Copy Editing Services and Line Editing for Polished Prose

Our copy editing services and line editing give your manuscript clean, consistent, readable prose. Copy editors correct grammar, punctuation and consistency, while line editors refine style, rhythm and clarity sentence by sentence, so your writing says exactly what you mean.

These two stages follow developmental editing and come before proofreading. Many manuscripts benefit from both, and we can combine them in one pass or do them separately. This service is part of our professional book editing services.

Copy editing services: what a copy editor corrects

• Grammar, spelling and punctuation
• Consistency of names, dates, hyphenation and capitalisation
• Word usage and sentence errors
• Continuity and factual queries, which are flagged for you to confirm
• A style sheet that records the decisions made in your book

Line editing services: what a line editor improves

Line editing works on how your writing reads. Your editor tightens wordy sentences, improves rhythm and word choice, smooths transitions, keeps the tone consistent and makes the meaning clear. It changes more of the wording than copy editing, so you decide whether to accept each change, and the aim is always to keep your voice, not replace it.

Which edit do you need, or both?

If your prose is strong but needs cleaning, a copy edit is enough. If it reads unevenly or feels heavy, line editing helps first. Many authors combine the two. If your structure, plot or argument still needs work, begin with developmental editing, and finish with a book proofread once the pages are laid out.

Book copy editor for hire: how it works

1. You send your manuscript and tell us which English you use, British or American.
2. We match you with an editor experienced in your genre.
3. The editor works in tracked changes, with comments where a query needs your answer.
4. You review the edit and accept or reject each change.
5. You receive the clean manuscript and your style sheet.

The style sheet: keeping decisions consistent

A copy editor keeps a style sheet, a record of every choice made about your text. It lists spellings of names and places, whether words are hyphenated, how numbers and dates are written and which words are capitalised. The sheet keeps the book consistent from the first page to the last, and it is invaluable if you write a series, because the same decisions apply to book two. You receive the style sheet with the edited manuscript.

Copy editing fiction and non-fiction

Fiction copy editing looks for continuity: eye colours, timelines, ages, geography and facts that change between chapters. It also checks that dialogue punctuation is consistent. Non-fiction copy editing checks headings, citations, units, terms and the match between text and figures. In both, the editor queries anything that looks wrong and flags factual claims for you to check, though a copy edit is not a full fact-check.

UK or US spelling, and dialect in dialogue

Your readers expect consistent spelling, so we apply one variety of English throughout. Dialogue can be a special case, since characters from different places may spell or speak differently. We keep deliberate dialect where it serves the story and standardise accidental differences. Tell us which variety you prefer and who your readers are, and we apply the same rules to the whole book.

Tracked changes and author queries

Every change appears as a tracked change so you can accept or reject it, and questions to you appear as comments. Please answer them in the file and return it, so the editor can finish the pass. Most authors accept the large majority of changes, and the few they reject are usually matters of voice. Seeing each change builds trust and keeps the book yours.

Working with your editor after the edit

When the edited file comes back, read it in the form your editor intended, with tracked changes visible. Accept the changes you agree with, and answer queries in the margin. Keep a copy of the style sheet for your next book. If you are unsure about a change, ask the editor why it was made, because the reason often teaches a rule you can apply yourself. After you finalise the text, move on to layout and proofreading so errors are not introduced by late changes.

Related services

• Professional book editing services
• Developmental editing services
• Book proofreading services
• Book formatting services