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One of the most common errors I see in manuscripts is unhyphenated compound adjectives. It’s not surprising – adjectives with two or more...

When I first started freelancing, I worked with local book publishers who paid me industry rates. After all, they understood the time, expertise and costs involved. But when I quoted the same rates to self-publishing authors, they were shocked. About $2,000 for a book-length manuscript? It was too much. And off they trotted to Upwork ... Four figures may seem like a lot for a book – but it isn't. If you consult industry websites, such as the Chartered Institute of Editing and

A year ago, I lost a copyediting job because I didn’t want to edit in Google Docs. Everything was going swimmingly until I mentioned my preference for Word. Then the client went silent. I followed up a week later and they told me they hired someone who was comfortable using Google Docs. Don't get me wrong. I use Google Docs all the time, particularly when I'm writing content or copyediting short pieces. But editing a full-length manuscript in Google Docs? Nah, it's too risky.

If you've ever worked with an editor, you'll know that we ask questions – lots of questions. That's because we need to make sure we're a good fit and that we meet your project's needs. But we can't do that if you haven't thought deeply about your writing or publishing goals (and trust me, you don't want to answer these questions on the fly). So if you want to speed up the editing process and get the most out of your editor–author partnership, here are some questions you shoul

Sending your manuscript to a copyeditor can be a nerve-racking experience – particularly if you're a first-time author. While everyone has a slightly different process, below is a sneak peek at mine. Full disclosure: this workflow can change depending on the length of the project, the type of book being edited and whether I'm working with an author or a third party (such as an in-house editor). Whatever the circumstances, it should give you an idea of how a non-fiction copyed

After spending months (maybe years) writing your non-fiction book, you're finally finished. Now it's time to find out if it's any good!...

Did you know that some punctuation rules are optional? Now, I’m not talking about bending the rules in your experimental fiction class or leaving out punctuation in your texts. I’m talking about punctuation that can go either way, depending on your preference. An obvious choice that comes to mind is the Oxford (serial) comma, particularly in simple horizontal lists. But that's an editorial minefield, so I'll leave it for another post. Today, I'll be covering the use of commas

Grammar apps like Grammarly, Hemingway and ProWritingAid are in everyone's workflow these days (well, if you're someone who tinkers with...

Two things come to mind when I hear the word ‘splice’. The pine-lime popsicle I used to eat as a kid. And splicing tape in a sound...

Have you ever looked at your writing – and I mean really looked – and thought there was room for improvement? Maybe you’ve got fallback phrases you use a lot, like ‘what’s more’, ‘in fact’ and ‘let’s face it’. Or maybe you confuse contractions like ‘its’ and ‘it's’. You could even be a speedy touch-typist who sometimes misses letters, like writing ‘poo’ instead of ‘pool’ or ‘chorine’ instead of ‘chlorine’. (Can you tell I’ve been writing for the pool industry lately?) That do

Here's what I've discovered after working with dozens of business clients and self-publishing authors: few know the difference between...