Resources: Hiring a copyeditor

• 24/07/2023
• Siobhan O'Brien Holmes
• no comments

If you work with me (or someone else) on a critique or edit, you might decide to continue your publishing journey with another editor. There are several types of professional editing available and they all happen at different stages in the process. You might decide to stop after your manuscript critique or you may choose to take your book through each stage. Your publishing goals and budget will dictate what’s right for you.

Copyediting focuses on sentence level issues like spelling, grammar and consistency and should always come after a developmental edit (if you’re getting one) because it’s likely you’ll be making some big changes to your manuscript in that first stage and it’s a waste to have text edited if it’s not definitely staying! Some UK editors don’t distinguish between copyediting and line editing but in the US there is usually a clear difference: while copyeditors will correct mistakes and inconsistencies, line editors focus on your language. Does it get the right tone across? Is there a better way to phrase something? Could your prose flow better? Check with your copyeditor to make sure you know exactly what you’re getting.

Guides from professional editing bodies

• Hiring an Editor: A Guide for New Authors – EFA (Editorial Freelancers Association)
• What is copyediting? – CIEP (Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading)
• Proofreading or Editing: a quick guide to using editorial professional – CIEP
• Types of editing – IPED
• Definitions of Editorial Skills – Editors Canada

The go-to fiction copyeditors I recommend

• The first process of publishing: Editing – Self Publishing School
• 5 Types of Editing: Which Is Best for Your Writing? – Masterclass
• Breathe! The copyeditor has your back – Fiction University
• What’s the Difference Between Copyediting and Proofreading? – NY Book Editors
• What is copyediting? A complete guide – Jericho Writers

Do you need to hire a copyeditor?

• Does my self-published book need a copyeditor or a proofreader? – Denise Cowle
• Developmental editing or copyediting: Which do you need? – Lisa Poisso
• Types Of Editing: How To Choose – Jericho Writers
• Types of editing: which do you need most? – Self Publishing School

Where to find copyeditors

• CIEP directory
• EFA directory
• ACES editors for hire
• Editors Canada directory