Copy/Line edit

The boundary between copy and line editing can be blurry, but I offer both as a combined service. These kinds of edits are sentence level, and focus on removing typos and grammatical mistakes. BUT, a line edit is also about bringing your voice to life, that your words sing, and ensuring there are no inconsistencies within the story (e.g. does your protagonist’s best friend’s brother change his name from Nathan to Nathaniel?).

Working on a manuscript takes such a long time and is such a big project, that of course there will be some little things that are missed. The key focus of this kind of edit is stylistic—including tenses and the spelling of words when more than one version is correct—as well as character, setting and timeline consistency. I’ll make sure your manuscript is ready to be formatted and typeset for publication.

I can work to a specific style guide, otherwise I will ensure consistency throughout the manuscript based on your choice of UK or US English. I work in Microsoft Word documents using Track Changes and Comments, highlighting changes I make so that the final say is completely yours.

$0.025 AUD per word. Turnaround is 2–4 weeks. For quicker timelines, enquire about a customised quote.

Proofread

Proofreading is the final stage of editing. The manuscript should be complete and polished to the best of your ability, and have undergone at least some level of developmental and copy or line editing. By now, it is designed and formatted, and as close to its final state as possible.

This final edit is a last check before you send your pride and joy out into the world. Typos and other tiny details can completely break a reader’s immersion in your work, and, in some cases, cause them to lose trust in your storytelling abilities. Let me help you avoid this most egregious fate!

I can work in physical and digital formats, and am happy to use traditional proofreading marks and notation, or simply add comments to the PDF in Adobe Acrobat. If you have any specific requirements, please do let me know and I’ll try my best to accommodate.

$0.015 AUD per word. Turnaround is 2–4 weeks. For quicker timelines, enquire about a customised quote.