#Copyediting

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Novel Editing

Below are 4 different types of novel editing. Revising in the right order is essential if you want your book to be in the best shape possible.

Developmental Editing

Comes first.

Involves looking at the story as a whole.

Also called structural editing, or content editing.

Base components. Plot, structure, characterization, pace, viewpoint, narrative style, and tense:

Plot: Sequence of events that take the reader from the beginning to the end.

Structure: How the plot is organized. Even if B occurred after A, the reader might learn about B before the events of A are unveiled.

Characterization: How characters are represented such that we can make sense of their behavior as we journey with them through the story.

Pace: The speed at which the story unfolds. Effective pace ensures readers feel neither rushed nor bored. That doesn’t mean the pace remains steady; a story can include sections of fast-paced action and slower cool-downs.

Viewpoint: In each chapter or section, readers should understand who the narrator is—whose eyes they are seeing through, whose emotions they have access to, whose voice dominates the narrative. It also means understanding the restrictions in play such that head-hopping doesn’t pull the reader out of the story.

Narrative style: Is the narrative viewpoint conveyed in the first, second or third person? The choice determines a narrative’s style.

Tense: Is the story told in the present or the past tense? Each has its benefits and limitations.

Notes: On Developmental Editing

Types of developmental edits:

Full-novel edits in which the editor revises (or suggests revisions) that will improve the story;

critiques or manuscript evaluations that report on the strengths and weaknesses of the story; and

sensitivity reads that offer specialist reports on the potential misrepresentation and devaluation of marginalized others.

Different editors handle developmental edits in different ways.

One might include an assessment of genre and marketability; another might not.

Some editors revise the raw text; others restrict the edit to margin markup.

Check what you’re being offered against what you want.

Developmental editing isn’t about checking spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Line Editing

The next step in the revision process; it is stylistic work. 

A strong sentence elevates story; a poorly crafted one can bury it.

This level of editing revises for style, sense, and flow.

Also called substantive editing or stylistic editing.

Editors will be addressing the following:

Authenticity of phrasing and word choice in relation to character voice

Character-trait consistency and unveiling

Clarity and consistency of viewpoint and narrative style

Cliché and awkward metaphor

Dialogue and how it conveys voice, mood, and intention

Sentence pace and flow, with special attention to repetition and overwriting

Tenses, and whether they’re effective and consistent

Told-versus-shown prose

Notes: On Line Editing

Types of sentence-level edits:

Full-novel line edits in which the editor revises (or suggests revisions) that will improve the line work;

line critiques that report on the strengths and weaknesses of the line craft; and 

mini line edits in which the editor revises an agreed section of the novel such that the author can hone their line craft and mimic the edit throughout the rest of the novel.

Different editors define their sentence-level services differently.

Some include technical checking (copy editing) with the stylistic work, while some do the stylistic and technical work in separate passes.

Check what you’re being offered against what you want.

Line-editing stage is not the ideal place to be fixing problems with plot, theme, pace and viewpoint. Fixes are likely to be inelegant and invasive.

Copy Editing

The technical side of sentence-level work.

Editors will be addressing the following:

Chapter sequencing

Consistency of proper-noun spelling

Dialogue tagging and punctuation

Letter, word, line, and paragraph spacing

Logic of timeline, environment, and character traits

Spelling, grammar, syntax, punctuation, hyphenation, and capitalization

Standard document formatting

Notes: On Copy Editing

Some editors offer line editing and copy editing together in a single pass. That combined service might be indicated by what it’s called, e.g. ‘line-/copy editing’. However, it might be called just ‘copy editing’ even though it includes stylistic work.

Check what you’re being offered against what you want.

Novel copy editing is best done in a single pass:

When an editor works on separate chunks of text, inconsistencies are likely to slip through.

One pass of a sentence-level edit is not enough to ready a novel for publication. Final quality control is necessary.

Proofreading

The last stage of the editing process prior to publication.

Every novel, whether it’s being delivered in print or digitally, requires a final quality-control check.

What a Proofreader Does

Looks for literal errors and layout problems that slipped through previous rounds of revision or were introduced at design stage.

Authors preparing for print can ask a proofreader to annotate page proofs. These are almost what a reader would see if they pulled the novel off the shelf.

Others ask proofreaders to amend the raw text, either because they’re preparing for e-publication or for audiobook narration.

Proofreaders are more than typo hunters

They check for consistency of spelling, punctuation and grammar, but also for layout problems such as (but not limited to) indentation, line spacing, inconsistent chapter drops, missing page numbers, and font and heading styles.

The art of good proofreading lies in knowing when to change and when to leave well enough alone.

A good proofreader should understand the impact of their revisions—not only in relation to the knock-on effect on other pages but also to the cost if a third-party designer/formatter is part of the team.

Notes: On Proofreading

A proofread is rarely enough, no matter how experienced the writer. It’s the last line of defense, not the only line of defense.

Be sure to clarify with an editor what you want and which mediums the editor works with. Proofreading designed page proofs requires an additional level of checking that a raw-text review doesn’t. And some editors work only on raw text, some only on PDF, and some only on hard copy.

Proofreading is about quality control. The proofreader should be polishing the manuscript, not filling in plot holes or trimming purple prose.

PROOFREADING CHECKLIST

Author:

Title:

Prelims

Title page. The title of the book, the author’s name & the publisher are correct

Copyright page. Check that author name and date of publication are correct, and that the copyright statement is present and correct

Dedication. The spelling/punctuation style are correct & consistent

Acknowledgements. The spelling/punctuation style are correct & consistent

Foreword. The spelling, layout and punctuation style are correct and consistent

Preface. The spelling, layout and punctuation style are correct and consistent

Table of contents. Check against all chapter titles & subheadings in main text for consistency of spelling/capitalization; Check page numbers against main text

Figures, tables, maps, plates. Check against all entries in main text for consistency of spelling/capitalization; Page numbers against entries in main text

List of contributors. Check consistency with chapters in main text Are the names spelled correctly and rendered consistently (e.g. A. B. Smith, AB Smith, A.B. Smith, Alan B. Smith etc.)?

Pagination. Check that all prelim pages are numbered consecutively and correctly in Roman (i, ii, etc. unless brief specifies Arabic); Check that size and position of page numbers is correct and consistent

Running heads. Check that running heads in prelims are correct and consistent (size, font, colour, position on page)

Main Text

Pagination

Check that all text pages are numbered consecutively in main text

Check that size and position of page numbers is correct and consistent

Check that first page of the first chapter starts on a recto (right-hand page)

Check that all odd page numbers are on rectos

Running heads

Check that running heads match chapter heads (or abbreviated forms of them)

Running heads are correct/consistent (size, font, colour, position on page)

Running heads and folio numbers have been removed from landscaped figures and tables

Check that running heads have been removed from part- and chapter title pages

Chapter titles and headings (incl. subheadings)

Consistency of font, spacing, colour, size & position on page for each heading level

Check that capitalization is correct and consistent for each heading level

Check that each chapter drop is consistent

Check that space above and below is consistent within heading level

Lists

Check that spacing above and below lists is consistent

Ensure line spacing of list entries is consistent

Check that bullet style is consistent within list type

Check that end-of-line punctuation is consistent within list

Page depth

Check page depth is consistent throughout

Look out for uneven page depths on facing rectos (right-hand pages) and versos (left-hand pages)

Page margins

Is the text area consistent throughout/adequate for printing/readability purposes?

Notes and cross-references

Ensure all notes are cued/numbered consecutively by chapter or through the book

Check that the note numbers given match the in-text note markers

Check each note appears on the appropriate page; if footnotes run over to the next page, there should be a short rule above the continuation (or other indicator as given by house style)

Check any cross-references in the text to chapters, figures or tables

Highlight any cross-references that still need to be completed

Ensure that in-text citations are presented according to preferred style and can be located in the book's references or bibliography

More layout problems to look out for:

Uneven spacing and leading

Irregular indentation of extracts

Crooked lines, especially in captions and headings

Wrong or inconsistent typefaces or type sizes

Bad word breaks that might trip the reader (e.g. cow-orker, trip-od)

Widows and orphans

More than two end-of-line hyphens stacked on top of each other

Paragraph indentation (first paragraphs in a chapter or section are often not indented)

Hyphens that should be dashes (e.g. when used parenthetically/in number ranges)

Double spaces after full stops (periods)

Rogue spaces at the beginning and end of paragraphs

Extracts

Check punctuation of sources

Check that extracts are set consistently (size, font, colour, position)

Query any missing acknowledgements/permissions

Figures, tables, maps, plates

Check that quality is acceptable

Is numbering correct and consistent?

Is the design consistent (font, size, colour, spacing)?

Check captions against lists of figures, tables or illustrations in the prelims

Check spelling, punctuation/grammar of figure labels and table column headings

Check alignment of columns in tables and positioning of ruled lines

Check that all illustrations provide a credit/source acknowledgement and query if any appear to be missing

End Matter

Notes

Ensure all notes are cued & numbered consecutively by chapter/through the book

If notes are grouped at the end of the book, check the text and the page numbers given alongside to ensure they match the main text and the contents page

Check that the note numbers given match the in-text note markers

If running heads include cross-references to page numbers, check these are correct, or fill in if required

Glossary

Is the list in alphabetical order?

Check that the layout is consistent

Afterword

Check that the spelling, layout and punctuation style are correct and consistent

Appendices

Check that the layout is consistent

Check that the numbering is consistent and matches any in-text cross references and the contents list

Bibliography/references

Is the list in alphabetical order?

Has the preferred reference style been used correctly and consistently?

Pagination and layout

Check that all text pages are numbered consecutively in the end matter

Check that size and position of page numbers is correct and consistent

Page depth

Check page depth is consistent throughout

Look out for uneven page depths on facing rectos and versos

Page margins

Text area is consistent throughout & adequate for printing & readability purposes

Running heads

Check that running heads match chapter heads (or abbreviated forms of them)

Check that running heads are correct and consistent (size, font, colour, position on page)

FINAL NOTES

Authors need to take their books through all the types of editing.

That doesn’t mean hiring third party professionals for each stage.

Writing groups, self-study courses, how-to books, and self publishing organizations are all great sources of editorial support.

If you decide to work with a professional, invest in one who can help you where you’re weakest:

You might be a great structural self-editor but prone to overwriting. Or you might have nailed line craft but need help with story development.

Pay attention to the order of play when it comes to revision.

Fixing plot holes at proofreading stage might damage previous rounds of editing.

Source More: On Editing

[oh2e]

So far my least favourite, most head-scratching parts from copyediting would be:

Does 'pope' get capitalise here? (No)

What variations of the word 'analyse' get an 's' in American spelling? (Some, and some do not)

Why do I, Irish, have to copyedit this text to US spelling when it is written by an Indian author using UK spelling and its being published by an Irish company? (Because that's what my instructions told me)

Does 'The Holy Q'uran' need to be italicised? (No - neither does The Bible)

When does one capitalise the word 'state' when referring to a member state? (Ongoing - very frustrating. “member states” vs “the States” vs “states”)

Why is the author so bad at properly capitalising the brand name of the item his whole book is about? (BrahMos not Brahmos)

Why-oh-why would one use ‘‘ and ’’ instead of the perfectly functional “ and ” ?? Or even just ‘ and ’ I really don’t mind. Either way works fine for me. Absolutely gobsmacked at this.

Seeming to have no understanding of when to use a semicolon and using it in place of both colons and en dashes. Consistently. Also put the footnote before the full stop. Every. Time.

170 instances of a double space in a 9249 word chapter.

Things that made me sigh and go “oh me too”:

23th

[theyuniversity]

In case your English/writing teacher doesn’t explain what their proofreading symbols mean, this is for you.

Website | Twitter |  Instagram | Medium | Pinterest | Ko-fi | eBook

[bitchesgetriches]

Hi this is a question for Jess! I've read some of your posts where you talk about how you used to be a freelance editor and then worked in book publishing; do you have any advice for a just-getting-started freelance copy editor with publishing-industry aspirations? I've had a few small projects, but I'm running into the catch-22 where everyone looking for book editors wants someone who already has a track record of editing books, and I'm feeling a little lost about how to establish myself. I really appreciate everything you guys do with this blog! It's been a huge help to me as I start trying to be a responsible adult in the world.

Hey kitten! Jess here, the once and future freelance editor.

When I was first starting out, one of the best decisions I made was to get cozy with academics. A friend of a friend was a grad student at the local university. I edited her dissertation, and she referred me to a handful of classmates who also needed their dissertations edited. This led me to reach out to the professors in different departments at the school to kind of say "Hi! I'm a freelance copyeditor trying to build my portfolio. Here are my qualifications. If you have any grad students looking for an editor for their thesis or dissertation, I'd be grateful if you passed my information along."

My entire career has been in nonfiction editing, so I relish working with academics. But even if you'd like to move into fiction some day, working with grad students, professors, and PhD candidates on book-length manuscripts will prove your worth to publishers and fiction writers alike.

Good luck, kitten! Here's more advice:

Stop Undervaluing Your Freelance Work, You Darling Fool 

11 Awful Mistakes I Made as a Self-employed Freelancer, and How You Can Avoid Them 

Did we just help you out? Say thanks on Patreon!

[theriu]

So I am slowly building my portfolio as a freelance editor, and I like the idea of working with self-publishing authors. But the thing is, I’m not sure how many indie authors really see the value of hiring an editor. I know it can seem expensive for someone supporting themselves, and the long-term value might not always be immediately clear.

That’s why I’d like to gain some insights from the general populace! Whether you’re a writer or reader, please tell me what YOU think:

Please share around, I’d like to get lots of writeblr input! And thanks for participating!

[drlinguo]

Source: Pullum 1984: Punctuation and human freedom

[james-spooky]

editing is so funny cause it’s either like “damn i wrote that???” or “wtaf is this” and there’s no in between

[newinkediting]

Hello, everybody! Can you believe this is the first time I have ever had an account on Tumblr? 😂 With all the algorithm problems on Tiktok and Instagram, I thought I would give this platform a shot!

Anyway, my name is Whitney and I’m from Canada! I’m a book editor, artist, and writer. I have a freelance business called New Ink Editing where I offer proofreading and copy editing services, and earlier this year, I have added chapter header illustrations with the hope of being able to add other forms of illustration to the roster. I’m multi-talented, so I would like my business to emulate that. ☺️

As for the writing side of things, I have finished my first draft of my debut novel “Galaxy Fox and the Vanishing Act”. It’s a murder mystery with a fantasy twist, as my main character is also a witch. If you love both “Bewitched” and “Enola Holmes”, my book is just your vibe! ✨

I’m so excited to start my Tumblr journey, make some friends, and maybe even find some new clients! If you’re interested in editing services or some beautiful hand-made chapter headers for your book, throw me an email at newinkediting@gmail.com! 🥰

Here is a piece I did of my main character, Galaxy Fox with her pet (Frankenstein) cat, Stitch.

Here is one of the most recent headers that I have created that will appear in Angela van Liempt’s upcoming novel, “Braving Storms”. 🥰

[whilereadingandwalking]

I want to apply to copy editor positions but I'm so scared that a position I apply for will turn out to be "clean up someone's AI nonsense." How did you avoid that?

Oof, great question. Well, for better or for worse, most of those jobs are clearly marked in the job descriptions as you apply. I saw a ton of them while I was applying and was always irritated but able to avoid applying to them.

The main thing is that copyediting jobs are (like most copy jobs) in short supply. I recommend applying to anything that looks good and doesn't mention AI, and then if you get to the interview stage, ask them what the job entails, who's writing the copy, who you'll be working with on the copy, etc.

Hope that helps!

[mygogglesdosomething]

Writers of Tumblr! Really great copy editor setting up shop for herself. She is wonderful - can’t recommend her highly enough

[femmefatalevibe]

are you concerned about the impact of chatgpt on your chosen career path for copywriting?

Hi love! Good question.

I think, as an industry, the answer is yes and no. I believe ChatGPT will eliminate a considerable amount of work for filler content that brands use to build up an index or to meet a certain work volume quota. Low-paying copywriting gigs will likely be few and far between if AI can write them just as well.

However, high-quality copywriting involves a lot of creative strategy planning, research, thoughtful & tailored word choice, formatting, SEO-optimizing strategies, and cross-platform strategies, etc., which simply cannot be replicated. There's no automatic replacement for human creativity. So, if a brand, person, or large corporation wants its copy/editorial materials to cut through the noise, they know it's in their best interest to hire someone who can bring this human element to their prose.

Hope this helps xx

[riverofinkofficial]

Leave a tip if you enjoy my River Of Ink!

Or hire me to create something just for you!

I offer custom poems, custom letters, proofreader/copy editor services as well as any other creative writing projects you want to hire me for. - DM me on IG or Tumblr for more information and inquiries.

Buy me a coffee! <3

[oh2e]

It’s amazing how dirty your computer screen is when you’re scrutinising a piece of writing to edit it. Is that an errant full stop? No, it’s a piece of dirt. Ah! An unnecessary comma? No, just dust. An apostrophe there?? No, just a chocolate crumb.

[khepiari]

Some really don't understand what editors do!

Came across this snippet of Gege's interview about his editor on Twitter! And I have words: How dare an editor do an editor’s job? God, he is insufferable. I am aware Jump Editors are not the best people to work with, but dear idiot, it’s the job of editors to make your opening chapter a banger so that you last long! “I will do whatever I want” has landed you in this mess!

I didn't hone my editing skills for Gege Akutami's cult to diss his editors on social media! A lot of you have this grand idea that the muses bless authors/artists/comic-book creators/mangaka, and they create things without human intervention. Behind every professional creative work is a critical human eye!

It's a job. Writing/Illustrating is a job that needs evaluation and correction at every step of creation. That's why storyboarding exists so that corrections and suggestions can be made before the final version is created. Creative differences between editors and writers are the reason why the best works happen!

Trust me, no writer or mangaka wants a yes-person who agrees to them blindly! It is an editor's job to pick out the nitty-gritty of your story and make it a smooth reading experience. If you are a newbie creator, listen to the oldies who have been in this profession, even if it's a pain in the ass. If you are an oldie creator with a new editor, listen to the feedback of the young because it will bring a new perspective! Editors are your first critics and audience. Remember if your story is great no one will care who edited it, similarly if your story is terrible no one will still care who edited it as it is your aka the creator's name that will be identifiable in both cases!

Even if you are the most popular author on the planet like dear scum Gaiman, you listen to your editor. Writers have the right to accept and refute suggestions, but it has to come from a logical place and not pride. I can understand why Gege's first editor suggested the changes: To Save it!

Some of you, including Gege don't understand the concept of Kill Your Darlings still and it shows. The job of the editor is to find unnecessary things and chuck them out or make them relevant by gently parenting the author to connect them to the main plot.

Read this:

[checkoutmybookshelf]

Ok, so, I'm reading Born of Blood and Ash, and as a professional editor...THIS SITUATION IS EXACTLY WHAT NONBREAKING SPACES ARE FOR.

Like...this is the nitpickiest nitpick that was ever a picked nit, but like...that looks wrong. It's not, because I am a human with critical thinking skills and I understand what happened but it LOOKS WRONG and I HATE it. A nonbreaking space would have kept all of that on one line or let it break before the em dash instead of between the em dash and the closing quotation marks.

Like...pay your editors and typesetters better, publishing industry!!! They can prevent ugly-looking stuff like this in published works. I'd never complain about this in an indie novel, but trad publishing has the resources to prevent this nonsense.

Also...OMG YOU GUYS THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD SO FAR!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

[nrivanwrites]

After thinking about doing it for years, I finally got around to making a fiverr account and setting up some gigs! If you or anyone you know is looking for some proofreading or copy editing, I'd love to help :)