Editing

Preparing for Publication

It’s difficult to fathom sometimes, when just beginning, the layers of revision: rethinking, reimagining, rewording, and restructuring that a project will require. This is true regardless of whether you are composing your own narrative, drafting a research analysis, or compiling transcripts for a digital archival website.

Editing and proofreading services not only catch errors and typos—they can assist you to refocus your thoughts, refine your ideas, develop your logic, clarify your meaning, identify your readers, and polish your presentation at all phases of the journey.

Why Hire an Editor?

An editor has the ability to create seamlessness in awkwardly written drafts containing abrupt distractions to readers’ attention. Many authors, especially new authors, often don’t realize that there are various levels and “passes” to the editing process and tend to want to skip to proofreading when they really require additional substantive editing. Some authors hesitate to turn their work over to an editor for a variety of understandable reasons. They may be anxious about criticism of their writing; they may just want to be done and feel that their work is “good enough” — preferring not go through numerous revision processes. These are understandable concerns, but it’s crucial to realize that the editing processes help to prepare you for real-world audiences. It is important to reach out to several editors for a sense of which has the potential for the most comfortable and confident working relationship.

Good faith is the key. And part of that faith is trust in a readerly understanding of the differing rules and traditions and emphases of the subgenres under the wide and inclusive and elegant rubric of creative nonfiction.

Bill Roorbach, Creative Nonfiction

An editor will not rewrite your work, but they can assist the author toward revisions, through a series of questions and comments, that improves the sense of:

  1. target audience
  2. development of thought or argument
  3. structure and organization of your book
  4. consistency of theme
  5. consistency of voice & tone
  6. descriptive language
  7. various narrative elements

How does the editing process work?

Different editors tend to have their own interpretations and terminology preferences for the editing process. Basically, levels of editing include:

Developmental (or structural) editing: considers the logic of ideas, thought development, organization, and consistency.

Copyediting/Line editing: sentence-by-sentence grammar, syntax, voice, tone. At this level, there is much less emphasis on checking for accuracy of the information and additionally detailed analysis of writing mechanics and the effectiveness of what’s being communicated.

Proofreading is a final check for misspellings, consistency, grammar, typos, and formatting. It should not be brought into the conversation until the substantive editing passes are complete.

Ready to book a start date? Click here to view my available time slots.

Please note that I’m currently only accepting nonfiction genres. Niche genres: holistic health, self-help, contemporary spirituality, eco-conscious living, personal narrative, and nature & animals.