Polish your prose with professional copy editing.

Christopher Fitzgerald

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About this service

Summary

Prose should engage and be easy to read. I fix errors in punctuation, check grammar, and improve readability. If you’re an international writer targeting a readership in the United States, I can tweak your text to sound natural to Americans.

Process

Note: This explanation is identical the one one presented on the line editing page.
Consultation
The author or organization sends me a digital copy of the document.
Communicating via email, we determine the scope of the edit. (Phone or Zoom conversations are possible.)
Determine a flat-rate fee based on five cents per word. (As a newcomer to this field, I am not charging a fee over the course of several weeks. My priority is to obtain real world experience.)
Copy Editing
Perform a “mechanical edit,” which is a search for fifty potential errors in punctuation, formatting, and other aspects.
Check grammar. My reference is The Chicago Manual of Style.
Fix spelling errors.
Eliminate inconsistencies in spelling, point of view, and tense.
If needed, tweak the vernacular to sound American.
Line Editing This process enhances readability while preserving the author’s voice. It requires a deft touch. Some changes are made to the text and other changes are suggested.
Tighten sentences to improve clarity and pacing.
Point out or replace awkward words.
When appropriate, replace passive verbs with active verbs.
Eliminate redundancies.
Remove unnecessary adverbs.
Cut back on excessive use of adjectives.
Change repetitive words.
Remove unnecessary dialogue tags.
Identify purple prose, cliches, and information dumps.
When appropriate, change “telling” to “showing."
Record with track changes the revisions to the text.
Enter remarks into comment boxes.
Copy Editing Again Perform a scaled-down search for errors that might have been introduced during the line edit. What’s Not Included
Fact checking is the author’s job.
Developmental editing—big picture stuff—should happen beforehand. That said, I will sometimes offer remarks in that regard.
I do not edit poetry, novels in verse, erotica, and writing that includes nonbinary pronouns. I steer clear of manuscripts that depict gratuitous violence or affirm subject matter contrary to my values.

What's included

  • Delivery of Copyedited and Line Edited Document

    A client will receive the edited document in MS Word’s “simple markup” mode. New or rearranged text will be highlighted in blue. Comments will appear along the right margin. (Documents can also be formatted as PDF's or text files.) As always, the client has the final say; my edits can be reversed or tweaked. At the same time, I can also send a clean copy of the edited document, assuming that all editorial issues have been resolved. No deletions or comments would appear. Documents are sent as email attachments. If a client prefers, a document can be downloaded from my cloud server.

Skills and tools

Copy Editor
Microsoft Word

Industries

Books
Publishing

Work with me

More services

Polish your prose with professional line editing.

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