Editorial Services
- Manuscript Evaluation
- In-depth Manuscript Critique - Developmental, Structural and Stylistic Edit
- Line editing
- Copy editing
- Submission preparation including query and cover letters, synopsis etc.
With A Writer’s Guide, the purpose of working with the editor is not simply for the editor to improve your current manuscript, but to provide you with a set of skills that you can carry forward with you in order to improve all your future work.
What is developmental editing?
A collaborative process where the author and editor work together towards a common vision and common goals for the book. In it you are looking at the big picture rather than the specifics of grammar, punctuation, world choice etc. The author is often “too close” to their own manuscript and too emotionally involved to be able to stand back and truly assess what changes need to occur. Agreeing upon a vision and watching the revised manuscript transform to achieve it is an exciting and rewarding process for both the editor and author.
A book length manuscript consists of a highly complex structure and is difficult to manage and control. The rewriting process involves taking unnecessary parts out, adding in new material, reorganising the work, and refining the work that is there. All of these elements need to be considered in terms of the overall structure and intent of the manuscript. In a novel, for example, this would include character development, setting, plot structure & development, theme, pacing, tone, symbolism etc.
What is line editing?
Line editing focuses on the way you use language to communicate your story to the reader. It includes paragraph structure, sentence flow, word choice, voice, and style. It identifies, for example, redundancies (the same information repeated in different ways), words/sentences that are overused or unnecessary, tonal shifts, confusing or unclear language, phrasing that impedes the pacing of the writing, It is a page by page and line by line process.
What is copy editing?
Copy Editing refers to grammar, punctuation and syntax (the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences). It comes after a line edit and addresses flaws on a technical level. It corrects spelling errors and ensures consistency in spelling, hyphenation, numerals, fonts, and capitalization. It tracks internal consistency, that details do not change throughout the manuscript e.g. character descriptions, setting details, plot events, chronology. It also identifies factually incorrect statements.