The copy-editing process is as simple as A-B-C-D. A copy editor will assess your manuscript, understand your brief, copy edit your manuscript, and deliver all relevant documents when the job is done. Voila! Now, let me give a little more explanation.

Assessing

A copy editor will first assess the manuscript or portions of it that you send to ensure that what you need is copy editing and not other types of editing. Yes, there are different types of editing which I’ll address in another post. For instance, if you have just a first draft, you might not need the service of a copy editor but a developmental editor. Your copy editor has to know that your book is at the copy-editing stage.

Briefing

We’re copy editors, not magicians; we can’t work with nothing. We need you to give us a brief so we can understand what you want and how far you want us to intervene in your work. There’s no abracadabra with copy editing; you supply a brief, and we work to the brief. What are the components of a brief? Your house style or that of your intended publisher, your language preference (UK, US, etc.), the level of intervention (heavy edit or light edit), your schedule and how you want to be contacted for author queries, your proposed budget and anything you think might make the process smooth for you and your copy editor.

Copy editing

This is where the work gets done according to your brief. Your copy editor ensures that they work to specification, ensuring clarity, consistency, and coherence.  They make sure to leave author queries when they make an edit that may change the meaning of a sentence so that you can resolve them accordingly.

Delivery

Finally, we send your well-polished, ready-to-publish manuscript to you alongside other relevant documents such as a style sheet so that your proofreader and publisher understand the style choices that have been made and know to stick to them.

That’s it! That’s the process.

Do you have a book you want to share with the world? I specialise in editing general interest books and academic articles and books in the humanities and social science field. If your book is within the area of my specialisation, send me an email (oluwakemiesho@outlook.com) and let’s work together.

About – Oluwakemi Esho