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A while back, I proofread a book that was full of ellipses. If the manuscript hadn’t already been typeset, I would’ve asked the author to expunge them – mercilessly. I did my best to correct them without messing with the layout, but it was tough. And I’m sure it was a nightmare for the poor desk editor who had to take in those corrections. But it’s not the first time I’ve seen red over ellipses. I had a manager who used them with wild abandon. Their emails had more ellipses t

I’ve been on both sides of the editing fence. Not only have I edited other people’s work, but I’ve also had my own writing edited. When I...

A few years ago, I was asked to copyedit a 50,000-word book in 24–48 hours. At first I thought it was a joke – or an error (did they mean 5,000 words?). It wasn’t. They were dead serious. It was a full copyedit, with a dizzying list of requirements. Well, it should come as no surprise that I politely declined. Copyediting is a marathon, not a sprint. The faster you go, the more errors you miss – or make! A copyedit should be slow, thoughtful and attentive. When it’s rushed or

One of the first jobs I got when I started freelancing again (yes, this is my second run!) was a website copyedit. The client accepted my...

Editors often bang on about the importance of sample edits. But once you’ve got one (or three), how do you evaluate them?   The truth is, if you’re too close to your work or your knowledge of grammar isn’t top-notch, it can be difficult. Plus, editing styles vary and each sample can look different.   So how do you know if someone has done a good job or not (and whether they’re the right editor  for you)? Well, there are some tell-tale signs. But before I delve into them, let’

I’m a foodie. So it should come as no surprise that I used to work for a food publisher (I love test kitchens!) and that I still edit cookbooks. While I don’t work on as many as I used to, I still have enough projects to exercise my food editing muscles.   But I’m gonna level with you. Food editing isn’t for the fainthearted. It’s fiddly and time-consuming, and it helps if you have some cooking knowledge (actually, a LOT of cooking knowledge) and an understanding of recipe wr

There’s one step in the editing process that’s usually rushed or overlooked – and that's the editor's brief. This is the email or...

I recently edited two non-fiction books with a lot of parentheses. They were mostly used for witty asides or extra detail. (Both authors...

I was watching a TV show recently (it was Gilmore Girls , if you must know) in which the main character’s hairstyle kept changing from...

It may seem counterintuitive to push business away, but sharing my preferences and editing style is a great way to find out if our...

I recently copyedited a non-fiction book with a trigger warning. It was the first time I’d read – or edited – a book that had one. (I...

When I first trained as an editor, the process was simple. I received a hard copy of the manuscript, used copyediting symbols to mark up my corrections and returned the pages with a style sheet and author queries. Job done! Since then, things have changed. Editing is now done onscreen. (So much for the hours spent learning those symbols!) This means I have access to a dizzying array of functions, macros and software platforms to speed up the process and improve the accuracy o

As a copyeditor, I’m often briefed to remove wordiness. But why is it a problem and where do you draw the line? Understandably, there's a lot of confusion around this topic because wordiness is subjective – and how much you get away with depends on your style and audience. So in this post, I'll explain what wordiness is (with examples), when it's okay and how you can minimise it to make your writing more impactful. What is wordiness? Wordiness, sometimes called overwriting, i

‘Write now and edit later. ’ I hear this mantra all the time. Writing teachers push it because it helps you beat writer’s block and speed up your writing. But does it work? Or rather, does it work for everyone? Okay, I'm gonna make a confession: I edit as I go. I’ve been doing this for as long as I can remember.    Whether it’s fiction, content or copy, I write the first lines and then go back and tweak them. It’s mainly vocabulary or structural changes, depending on how the

Editors are trained to do a lot of things: fix typos, correct spelling and grammar, eliminate wordiness, and improve the logic and flow...

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 shou

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 copye