What Does a Copy Editor Do?
And why you definitely need one
So, you’re book/article/blog post is finished. You write ‘The End’ and go off and have a bottle of wine to celebrate.
However, there’s still a lot more work to be done.
Your book (or whatever it is), that word baby you’ve been toiling on for the last few days, weeks or months, isn’t as good or as polished as it should be…
… and that’s where the copy editor comes in.
A copy editor is a professional person who will take your text and ensure it is accurate, consistent and the work is understandable and clear.
They will:
- Check grammar, punctuation and spelling are correct
There’s nothing worse than reading something that’s full of spelling mistakes and the type of grammar that is so bad you have no idea what the author is trying to say. Your copy editor will focus on these three aspects of your work and ensure that any errors are corrected.
2. Check for clarity and readability
I always encourage authors to read their book/article/whatever aloud to work out where the words jar or your speech stumbles over poorly put together words. But it’s not enough. A copy editor will look at your sentences and restructure them so that they read better. They will remove vague language and simplify difficult and complex ideas so that your book/article is more understandable to your readers. They will take out jargon and other words that are confusing.
3. Fact checking
If you are writing non-fiction, copy editors will fact check your work to ensure any claims or statements you make are supported by reliable sources. They will flag any errors and request you make revisions or do further research.
4. Style and consistency
I’ve spoken about this before, but it’s really difficult to write a book and be 100% consistent throughout. There’s always one sneaky little error (such as a different eye or hair colour, or a wrong name) that sneaks through. A copy editor will ensure your book is consistent throughout, that you have written it in such a way that the capitalisation, abbreviations, hyphenations, layout and formatting are the same throughout. This is particularly important for non-fiction where there are headings and sub-headings to check, indents and spacing and other aspects of the way the text is written that needs to be consistent.
Why do you need a copy editor? That’s easy. If you don’t employ a copy editor, you may be putting out a novel, non-fiction book or article that’s chock full of spelling and grammatical errors, does not adhere to a set style or is unreadable. This will put readers off and maybe get you a few bad reviews. After all the blood, sweat and tears you’ve shed writing the thing in the first place, is that what you want to happen? No, I didn’t think so. 😊
What does a Developmental Editor do?
How to infuse personality and style into a novel
Seven tips for writing fiction
Three easy ways to start writing today
What people mean when they say write what you know
How to get started with your writing
How to overcome writers’ block
Five online tools to help you plan your novel
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