Line & Copy Editing

Line and copy editing often overlap but serve different purposes in refining your manuscript. Line editing focuses on style, flow, and expression—how your sentences read, sound, and connect. I’ll go through your manuscript line by line to strengthen clarity, rhythm, and meaning while maintaining your unique voice. This includes attention to elements like:

• Word choice in relation to character voice

• Cliché and awkward metaphors

• Effectiveness of sentence-level narration

• Letter, word, line, and paragraph spacing

• Pace and flow, with attention to repetition and overwriting

• Problematic representation, stereotyping, and othering

• Told versus shown prose

Copy editing, on the other hand, fine-tunes grammar, spelling, punctuation, and consistency. It ensures your manuscript reads smoothly, aligns with your chosen style guide, and is ready for professional presentation. I’ll address technical details like:

• Syntax

• Word usage

• Internal consistency

Together, these edits bring your manuscript close to publication-ready, but a proofreader should still review it as the final step. A proofreader provides that last quality check to catch any small errors or formatting inconsistencies that remain.

TAKEAWAYS

• Your manuscript document with many many comments and tracked changes
• A style sheet that records decisions about language preference/style, big-picture elements, and formatting and layout

Before you book