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 reading a document or book manuscript in fine detail; checking its language and style to ensure that the meaning is clear, that it is acceptably expressed, and that the content (both text 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 questions of fact, sequence, timeline or logic that seem to be inconsistent.

The role of both structural editing and copy editing is to improve your writing by eliminating redundancies, tautologies, or repetition, or to amend the structure of your written content by inserting linking sentences between paragraphs, transitional phrases, or sentences that summarise the main point. A proficient editor always strives to improve the sense and logic of the text.

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 level, tone, and focus with 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 limits.

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, diagram/photograph captions (if relevant), and any publication layout inconsistencies.

How We Can Help You

At Epiphany Editing & Publishing we can help writers and authors who want to improve their writing – whether for individual or business purposes – to get the best out of their work. We check your written work for obvious errors such as spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes but also ensure that the material is consistent throughout, well organised and structured, and is appropriate for the intended audience.

We are always happy to discuss your specific editorial requirements before commencing a project. We recognise that you have invested a lot of time and effort in your writing and acknowledge that in the editing service we provide our clients.

If you are an author wanting to self publish your manuscript, we offer several book editing packages which are designed to suit a range of different publishing requirements. 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 offer a manuscript appraisal service.

To find out more about our professional editing service, contact us today.