Editing

Systematic editing and proofreading are essential for any professional publication, whether it’s a blog, a corporate introduction, an academic text, or a cookbook devoted to pumpkin recipes. At the same time, each project has its own needs and unique challenges, in terms of language, goals, and very importantly, readers. The links below describe the editing processes I follow on my own—though I’m quick to learn and work within established editorial systems.

Copyediting

The copyediting stage prepares a text or manuscript for publication. Generally, only minor changes are made to correct grammar or word usage, though any type of suggestion might be flagged. The copyediting stage includes:

Ensuring consistency for spelling, numbers, punctuation, capitalization, etc.

Correcting spelling errors, faulty grammar, and punctuation.

Flagging redundancies, unclear items, and other problems found.

Polishing awkward or confusing sentences.

Creating a style sheet for the project listing style preferences, names, etc.​

​Proofreading

Proofreading is done ideally as a final stage, with corrections only for such things as typos, usage errors (e.g., capital vs. capitol), misplaced or incorrect punctuation, and matching titles to tables of contents. I of course flag other problems and concerns, but rewriting sentences or other larger changes too often result in new errors. Again, quality editing requires a systematic approach.

​Substantive editing

I also offer substantive and developmental editing for projects ranging from fiction to website copy. For website copy, in this or the copyediting stage, I also work to optimize text to improve search results (Search Engine Optimization, or SEO). 

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