an invaluable addition to your network. She always answers my emails when I have an editing question; she's good about sharing new project opportunities she comes across and referring clients that might be a better fit for someone else; and above all, she's exceedingly kind. (She also finds the best editing-related memes.) Thanks for taking the time to read my post today. You can find Kerri at https://lnkd.in/gbu8ThfU Timothy #amediting #writingcommunity #editing #developmentalediting #academicediting #books
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Yesterday I posted a poll asking if a wizard wears a robe or if a wizard wears robes. This question came from the current fantasy series I'm copyediting. The author sometimes refers to his wizard as wearing a robe and sometimes refers to him as wearing robes. I'm always concerned with maintaining consistency during my edits, but it wasn't immediately clear to me which was correct. After consulting the author and doing some light research of my own, I've come to learn that both are correct. You can say a person is wearing a robe or robes, so it's really up to author preference. Did you know this? Which would you have gone with if you were editing a manuscript with both uses? Does one sound better to your ears than the other? I'd love to know. Thanks to those who participated in my poll. I've never done one before, and I found it very fun. Timothy #amediting #writingcommunity #editing #copyediting #proofreading #fiction #books
