Line and Copy Editing –
A Detailed Look at Each Word and Line

Essentially line and copy editing will make your manuscript sound pretty. A line and copy editor polishes the paragraphs, sentences, and words with which you tell the story.

In some areas, line editing and copy editing overlap, but in general, line editing addresses the text at the sentence and paragraph level. It is more about how you tell the story effectively than it is about being correct. Line editing focuses on the writer’s style, trying to bring out the creativity in their sentences. Sentence structure, syntax, word choice, flow, and pacing are key focus areas.

Copy editing is where grammar, usage, punctuation, and spelling come into play. Copy editors focus on all the mechanics of writing, and we keep a style sheet to ensure that everything in the text is consistent with itself (yes, that means that we will check that the weird fantasy names you came up with are all spelled exactly the same).

I carefully go through the manuscript line by line, looking for anything and everything that can be improved or corrected. I do my edits in Microsoft Word and use the track changes feature so you can see all the edits I make.

When I’m done, I’ll send you two copies of the manuscript: one with the changes visible and a clean version with all the changes implemented. You’ll also receive a style sheet that lists all the names, terms, and other elements I keep track of to ensure everything is consistent.

I usually combine line editing and copy editing, doing them at the same time; however, I can do them separately if you prefer.