How can I make your writing shine?
You’ve typed those magical words ‘The End’ and now you want to share your story with the world.
I expect you’ve already discovered there are a lot of services available to help authors do this. How do you decide who is the right person for you?
Every piece of writing is as individual as the person who wrote it and as a writer myself I will respect that. My aim is always to make your writing the best it can be – in other words to make it shine.
First you need to know what kind of editing service you need. There are four main steps to editing a book:
Developmental editing
Line editing
Copy editing
Proofreading
Please see below for a description of each level.
I am able to offer all of these services but my forte is as a line and copy editor, ironing out the finer details once the overall shape of the piece has been finalised.
I am happy to edit both fiction and non-fiction and all genres and lengths except horror, erotica or anything with lots of swearing and violence.
Please use the contact form at the bottom of this page if you are interested in working together.
Contact
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Levels of editing
Developmental editing
A developmental edit looks at the book as a whole. In the case of fiction it points out major inconsistencies with the plot, timeline, characterisation and also comments when dramatic opportunities have been missed or the pace is flagging. It asks: does the book have 'page turning quality'?
A non-fiction developmental edit will also comment on missing information and suggest places where the text might be reordered, cut or rewritten so the reader can understand it better. It might also query incomplete research and the need for illustrations.
Line editing
A line editor is still conscious of the book's overall meaning but concentrates on sentence-level detail. Again the focus is on readability. Does the sentence flow so the reader can understand its meaning? Does the sentence convey the meaning the author intends it to?
A line editor will also check if the correct tense has been used, that the language is appropriate for the intended audience and for minor consistency errors, which can occur in non-fiction as easily as in fiction.
A line editor may sometimes suggest alternative wording but substantial rewrites should have been completed prior to this stage.
copy editing
A copy editor does check spelling and punctuation as you would expect but the role is far more extensive.
The copy editor reads the text at word level, checking for clarity and consistency but also pointing out text which might be libellous or breach copyright. (Please note it is the author’s or publishers' responsibility to take any mitigating action.)
The Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading provides an excellent breakdown of a copy editor's tasks, which also helpfully includes what a copy editor is not expected to do.
There is a lot of overlap between the role of a line editor and a copy editor, which is why I describe myself as being both.
proofreading
Originally a proofread happened after a manuscript had been typeset for printing and that can still be the case except the proofreader is sent a PDF rather than a hard copy. However digital material is often proofread before it is uploaded. Technology has made it easier to change the text at this stage than it once was but alterations should still be minimal.
The proofreader checks for any errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation which may have been missed at the editing stage or introduced following typesetting.
The proofreader will also look at the text layout, focusing on readability by checking the page numbers, chapter order and how the text appears on the page and will check consistency in the overall design.
“I have been working with Catriona for several years now and always feel that my books are in safe hands. ”
Let's Chat.
Please use the adjacent form to get in touch.