Line and Copy Editing

In this thorough sentence-level edit (sometimes referred to as stylistic editing or content editing), I clean up bloopers in spelling, grammar, usage, and punctuation; check that your characters, plot, and setting are behaving logically and realistically; and sharpen your writing line by line so that each sentence conveys your meaning clearly and powerfully.

Is Line and Copy Editing right for you?

This service is best suited to a draft that’s getting close to the finish line: any story-level editing has already been conducted, the plot is in its final form, and you aren’t planning on reworking the structure of any scenes. (Why pay someone to edit material you’re going to rewrite?)

This type of editing is an absolute must in book publishing. Once your manuscript has made it into print or has been formatted into an ebook, you won’t be able to go back and correct an annoying typo or revise a clunky phrase. Readers and literary agents do notice errors, and inconsistencies cost authors precious credibility. If you want to be trusted as a storyteller, your sentence mechanics and style need to be rock-solid: clear, correct, consistent, and compelling.

So what goes into Line and Copy Editing?

Quite a bit! To start with, I lend an eagle eye to the flesh and bones of your writing—sentence mechanics:

• Spelling

• Grammar

• Punctuation

• Word usage

• Sentence structure

• Paragraph structure and organization

• Typography (quotation marks, apostrophes, dashes, ellipses, italics, etc.)

Now that your subjects and verbs are in agreement and your commas are behaving, what about your characters, plot, and setting? Do their movements on the page make sense within the world you’ve built? Line and copy editing extends beyond grammar to story mechanics:

• Continuity

• Logic and plausibility

• Point of view

• Stage direction

• Plot holes

• The parts of a book: copyright page, table of contents, epigraph, acknowledgments, preface, captions, citations, etc.

Stories are not merely mechanically sound—they’re deeply pleasurable to read. Like a surging river, great writing flows seamlessly from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph, scene to scene, chapter to chapter. My job is to polish any jagged edges that interrupt the vital flow of your narrative. In practical terms, that means attending to style:

• Readability

• Clarity of meaning

• Cohesion

• Tone and register

• Word choice

• Variety, rhythm, and impact

• Order of words, sentences, and paragraphs

• Transitions

All in all, my goal is to champion your unique voice as a writer while filtering out any mechanical or stylistic issues that get in the way of your telling a kick-butt story.

Not sure if Line and Copy Editing is what you need?

If you aren’t certain which kind of editing will best serve your book, feel free to get in touch and I’ll gladly provide you with guidance.

Genre specializations

I’m likely to be a good creative fit for your book if it falls under one of these categories:

• YA & MG fiction

• Children’s books

• Graphic novels & visual storytelling

• General fiction (coming of age, relationships, romance)

• Speculative fiction (fantasy, paranormal, sci-fi, dystopian)

• Creative nonfiction (memoir, travel, art, dance, music, nature, health & wellbeing)

Don’t hesitate to reach out and describe the genre and premise of your book, and I’ll give you my honest opinion on whether I would be the best editor for the job. If I don’t think we would make a great fit, I’ll happily recommend an editor who may be better suited to your work.