You’ll feel much better knowing that your typo blindness hasn’t negatively impacted your final work. When the flow of the story is interrupted by inconsistencies in the narrative or errors in grammar, not only is it embarrassing for the writer, it can also be confusing to the reader.Īs a necessary last step before printing your manuscript, always hire a professional copyeditor to inspect your work with a fine tooth comb. Unfortunately, many self-published writers skip this crucial step and end up with those exact results. Who wants to print off a thousand books only to find that there’s a typo on page two, or a discrepancy in character description from one chapter to the next? Not you, and definitely not your reader. In traditional publishing, copyediting is a required step. You need a second pair of eyes-preferably from someone who knows the rules of grammar-to look over your manuscript and correct glaring errors that you’ve gone blind to. The basic idea is that you’re unable to see your own mistakes because you already know what you’re trying to convey. Nick Stockton over at Wired explained it best in his post: What’s Up With That: Why It’s So Hard to Catch Your Own Typos. However, if you plan to self-publish, we highly recommend that you hire a professional copyeditor to prepare your manuscript for publication.Īs a writer, you’re probably very familiar with the concept of typo blindness. Once your manuscript is accepted, the publisher will perform copyedit prior to production. After your comprehensive edit, you can start querying agents ( we can help with that, too). If you plan to go with a traditional publisher, these are the only two types of edits you’ll need. For more information on a comprehensive edit, especially a line edit, click here. This type of edit hunts down clumsy or awkward sentences that take away from the rhythm of your prose. The editor cuts down on wordiness and tightens the language to create a more enjoyable read. You receive specific advice on how to develop a stronger narrative, better pacing, and more engaging characters.īecause the manuscript critique is a big picture analysis of your manuscript, it should be done first before getting into the nuts and bolts of a comprehensive edit.Ĭomprehensive Edit - In-depth, intense, thorough, a comprehensive edit tackles a manuscript line by line. Manuscript Critique - An editor reads your manuscript and prepares a broad, comprehensive assessment. In a standard timeline, here’s how the copyedit fits in: It should be done after all other edits take place. Am I Ready for Copyediting?Ĭopyediting is the final step before production. The copyeditor is also up to date with the standard practices in book publishing. He or she must be precise, detail-oriented, and adroit in grammar and word usage. The copyeditor comes with a unique skillset. Your copyeditor will be different than your general editor. He or she must make sure that every element of your story is consistent, cohesive, and complete. Does each character stay true to his own description throughout the story? Are there conflicting descriptions of the house? For example, have you described the setting as “a yellow brick home” on one page but “a weathered wooden home” on another page?Īs you see, the copyeditor’s job is not just to check grammar and spelling. This includes character description, plot points, and setting. Checks for inconsistency within the story.The copyeditor verifies that your manuscript does not libel others. The copyeditor must check if the facts in your manuscript are accurate and if the names and dates are correct. This is a necessary part of the copyediting process for non-fiction manuscripts, such as historical pieces and memoirs. Checks for factually incorrect statements. Checks for continuity errors and makes sure that all loose ends are tied.For example, is it e-mail on page 26 and email on page 143? Or do you use both British and American English spelling variations interchangeably, such as favourite vs. Checks for technical consistency in spelling, capitalization, font usage, numerals, hyphenation.Checks for and corrects errors in grammar, spelling, syntax, and punctuation.Let’s take a closer look at what a copyeditor does.
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