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Copy Editing Service

About us

Our Copy Editing Service

For 22 years our London-based Copy editing service has been focused on what writers need, providing competitive rates and highly experienced professional editors.

Copy editing brings out the best in your writing. It is a demanding and highly skilled job; it requires comprehensive knowledge of language, grammar and punctuation, patience, and an exceptional eye for detail. A good copy editor will correct errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation, fix problems with style, continuity and plot logic, and improve questionable word choices. Our expert editors have years of experience in copy editing fiction and non-fiction; when you choose to use our services, you can be sure that your work is in good hands. We can offer copy editing using British, International or American spelling and usage.

Does my manuscript need copy editing?

Even the best writers rely on copy editors to bring their work to a professional finish. If you are preparing your manuscript for submission to a publisher or agent, copy editing will significantly improve your prospects. If you are planning to self-publish, copy editing will give your work a professional finish, and ensure that your book goes to press free of embarrassing errors, which will infuriate readers. If you are a new writer, copy editing will show you how to improve your writing and move on to the next level.

It is extremely difficult to copy edit your own work; the skills required for writing and for copy editing are very different. A copy edit by a skilled professional will improve your manuscript and bring out the best in your writing.

The copy editing package

We offer a brief assessment, and a sample edit (normally 2 - 3 pages) free of charge.

You will receive two copies of your manuscript: a track changes version, showing you exactly what the editor has done, and if necessary containing comments from the editor; and a clean copy, showing your manuscript with all the editorial changes accepted. We strongly recommend that you use the clean copy for any further changes or amendments.

If the editor thinks there are broader issues with your work, you will receive a note explaining the problems, with guidance on how to fix them.

We strongly recommend that you send your work to us as a standard Microsoft Word document. Other formats, such as pdf files, make editing much more difficult (as this article explains: So what's wrong with PDFs?)

We will need to see your work in order to give you a quote. Please contact us for any advice you need and a quote on your work. We'd be glad to advise you.

How much does it cost?

Our basic rates for copy editing are:

Fiction: £6.80 per thousand words (£0.0068 per word). So for a manuscript of 80,000 words, our basic fee is £544. Our fee will depend on the condition of the manuscript and the amount of time and work required.

Non-fiction: £7.50 per thousand words (£0.0075 per word) with a minimum word count of 50,000 words. So for a 50,000 word manuscript, our basic fee is £375. Our fee will depend on the condition of the manuscript and the amount of time and work required. For shorter manuscripts, we will assess your work and agree an appropriate fee with you.

All fees are payable in advance.

Deadlines

We will give you a date for your work with the quote. We normally aim to return your work within two weeks of receipt of your manuscript and payment; our deadlines may change depending on the condition of the manuscript, or the volume of work we have. However, if you have a specific deadline, or you are working to a shorter timescale, we can arrange to return your work on a specific date.

Copy editing services - see the full range of editing services we offer, which we believe is the widest available on the web

Copy editing for self-publishers

Getting your manuscript copy edited

Manuscript polishing service

English Language Editing service

Writer's edit - our line-editing service

The Cutting edit - a new service, just launched

Developmental editing service - another brand-new service

Services for self-publishers

Proof-reading service

Which service?

Inside Publishing on Copy editing and Proof-reading