What is copy editing?
Perhaps, as an author, you feel you do not understand what copy
editing is, or why you should need it. Copy editing, or line
editing as it is sometimes called in publishing circles, is the
painstaking job of going through a manuscript line by line to correct
the spelling, grammar and punctuation.
A good copy editor will also correct errors, such as poor continuity
(the heroine having dark hair on one page, but metamorphosing into a
blonde later on) and factual errors (such as placing a town in the wrong
place). He/she will also comment on more general textual problems (for
instance, confusion about who is saying what in dialogue, or placing a
character in the wrong place) and will if necessary raise a list of more
general queries for the author to consider.
If you are trying to get your work published and know that it is
full of minor errors, it's worth considering copy editing, as these errors
will not encourage editors or agents to read on, or to take your work
seriously. It is important that your work suggests you are literate! A
cheaper alternative would be to get a literate friend to go through your
manuscript, but don’t imagine that this will be the same thing, as copy
editing is a highly skilled activity which requires many hours of
focused work. Most copy editors have learnt their trade over many
years of working for publishers and they possess the essential expertise
which can transform your manuscript into something which is ready to go
into the production process.
Isn’t copy editing the publisher’s job?
If you do have a publisher, then don't worry about copy editing, as
your publisher will deal with this as part of the work involved in
preparing the book for publication. When the copy editor has
finished their work it is advisable to check through the changes to your
copy edited manuscript though, particularly if there are a lot of them, to
make sure that you are happy with what the copy editor has done.
You should also check the proofs very carefully, even if your
publisher has a professional proof-reader reading them too, because in the
end it is your book and you are responsible for making sure you are
happy with the printed version.
What about self-publishing?
Given the huge growth in self-publishing, particularly in the States,
many authors who are publishing their own work will be wondering
whether they should go to the additional expense of having it copy edited
before it goes into the system. My advice would be that this is
essential if your book is not to look illiterate in its finished form.
Even the most meticulous of writers will have difficulty in spotting
mistakes in their own copy, although they should be encouraged to use
a spellchecker and then to go through it as carefully as possible before
anyone else starts work on it. It’s always worth asking a trustworthy and
literate friend to read it with a critical eye. But the author should then
think hard about stumping up the money for copy editing as an essential
part of the self-publishing process.
So, what is proof-reading?
Proof-reading is a separate activity from copy editing and should
always be done afterwards as part of a final check that the text is in
good order. Traditionally, proof-reading was done at galley stage,
when the text was set up in type but not yet made into pages. There would
then have been a final stage during which the corrections made at galley
stage were checked in the page proofs. In theory digital typesetting
has meant that proof-reading is not necessary but publishers still employ
proof-readers to check that the text is correct and that any corrections
made by the copy editor have been correctly input. If you are
self-publishing you might want to skip this, but you should check the text
through carefully before you pass it for press, as it will be more
expensive to make the corrections later.
Chris Holifield
