Good editing is what separates professional publications from amateur ones.
You’ve left it all on the page. Now what?
A professional editor can help with many different aspects of your work, from specific issues of grammar and syntax to broader examinations of structure and style. Most fundamentally, however, editors exist to serve your work - to make it better - by representing the reader.
Every author, no matter how skilled or accomplished, maintains a particular emotional connection to their writing. The role of the editor is to offer a different, more impartial perspective, along with the technical experience and knowledge to bring out the best in your prose.
Brock Peters, an Editors Canada Certified Copy Editor, can help you polish your writing and get it ready for print. Our editing services range from basic proofreading to comprehensive stylistic editing.
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Proofreading is our most basic service, typically a single-pass edit intended to catch any issues with your final draft. A proofread will:
• Provide a full, personalized grammar, spelling, and punctuation check
• Fix inconsistencies in capitalization and usage
• Point out errors in formatting or typography
• Apply advice from your chosen style guide (if applicable)
In short, our proofreading service is about ensuring your writing is technically perfect without changing its content or meaning. This makes it great for putting a final polish on your work.
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Copy editing, sometimes called line editing, is designed to address the content of your work, focusing on consistency, correctness, accuracy, clarity, and organization. Copy editing will:
• Correct more complex grammatical issues, including problems with sentence structure, tense, and voice
• Query issues of usage and the accuracy of information
• Develop or follow a style sheet, and apply a consistent editorial style
• Highlight issues of clarity in the text, and suggest improvements in word choice and tone
• Provide feedback and suggestions about style and content
Editorial advice is intended as constructive criticism, and your editor will be careful at all times to preserve your authorial voice and communicate edits clearly and respectfully.
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Maybe you’re just starting out with an idea, and need help finding a direction. Maybe you’ve completed a first draft, and your manuscript needs a major overhaul. Or maybe you need to take your masterpiece to a whole new level. Structural editing, sometimes called substantive or developmental editing, is the most in-depth of the services we offer.
In fiction, a structural edit will evaluate elements like point of view, character development, and plot. In nonfiction, the focus might be more on organization, the logical progression of ideas, and an appropriate narrative flow. Whatever your medium, a structural edit involves a deep professional relationship between editor and author that allows for a more extensive exchange of insights and improvements.