Editing

“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
- Mark Twain

PROOFREADING. A typo can ruin hours of hard work and good writing. The omission of just one letter can turn a plumbing and heating specialist into a plumbing and hating specialist. Would you hire that guy to install your new water heater? I sure wouldn’t. The fact is, it’s nearly impossible to proofread your own writing with an objective eye. I can review your brochure, sales letter, website or manuscript to check for misspellings, typos and grammatical errors so that you can confidently present a pristine piece of writing to your intended readership.

COPY EDITING. You’ve written a draft of a novel but you’re not sure if anyone will like it but you. You’re an expert in your field but you’re not a writer by trade. Will your non-fiction book, how-to guide or white paper contain good grammar, concise language, correct spelling, capitalizations and punctuation?

Deciding on the right level of copy editing is like choosing a cable TV package, but not nearly as difficult. I can review your manuscript and help you decide which level of editing makes the most sense. You may think think a comprehensive edit is in order, but it’s entirely possible that your submitted draft isn’t as rough as you had imagined.

Basic editing: This is similar to proofreading but with a greater emphasis on grammar rules.

Standard editing: Checks for style consistency and relationships between text and graphics. Sentences and even paragraphs may be rewritten to convey a clearer message and to keep the topic on point.

Substantive editing: Major rewriting may be involved for fiction and non-fiction manuscripts. Structural and organizational changes to chapters, developing of characters and plot, point of view, story arc, tone and dialogue are addressed.