Editing
What is Editing?
Many people think that editing and proofreading are two names for the same thing. However, editing serves a different function to proofreading, and occurs at a different stage in the publication process. Structural editing and copy editing involve in-depth reading and checking of a document or book manuscript. It includes reviewing language and style to ensure that the meaning of the text is clear, that it is acceptably expressed, and that the content (both words and images) is consistent and correct.
Editors assist writers by:
- correcting spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors
- suggesting where different words could be used to better effect
- checking for use of the correct tense and person
- pointing out where a phrase, sentence, or paragraph is clumsy, out of place, ambiguous or repetitive
- highlighting any issues regrading fact, sequence, timeline or logic that seem to be inconsistent.
The role of both structural editing and copy editing is to polish your writing by eliminating redundancies or repetition, or to improve the structure of your written content by inserting linking sentences between paragraphs, transitional phrases, or sentences that summarise the main point. A proficient editor will alway strive to ensure that the text communicates its message clearly to the reader.
Unless you have a specific style requirement for your editing project, we use the following standard publishing resources when editing a client’s document:
- Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers (sixth edition) for grammar, punctuation and style
- Macquarie Dictionary (fifth edition) for spelling.
Levels of Editing
Structural editing: During structural editing, the editor’s goal is to improve the flow of the written text by providing suggestions to the author (or even rewriting various sections) to produce a uniform reading level, tone and voice within the document or book manuscript. This may involve changing passive voice to active voice, rearranging sentences, paragraphs or sections to improve readability, and shortening (or sometimes lengthening) the text to ensure that it conforms to document layout specifications.
Copy editing: This type of editing involves checking a written document or book manuscript for style, consistency and relationships between text and graphics.The editor will review the document word-for-word and line-by-line in order to identify and correct any spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors. The format of the document is also checked, including paragraphing and headings, numbering, image/photograph captions (if relevant), and any inconsistencies in the page layoutof the publication.
How We Can Help You
At Epiphany Editing & Publishing we can help writers who want to improve their writing – whether for personal, academic or business reasons – to get the best out of their work. We check your written Word document for obvious errors such as spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes. In addition, we ensure that the text is consistent throughout, well organised and structured, and the language level is appropriate for your intended audience.
We are always happy to discuss your specific requirements before commencing an editing project. We recognise that you have invested a lot of time and effort in your writing. Our editing service is suited to a wide range of clients ranging from university students, business owners, government organisations and self-publishing authors.
If you are an author looking to self publish your manuscript, we offer several book editing packages which are designed to suit a range of different publishing scenarios. In addition, if you want some preliminary feedback about the strengths and weaknesses of your manuscript before submitting it to a publisher or self publishing your book, we recommend you consider our manuscript appraisal service.
To find out more about our professional editing service, contact us today.
