Copy Editing for Self-Publishers
Ideal for: authors who require improvements to their manuscript’s sentence structure, copy flow and consistency. (Recommended in conjunction with a Proofread.)
Price: from £15.75 per 1,000 words
Also called a Line Edit, the Copy Edit involves going through a manuscript line by line to improve its readability, check for inconsistencies and repetition (for example, authors will often use the same word several times in a paragraph without noticing) and perform basic fact-checking. Please bear in mind that this is only a first-round edit, and although many of the grammar and spelling errors will be corrected, the primary focus will be on the copy flow, style and accuracy, so it is highly recommended that you use this service in conjunction with a Proofread. Please note that if you book a Copy Edit combined with a Standard Proofread, your manuscript will undergo a free further proofread by another editor. In my experience, having three rounds of edits is the best way to get a manuscript into the optimal shape for publishing.
Meet Danielle
A note on how I work
Most authors are happy for me to make the small changes (such as selecting a different word in a sentence to avoid repetition) as I go, without marking them up for their attention. If I have a question or want them to approve a big change (for instance, a sentence that has been rewritten), I put it in bold so they can easily see it when they come to review the changes. I put questions in bold and place them in brackets to make them easy to spot, too. However, I can use Track Changes for the copy edit if you would prefer to see every change (see my Proofreading page for an example of what Track Changes looks like).
Below is an example from The Inflowfit Method, which I copy edited, proofread and published for fitness expert and author Mounira Assoul. I have placed the edited paragraph below Mounira’s original text to demonstrate the ‘before’ and ‘after’ effect of a copy edit.
Before (original copy)
This is not a quick weight loss programme that promises six pack abdominals in six weeks or size dropping to 8 or 10 for women and bulking up for men. It is rather a guide to discovering why you eat the way you do and why change is hard. An opportunity to understand more about the current food market, your own behaviour and why being in and out of specific diets can be detrimental to your health as opposed to adopting a general healthy lifestyle. This is a holistic approach that combines the power of habit changing, nutrition and physical activity in order to achieve sustainable results and experience a real transformation.
After (edited copy)
This is not a quick weight-loss programme that will give you a six pack or help you drop a dress size in six weeks. I want to help you discover why you eat the way you do and why change is hard. See it as an opportunity to understand more about the current food industry, your own behaviour and why starting and stopping different diets can be detrimental to your health. This is a holistic approach that combines the power of habit changing, nutrition and physical activity to achieve sustainable results and experience real transformation.
Here’s what Mounira said about the service I provided
“I’m glad I chose Danielle”
“The book I published was a world away from the original manuscript and so much more professional… I would encourage all writers to find a good editor as they really know what they are doing. Working with Danielle was a great experience and I’m glad I chose her.”
Mounira Assoul
Author of The Inflowfit Method
Assisting authors from draft to publication.
Your Copy, Professionally Edited
To determine the level of editing your manuscript requires, please submit a sample of your manuscript (the first chapter or around 2,000 words), plus the full word count, for an initial assessment. As part of the assessment, I will provide a free sample edit so you can verify the quality of my work. This will also help me to determine the level of editing required and provide you with a quote.
Written a children’s book?
Quotes for editing children’s books are based on the estimated time it will take rather than the word count. If you would like a price, please contact me with a sample of your work.
Contact Danielle
Please tell me about your project, and I will be in touch with you soon. Submit a sample of your manuscript (the first chapter or around 2,000 words), plus the full word count, for an initial assessment.
