Editing
Book Editing
Developmental, line and copy editing on one manuscript, with every change tracked and explained.
A finished draft is not a finished book
A first draft usually has the right material in the wrong order, chapters that repeat each other, and a hundred small inconsistencies the author can no longer see. Publishing it as-is is the fastest way to get reviews about the writing rather than the ideas.
Three levels of editing, applied in the right order
We start with structure, then sentences, then mechanics — because fixing commas in a chapter that gets cut is wasted work. You receive tracked changes plus a report explaining the reasoning, so you can accept, reject or argue with any of it.
What you get
- Developmental structure edit
- Line edit for clarity
- Copy edit and proofread
- Tracked-changes manuscript
- Written editorial report
- Style sheet for consistency
- Clean final file
How it works
- AssessmentWe read the full manuscript and tell you which level of editing it actually needs. If it needs less than you asked for, we say so.
- Developmental editStructure, chapter order, argument gaps and repetition. Delivered as a report with recommendations before any line-level work begins.
- Line editSentence-level work on clarity, rhythm and pacing, in tracked changes. Your voice is preserved; we are not rewriting you into house style.
- Copy edit and proofreadGrammar, punctuation, spelling, and consistency of names, terms, capitalisation and numbers, recorded on a style sheet.
- Final passWe apply your accepted changes and deliver a clean file, plus the marked-up version for your records.
Common questions
What is the difference between the three editing levels?
A developmental edit changes what the book says and in what order. A line edit changes how the sentences read. A copy edit fixes grammar, spelling and consistency. Most manuscripts benefit from all three, but they have to happen in that sequence or the later work gets thrown away.
Will editing change my voice?
No. We edit for clarity and consistency, not to make you sound like someone else. Anything that would alter meaning or tone is raised as a comment for you to decide on rather than changed silently. Every edit arrives tracked, so you can see and reverse all of it.
Do I have to accept every change?
No. The manuscript comes back with changes tracked and you accept or reject them individually. Where a change is a judgement call rather than a correction, the reason is in the margin so you are deciding with the same information we had.
Can you edit a manuscript you did not write?
Yes, and most of the editing we do is on manuscripts written elsewhere. We read the whole thing before quoting so the estimate reflects the real condition of the draft rather than a page count.
What if the manuscript needs more work than I thought?
We tell you after the assessment read, before you commit to a full edit. Sometimes the honest answer is that a chapter needs rewriting rather than editing, and we would rather say that up front than polish something that is not working.
Tell us where your book is right now.
An idea, a half-finished draft, or a manuscript waiting to be published. We will tell you what the next step costs and how long it takes.
Next step
Ready to pick a plan?
Tell us where you are now. We will point you at the right plan.