Aside from being a writer and project manager, I’m also a professional editor and proofreader. I’m always looking for new clients for fiction, gaming material, and select non-fiction. Connect with me with the first 10 pages of your project and let’s see if we can work together!
My services currently include copy editing and proofreading. Here are some definitions to help you determine what you might need. Note I’ve added definitions for developmental editing and line editing, although I don’t currently offer those services. Depending on where you are skill-wise, you may need one or more of these services.
Copy editing: This is a deep dive into your manuscript, correcting any punctuation, spelling, grammar, capitalization, and creating a style sheet if you don’t already have one. Also reviewing for consistency throughout the manuscript based on that style sheet. For example, your main character’s name switches from June to May midway through the manuscript with no reason why other than you probably decided to change their name mid-stream and forgot to go back and fix it throughout.
Proofreading: This is a review of your laid out book, whether it’s a clean document, a galley, PDF, or the like. Work involved is reviewing your print/digital proof against the final manuscript to ensure everything made it into the proof, and spot-checking for any nits , typos, display errors, odd line breaks, widows, orphans, page numbers; checking tables of contents and indexes for correct page number references, and the like. I don’t comment on the prose unless something glaring pops out.
Line editing is a line-by-line analysis of the manuscript, noting suggestions for improvement in tone, style, clarity, structure, voice, transitions, POV issues, sentence length to improve flow or alter perception of speed, etc. I don’t offer this type of service mostly because I’m a working author, not an educator, and I believe this level of effort is something a writer should be constantly learning and practicing.
Developmental editing is where a developmental editor reviews your manuscript and provides a high-level overview of the structure and elements rather than a copy edit or proofread. This is big picture stuff and something all writers should be working on independently and learning by writing a lot and reading a lot and absorbing craft advice from workshops, writing books, chatting with other writers, and so forth. As with line editing, I don’t offer this type of service.