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Copyediting

The Big Idea is fully spun out on the page, and you’re happy with it. You want to make sure there’s absolutely nothing blocking the path from your work to the reader, to be certain that the finely tuned machine that is the story has no imperfections that can make it work to less than its full potential.

That’s my job. I take care of cleaning that window between the work and the reader so that all the reader sees is the idea as intended by the author. And I come with a full toolkit to make this happen:

Grammar

You want the reader to understand exactly what you mean (or to be precisely as confused as you wish them to be). Included under this overly broad heading are spelling (Are there alternate spellings, dialectal/regional variants, understandable local-accent representations, etc.?), punctuation (commas, dashes, hyphens, semicolons…I’ll corral them all for you), and so on; the nuts-and-bolts mechanics are my neighborhood. I’ll make sure there’s no interference with your signal.

Voice

Your narrator and characters all have voices of their own, speaking in their own particular way. They’re all intended to be realistic, believable people, distinct from each other. Planetary Director Cirosta t’Lirenzan always speaks with an understated, sophisticatedly sarcastic tone, not at all like the gruff, rustic grousing of dwarven warrior Bruagh… but she knows how to talk to him in his own idiom. Voice is key; it’s part and parcel of the copyeditor’s work, making sure each line of dialogue or narration matches exactly what the writer wants the character or narrator to say.

Continuity

The reader is introduced to the Alliance of Light in the very first chapter but is confused when the characters finally visit the “Light Alliance” ten chapters later? Terleste sits down on one page… and then the reader sees that she sits down “again” on the next page without ever having stood? Keeping an eye out for unintended in-universe factual shifts like this is the copyeditor’s work.

And, in the end, none of the above three exist in a vacuum. They all interact on multiple levels and must be adapted for best service to the author’s creation. I’m most at home with the Chicago Manual (for those who pay attention to such things), as it’s the one I’ve studied most recently and most in depth, but I’ll make a confession:

I do not always follow it.

Chicago, like any of the most respected guides, has detailed guidelines, but we must remember that they are guidelines. You’ll find that Chicago says many times and in many ways that they are, in the end, suggestions (using words like usually, normally, ideally, most, etc.). Why is this? Because the editors of Chicago recognize one important fact: sometimes, following the guidelines in lockstep can be counter to the effect or message intended by the author. Sometimes, blind adherence can actually get in the way of maximum comprehensibility to the reader. And that is the most important determining factor in the choices made by a copyeditor: making the author’s intended message or effect as clear as possible to the reader. Everything else is secondary…even the “rules” as we understand them. I will adjust, flex or outright flout the guidelines as written if they risk getting in the way of that primary goal. If you understand that, we can work well together.

(NB: There is a big difference between copyediting and other kinds of editing. Check this page out for more information on that difference.)

I bring these and much more to the table. I’ll be honest: there are lots of good copyeditors out there, people who understand the language inside and out. In that respect, I’m proud to stand among peers. Where I’m told that I am different is in my lifelong familiarity with science fiction and fantasy. The standards, the images, the themes, the characters…they’re all things that I know. Things that I love.

The devil is in the details and I’m packing the holy water. But if you wish to speak with someone who has worked directly with me so that you can get a clearer picture of just what I do and how I go about it, I will gladly provide references.

Most recent work

Click here for a partial visual list of individual books

My work includes projects done for a variety of clients of a broad array of sizes. As of February 2023, I have completed 400 projects in total after just under ten years in business (I think it’s reasonable to feel proud of this!). Clients, in no particular order:

  • Penguin / Random House (DAW, Ace/Roc)
  • Tor (Tor and Tor.com)
  • JABberwocky Literary Agency 
  • Podium Audio (yes, they also publish print books!)
  • Simon & Schuster (Saga)
  • Hachette (Orbit)
  • Skyhorse
  • Spencer Hill Press (Spence City)
  • Angry Robot
  • Both published and yet-unpublished independent authors (references / list of specific works supplied upon request).

I also work with crime/thriller, horror, YA, MG and romance; while my greatest strength is admittedly in SF/F, my attention to detail is undiminished in any genre or subgenre.

Base rate

My base rate begins at $35/hour (meaning it can and will be adjusted due to various factors), assuming a pace of up to 10 pages/hour (meaning up to 2500 words/hour); this pace necessarily can and will vary on a case-by-case basis. Note: There are many copyeditors who charge a per-page rate, but I choose a per-hour rate to make it a more direct function of how much work is needed in order to smooth all of the above. In other words, if you submit exceptionally clean copy, would you expect to pay the same as someone whose work needs a bit more care? And if you’re in the latter category, wouldn’t you want to be certain that your mechanics monkey isn’t trying to rush some very exacting work? In either case, please email me to discuss exactly what you need.

New clients: please note that you may be asked to make a partial payment before booking. It feels mistrustful to me to do this, but I think you’ll agree that this is better for all parties.

Sample edits

I am willing to work on a sample of your manuscript if you wish to see whether we will be a good fit. A sample should be approximately 10 pages (around 2500 words) to provide a minimally sufficient picture of what you’ll be working with. There will be a fee of $50, but that fee will be deducted from a future invoice if you then decide to commit to a copyedit of the full manuscript.

RESCHEDULING/CANCELLATION

I tend to be booked a couple of months ahead of time (though you can always ask if I’ll be available sooner than that; there are sometimes gaps, but it’s not a usual thing), so count on needing to be able to wait two or three months before I can work on your manuscript. In this light, I need clients to be absolutely certain that I will have their manuscript in my inbox before their slot begins, as late delivery will almost always cause me to finish their project late and end up starting late on the next project. This cascade effect is unfair to possibly multiple other clients, so I’d like to discourage it as much as possible. Therefore, understanding that life is what happens while we’re making other plans, there are two options at this point:

1) Reschedule. (This and the next option are both available before or on the client’s delivery date, but not after.) Unfortunately, this means you’ll have to wait another few months before I can get to your manuscript. If this is the option you want, we’ll work out a new slot. In the meantime, it also means that I’ll be adding a 10% rescheduling fee to the final invoice; because of the tight margins of my calendar, a sudden shift like this typically means I won’t be able to work on anything else during the suddenly vacant slot, and 10% represents a nod to my lost productivity for that time but also acknowledges that we will be working on that project, just later.
2) Cancel. If there is absolutely no way a client can wait a few months, I’ll understand, but given the loss of productive professional time, I’ll need to invoice on the spot for a cancellation fee (being 25% of an estimate of what the invoice for the full copyedit would likely have been). This still doesn’t make up entirely for the lost time, of course, but I do recognize that life sometimes erects unexpected roadblocks.


I dislike both of these options, if I’m to be entirely honest. As a result, I cannot stress enough that it would be preferable for both of us if clients choose a date they are absolutely certain of hitting.

Submissions

ALL PROJECT SUBMISSIONS SHOULD FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES:

  • WORD (USING TRACK CHANGES)
  • 12 POINT
  • TIMES NEW ROMAN
  • DOUBLE-SPACED.

I make zero distinction based on ethnicity, creed, gender, political views, D&D edition preference, sexual orientation, favorite sport and/or team, nationality, position on the coffee/tea continuum…basically, anything about the author that has nothing significant to do with the work itself. Likewise, I will accept no project that does make such distinction in an attempt to cause others to view such things negatively. In short, you can use your text to talk positively (or neutrally) about any group you wish, but putting a negative light on any real-life group that is doing no harm can get you dropped.

Otherwise, the sky’s the limit. I’m here for the words, not to tell people what to think.

CURRENT STATUS

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