WHAT IS COPYEDITING?

Whether you’ve written a novel, a short story, a factual guide or a business report, copyediting will help you to communicate well.

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For fiction and narrative non-fiction, copyediting will help you to strengthen the ‘voice’ and style that you are using, and make sure it’s consistent throughout the text.

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For other types of non-fiction and business writing, often a major part of copyediting is to make sure the writing has a plain English and public-friendly style, or a style that’s appropriate for your audience. You may be an unparalleled expert in your specialist subject, but you may well need an editing expert to help you to communicate your knowledge in the best way.

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Whatever the purpose of your text, a copyeditor will help you to consider what your reader will expect.

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There is, of course, much more to it – a copyeditor will work with you to make your work professionally written and well presented, by ensuring that it’s accurate and easy to follow, uses a consistent editorial and writing style, and is free from error, omission, repetition and factual inconsistency.

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For fiction and narrative non-fiction, my copyediting will also include spotting changes in tense, viewpoint and from first to third person (or vice versa); looking for errors in plot, fact or timeline; and checking for the appropriate use of italics, bold and capitals.

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You don’t need me to yammer on any more here, when the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) has provided the best guide to copyediting. This guide will tell you more details about what copyediting is, and – quite importantly – what it is not.

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I’d be really happy to answer any questions that you have about how copyediting can help your writing – you can get in touch with me here.