Copy editing, a complete guide
Copy editing is a professional service, often carried out by a freelancer, that will review, revise, edit, and rewrite copy and content. The word “copy” is a general term for any written work including blog articles, websites, journal articles, documents, theses, reports, and other types of written content, especially if it’s shared with the public.
Copy editing services will:
Enhance accuracy and readability for your audience.
Remove errors and mistakes and enhance trust.
Improve focus and sharpen your key points.
Make the content easier to understand.
Here are the questions we’ll answer in this comprehensive guide to copy editing:
What’s included in a copy editing service?
What’s not included in copy editing?
Will copy editing fix all the areas of my copy?
What are the benefits of copy editing?
What are the different types of copy editing?
What are the main principles of copy editing?
What is the difference between proofreading and copy editing?
Can I copy edit my own writing?
Will copy editing completely change my work?
How much does copy editing cost?
How much should I expect to pay for copy editing?
Should I choose the cheapest copy editing option?
Do you have any other tips for finding the right copy editing service?
What’s included in a copy editing service?
Copy editing corrects, enhances, and focuses your content so that you’re presenting your work in the best possible way. A copy editor will review your writing and edit your work so that it makes sense to your audience and presents your concepts and key points clearly and correctly.
Copy editing services will typically include the following:
Rewriting to clarify your work, including making changes to sentences, paragraphs, and sections.
Moving sections of text within the content, so your writing flows to guide the reader through the piece.
Establishing the context and positioning of your content to engage your audience.
Reviewing the piece for any confusing or ambiguous language and explaining jargon, acronyms, or other unusual terms.
Ensuring the clarity and conciseness of your content by eliminating unnecessary or duplicated wording.
Strengthening the outline and structure of your work so it covers all the areas your readers are interested in.
Updating headings and formatting to make the content easy to scan and understand.
Editing your work to a style or brand guide, whether that’s in-house or an established style guide, like Associated Press.
Communicating with you so you always know what’s happening with your writing.
Meeting your deadlines so you get beautifully edited work back in time for publication.
Using a flexible, friendly, expert approach that meets your content needs.
Having the right experience and expertise to provide high-quality copy editing that adds value to the finished content.
Please note that copy editing services will be language-specific. I offer English copy editing services and can edit to U.K. and U.S. English.
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What’s not included in copy editing?
Copy editing services won’t typically provide the following:
Arranging or “flowing” content into new formats or designs. A copy editor will carry out general, simple formatting within the document itself, including headings, bullet point lists, and line spacing, but will not normally incorporate content into a design template or other style. For these areas, you can use a freelance designer.
Localizing content for another language or region (e.g. U.S. English to Australian English). For localization, you’ll need a specialist localization editor.
Fact-checking. A copy editor will normally assume you’ve already checked the facts in your copy.
Writing from scratch. Copy editing is designed for content that’s already written and needs polishing or enhancing, so editors are not typically freelance writers.
Checking for copyright or plagiarism. Most copy editors will assume you have not copied content from elsewhere and will not generally check for plagiarism or copyright infringement.
Indexing of content.
Assisting you in major development of your work, which requires the skills of a developmental editor.
Will copy editing fix all the errors in my copy?
Copy editing ensures that your written content is perfect for your audience and that it’s ready for publication. Although an editing service will look for and fix mistakes, a copy editor will mainly focus on “big picture” changes to the style and structure of your writing.
If you want possible typos, spelling, grammar, or other errors fixed, you may need to:
Hire a proofreader who can review and fix those mistakes, or
Look for a copy editing service that includes proofreading.
Please note that if you request copy editing from me, I will also proofread your work at no extra charge. You can be confident your work will read well, land with your audience, and that it’s been checked for grammar, spelling, typos, and other issues.
Can you explain the benefits of copy editing?
Of course. A copy editing service offers you several significant benefits as a content creator:
Context: An editor will read and copy edit your work so it makes sense to your audience and let you know if adding information might be helpful.
Accuracy: An editor will check that the terminology, wording, and other aspects of your content meet standard English rules.
Clarification: An editor will remove duplication and ambiguity and explain complex terms or jargon.
Focus: An editor will understand and sharpen the highlights and key points in your content.
Consistency: An editor will help to make your copy consistent by ensuring similar word usage and formatting.
Action: An editor will help to guide your readers to specific conclusions, outcomes, and actions.
Are there different types of copy editing services?
Yes, copy editing services do vary depending on expertise and experience. Copy editors can work across a variety of content, including:
Academic editing for personal statements, theses, dissertations, coursework, essays, and other education-related content.
Business editing for advertising, blog posts, articles, case studies, documents, memos, reports, correspondence, newsletters, plans, profiles, marketing materials, policies, processes, emails, staff handbooks, presentations, press releases, product descriptions, proposals, RFPs, tenders, social media, training materials, white papers, and other business content.
Website and online editing for websites including home, about, and landing pages, product descriptions, blogs, articles, and other online content.
Non-fiction editing for other content like manuscripts, ebooks, white papers, and other writing.
Fiction editing for novels, short stories, and other creative writing.
There are other, specialist types of professional editing including developmental editing, line editing, in-depth reviews, localization editing, and more.
I offer business, academic, website, online, and non-fiction editing. I do not edit fiction.
I also provide some additional services that you may not find elsewhere:
Proofreading as standard and at no extra cost when you use my copy editing services.
Comments and advice on how to improve your content.
Localization editing services between different types of English, like U.K. and U.S.
U.K. English and international English copy editing services.
Aftercare services, so if you update your work due to my editing, I will check your changes, free of charge.
What are the main principles of copy editing?
A professional editor will read and review your work in a specific way and apply various copy editing principles. They will typically read your content several times, using their skills to modify it from a draft to a final piece of writing. The copy editor is not a ghostwriter, and they may request that the original author makes substantive changes or major revisions.
An editor will look at several aspects of the writing, asking questions and making edits to satisfy the following copy editing principles:
Purpose and context: What is the overall intent of the content? What are the key points that the writer wants to explain? What is the context for the work?
Audience: Who are the intended readers of the content? How will the writing be shared with them? How does the writer want the audience to act once they have read the content?
Introduction: Is it interesting enough to draw a reader in and does it provide context and position the rest of the work? Can the introduction be strengthened to engage the reader on a deeper level?
Organization and flow: Is the text well organized and does it flow logically and smoothly from one part to the next? Is it guiding the reader through the copy so they can identify where they are in the content?
Concise versus extraneous: Does the content need to be sharpened to strengthen understanding? Can the copy editor reign in unruly text, get rid of fluff, eliminate jargon, and reduce flowery or overwrought language?
Focus and clarity: Does the writing get the most important ideas across in the most efficient way so that the reader has a good understanding of all key points? Is the piece as focused as it could be?
Tone and style: Is the use of first-, second-, or third-person consistent throughout? Does the writer use past, present, and future tenses correctly? Does the writing feel like it’s been created by multiple authors? Can the editor create a streamlined approach, tone of voice, and style throughout the work?
Content length: Is the length of the content appropriate? Are individual sentences and paragraphs the right size to share information?
Wrap up and conclusion: Does the copy end with something thought provoking or worth remembering? Does the work feel complete? Is there a call to action, if needed?
Guidance, advice, and feedback: Will additional feedback be useful to help the writer enhance the work further?
Is there a difference between proofreading and copy editing?
Yes. A copy editor might catch a few mistakes when they’re editing your content, but that’s not their main function.
The copy editor ensures your work is readable and memorable by helping with sentence and paragraph structure, word choice, tone, style, and consistency. Proofreading generally takes place after editing, and is a word by word check for misspellings, grammar mistakes, word choice, punctuation usage, and other errors.
You might ask if you need both a copy editor and a proofreader. It all depends on how polished you need your final work to be. It can be helpful to have a separate proofreader to find and correct any mistakes that the editor may have missed. Some copy editors will also complete a proofread of your content once they’ve finished editing so it’s perfect for publication.
Please note that all of my copy editing services also include proofreading at no extra charge.
What is the copy editing process?
A good copy editing service will follow some version of this process:
Communicate with you to understand your editing requirements and what you want from the finished work.
Gather any special instructions for editing, including who the content is intended to target.
Read through the writing to understand its positioning, context, and key points from the perspective of the intended reader or audience.
Complete a first pass of your writing, copy editing as they go. Your copy editor is looking to make changes to enhance and strengthen the content, so it reads well and achieves its purpose.
Ask questions as needed to help clarify the meaning and intent of your work.
Provide advice and comments in the work, where needed.
Proofread your work as part of a second read, correcting for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and other areas. Note that not all copy editors provide proofreading as part of their service.
Track all changes to your content, normally using “Track Changes” in MS Word.
Keep you updated on progress with your work.
Return your work to you.
Please note that I do provide a combined copy editing and proofreading service as standard and at no extra charge. I also offer an “aftercare” service, which means if you make a change to your work as a result of my comments and questions, I will re-check those parts. There is no additional fee for aftercare.
Can I copy edit my own writing?
It’s not a good idea for a writer to copy edit or proofread their own work. The person who wrote the copy will have a hard time seeing their own mistakes. A good copy editor has special skills and training to look for specific flaws, and an editor will also use their experience to strengthen the content in ways you may not have thought of. Most writers are not trained editors or proofreaders, so it’s worth hiring someone with the right approach and expertise. Copy editors will read your work as your audience will, and polish it to connect with them in the best possible way.
Will copy editing completely change my initial work?
No. Copy editing services are designed to enhance your existing content so it reads better and flows well. A good copy editor will strengthen the piece while retaining your unique tone of voice and approach.
How much does copy editing cost?
You might wonder how much you’ll pay for copy editing services. Here are the answers you need.
What factors affect the price of copy editing?
The fees for copy editing services vary depending on several areas. Copy editors with higher qualifications and more advanced skills will charge a little more. Likewise, copy editors with plenty of experience may be priced higher. Copy editors may also charge higher fees depending on what you need them to do. For example, I charge slightly more if you need some types of specialist editing like localization or working to a style guide.
Some copy editing services will also charge more depending on how quickly you need the work returned. I don’t charge extra for returning work quickly, and always return your edited work as soon as I complete it.
How much should I expect to pay for copy editing?
As a guide, most copy editing services (mine included) charge between $30 and $50 per hour, depending on the depth of editing you need. Most editors won’t actually invoice you by the hour, instead the price will depend on several factors, including:
How many words you need copy edited.
The type and depth of copy editing you need.
How quickly you want the work returned.
Whether you need proofreading as well.
This allows a copy editing service to provide a fixed quote for completing specific pieces of work. It also means you can budget more effectively, so it’s better for everyone.
Shouldn’t I just go for the cheapest option when it comes to finding copy editing services?
When it comes to good editing, the cheapest is definitely not the best. A good copy editor will have experience and insight into editing, including understanding what their readers are looking for. You will pay a little more for that expertise, but you’ll get more polished work which will work better for your audience.
Do you have any final tips for finding a good copy editing service?
So many people are offering freelance copy editing services that it can be hard to select the perfect freelancer. Here are a few tips for finding the best copy editor for your work:
Copy editing isn’t cheap: Don’t base your search on how low the prices are. We all want to save money but detailed work by an experienced copy editor is worth the extra cost. Some of the cheaper copy editors may not be native English speakers, or they may be offering proofreading instead of copy editing.
Good copy editing takes time: Copy editors can do basic work at 5-10 pages per hour but more detailed work can mean 3-5 pages per hour. Make sure you plan for the time an editor needs and hire an editor who will give your content their full attention.
Check for credentials and experience: Look at the copy editor’s portfolio of work to see if they have expertise and experience in your topics. Find out about any degrees or professional qualifications that your copy editor might have. See if the copy editor lists examples of work, clients, or publications for whom they have provided services.
See if they specialize in specific areas: Copy editors who have an understanding of your topic are more likely to provide quality work.
Read reviews or testimonials: Find out what other people think of the copy editor you want to use. Word of mouth is a good indication of the quality of work, and can help you select the right editor.
This all sounds great, how do I get you to edit my content?
I’m glad you asked. You can get an instant quote here, or head over here to get in touch. Thanks!
Other terms related to copy editing: Copy editor, editing, proofreading, line editing, copy editing service