Services

What I Do

I find misspellings, repeated words, capitalization errors, misplaced punctuation, improper word usage, extra spacing, inconsistencies between UK and American English, etc.

There is overlap between copyediting and proofreading. Copyeditors, being human, miss things sometimes. The difference is the state of the text you hand to the proofreader. Is it clean? Has it already been through rounds of copyediting? If so, I’m ready to check it. I’m a final-stage polisher in the publishing process.

Proofreading Involves

• Looking for items that have been missed in previous editorial passes
• Text that has already been through multiple rounds of copyediting
• No “rewriting” at this stage
• Spotting any serious errors not caught during copyediting such as typos, double words (“and and,” “the the,” etc.) grammar, punctuation, spelling, and formatting issues
• The last chance to review a manuscript before it goes to print

Copyediting Involves

A copyeditor might change sentence structure, or rewrite some text for you. Copyediting is a service I offer, but it is different from proofreading. A copyeditor views writing with a different lens than a proofreader; a proofreader catches tiny things a copyeditor might not. These services require different levels of focus. The market rate for copyediting reflects its more time-intensive nature.

Before we begin, I’ll require a sample of your project to ensure we’re in agreement about the level of editing required: copyediting vs. proofreading.

Reference Materials

I can work with texts that use different style manuals, such as The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) or the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook.

I use the appropriate dictionary for different dialects. For example, I use I use Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary for American spelling and the Macquarie Dictionary for Australian spelling.

Platforms

I use Microsoft Word Track Changes feature and Google Docs Suggestions feature.

Work I Love

I’ll consider editing in any genre. The bulleted list on this page offers a few suggestions. I’m particularly fond of creative nonfiction, food and travel writing, and publishing resources used in TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages.)

I welcome language localization projects that involve adapting Australian and UK books, stories, and articles for a US audience.

I also welcome the opportunity to work on editing projects involving previously translated materials–for example, from Spanish into English.

What You Receive

I’ll send you the Word document with my edits and comments visible in the Track Changes feature so you may accept or reject the suggestions yourself. If you prefer, I’m happy to send you a clean version, which means I’ve simply made the changes, and you don’t need to go through the corrections yourself. Despite choosing this option, there may be a word decision here or there that you’ll need to make. If so, I’ll touch base with you about it.