Copyediting
Writing is a true labor of love that demands countless hours of work and an unyielding determination to question every word and punctuation choice. Accordingly, I believe my editorial responsibility is to preserve and strengthen storytelling through judicious, deferential revisions that enhance readability by promoting clarity and consistency.* A basic copyedit will
ensure consistency in all mechanical matters (e.g., spelling, capitalization, formatting) and narrative matters (e.g., characterization, setting, timeline);
correct all indisputable errors in grammar and diction;
highlight verbose phrases or passages that might cause confusion; and
query factual inconsistencies and potentially erroneous statements that require correction or verification.
In addition to the above elements, a heavier copyedit could include
suggesting revisions to address wordiness or ambiguity and
enacting larger line-level rewrites consistent with your voice to improve tone, language precision, and overall flow between sentences and paragraphs.
Editorial rates will vary in accordance with project demands, so please reach out if you’d like to discuss your work and the level of editing you’re seeking. On average, though, a basic copyedit starts at 2.0¢ per word and a heavier copyedit will cost up to 4.0¢ per word.
Additionally, I require a minimum of four weeks to revise novels between 80,000 and 100,000 words in length, which allows for two read-throughs.
I understand this is a significant investment, so I’m happy to edit a sample of your writing to ensure we’re a good fit.
*Concerning editorial responsibilities, I do not use AI tools because I believe they’ll inherently compromise an author’s work.