Make your manuscript clean, clear, and ready to share.
Once your manuscript is fully drafted, your structure is solid, and your ideas are in place, your text will still needs refining. Not even the most experienced authors can skip this stage. Any lingering errors or inconsistencies will distract the reader (whether they realize it or not) and undermine the credibility of your work.
My role is to make sure your writing is clear, correct, concise, comprehensible, and consistent: the five Cs of good copyediting.
Starting price: from £250, depending on word count, style guide, and level of support required. I’ll provide a tailored quote once I’ve seen a sample.
What I do
Copyediting involves a detailed, line-by-line review of your manuscript. I focus on technical precision and editorial consistency, including:
Correcting grammar, punctuation, and spelling (UK or US English)
Standardising usage (e.g. decision-making vs decision making; e-mail vs email)
Ensuring consistency in headings, capitalisation, hyphenation, and abbreviations
Clarifying any phrasing that could cause confusion
Flagging factual or citation errors (if appropriate)
Applying your chosen style guide (APA, ASA, CMOS, house style)
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Changing “it’s” to “its”
Standardizing “organisation” vs “organization” across a manuscript
Correcting inconsistent use of the Oxford comma
Rewriting “in order to” as simply “to”
Clarifying “this shows that … ” to specify what this refers to
Ensuring reference entries match in-text citations
Capitalizing or lowercasing headings consistently across chapters
What you’ll receive:
A Word document with all edits clearly marked using tracked changes
A custom style sheet outlining key editorial choices
Optional clean version (if you’re working with a designer or typesetter)
If you’re not sure whether you’re ready for copyediting—or whether this is the right kind of edit—feel free to send a sample and I’ll let you know.
Why work with me?
I combine my editorial background with practical publishing knowledge to support authors who want to publish with intention and professionalism. I’ve helped nonfiction authors prepare their books for print and digital platforms, and I know where things often get stuck and how to move forward. Check out:
