Just like no two writers are alike, no two editing projects are identical. Before we start on a project, I’ll ask about the expected level of effort, defined further below: substantive editing, copy editing, or proofreading. Although my rate is the same for all three tasks, they are not equal in the required expertise and time. Substantive editing will take much longer than copy editing, and copy editing will take more time than proofreading. Ideally, an editing project will incorporate all three levels of edit, but many of my clients have time for just one.
Not sure what you need? Contact me and we can discuss the right level of effort for your document.
Substantive editing
Bring organization, clarity, and readability to your document from beginning to end. This type of in-depth editing may require moving around sentences and paragraphs, shortening long passages, eliminating redundancies, rewriting passive voice sentences, making headlines/titles stronger, and, in general, making your copy more engaging and understandable. I can work with your team to ensure that your copy is as clear as possible for the targeted audience.
Copy editing
This type of editing corrects any errors in grammar, spelling, capitalization, punctuation, numeral use, and word choice. I’ll smooth out inconsistencies in tone/voice (often a problem with multiple authors!) and highlight any passages that require clarity. I can follow your chosen style guide, or, if you don’t have one, I’ll recommend an appropriate style.
Proofreading
Proofreading is often the final polishing stage for the previous types of editing. But it can also be a stand-alone effort when the document is less formal or the turnaround time is tight, in which case only “fatal flaws” are corrected, such as spelling typos, improper capitalization of proper names, misplaced or missing words, and formatting errors.