Do you need a high-powered copy editor, or could your 10th-grade teacher do the job just as well? At the end of the day, it all comes down to one thing—your goals and your writing ability. If you are a decent writer, and you simply want to publish a book without embarrassment, then it is possible that the average 10th-grade English teacher will … [Read more...]

It’s a scary world out there, where people with a bit of marketing sense can call themselves whatever they wish. Think about it—you create a Web page, print up some business cards, and BOOM! you are established. The publishing world is the same. Service providers in the publishing arena come and go like the tide. Anyone in this business … [Read more...]

I am a firm believer in the notion that everyone has a story to tell and that everyone’s story should be told. The primary consideration for copyeditors in relation to this principle is the writing ability of the author. POD publishing services, such as AuthorHouse and Xlibris, offer what they call “copyediting” services for a single per-word … [Read more...]

What’s Behind a Proofread? Who needs a proofread? Quite frankly all books should receive a proofread in addition to a copyedit—many books, especially those with a heavy amount of copyediting, even call for multiple proofreads. First of all, don’t confuse a proofread with a copyedit. A proofread is essentially a reading of typeset … [Read more...]

Copyedit or Copy Edit? Unfortunately, in the publishing world, there is no one way to describe anything. Take page layout, for example—I have heard it called typesetting, page composition, formatting, and layout. The resulting pages are then referred to as things like first pass pages, master pages, P1s—and my personal favorite—first pour. … [Read more...]

Finding the Right Manuscript Editor Readers and reviewers can spot a poorly edited book from a distance. You’ve put much time and work into writing your book, and a poor review could nullify all that effort. A professional copyeditor will give you open and honest feedback that will, if done correctly, improve the quality of your finished … [Read more...]

Copyediting: Laying the Foundation It always amazes me that so much time, effort, and money is spent on marketing a book, and many times little thought or discussion is given to the editorial quality of the titles in question. Let’s think about it—if a book is not edited by a professional, the end result can be devastating to even the … [Read more...]