Editorial Services for Fiction Writers

Copyediting

Sentence-Level Editing

You’ve crafted your story. Now it’s time to polish it with care.

Copyediting strengthens your manuscript at the sentence level, improving clarity, consistency, and flow while preserving your voice. The goal isn’t to change how your story sounds but to make sure it reads smoothly, confidently, and professionally from beginning to end.

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What’s Included in a Copyedit

Sentence-Level Editing

A comprehensive, line-by-line edit focused on grammar, punctuation, word usage, clarity, consistency, flow, and formatting—ensuring your prose reads smoothly and professionally without changing your voice.

In-Manuscript Comments & Queries

Margin comments highlighting moments of unclear phrasing, minor inconsistencies, or areas that may benefit from clarification, along with occasional reader reactions to show how the writing is landing.

Personalized Style Sheet

A custom style sheet documenting spelling and hyphenation choices, characters and places, timelines, formatting conventions, and stylistic decisions to maintain consistency throughout the manuscript.

Editorial Summary

A brief editorial letter outlining the scope of the copyedit, patterns to be mindful of moving forward, and any conventions applied consistently—designed to help you understand both the edits and the reasoning behind them.

Final Files

Two versions of your manuscript: a marked-up file with all edits tracked, and a clean file with all edits accepted for easy reading or next steps.

All copyediting is grounded in professional training and genre-aware craft analysis, tailored to your story and goals.

By default, I edit according to The Chicago Manual of Style (18th edition) and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, but I’m happy to adapt to your preferred style guide or publisher requirements.

A copyedit focuses on sentence-level clarity and consistency. It does not include structural revisions or developmental feedback.

Is a copyedit right for you?

This service is a good fit if you:
✔ have completed big-picture revisions (such as developmental editing, beta feedback, or thorough self-editing)
✔ feel confident in your story’s structure and want to refine the writing at the sentence level
✔ want a clean, polished manuscript before moving on to formatting

Copyediting focuses on sentence-level clarity, consistency, and correctness.
It does not address big-picture story structure, plot, or character development.

How the Process Works

Here’s what you can expect from start to finish.

Reaching Out

We talk through your story, goals, and any style preferences. I review a sample to make sure we’re a good fit and share a quote and turnaround time.

Getting Started

If we decide to move forward, we confirm next steps and sign a contract. You send your manuscript and complete a style questionnaire.

Copyedit Round 1

I complete a full copyedit, focusing on grammar, punctuation, consistency, clarity, flow, and style.

Author Review

You review the edits and comments, answer queries, and accept changes or flag anything you’d like to discuss.

Copyedit Round 2

I address your feedback and complete a final polish.

Final Delivery

You receive your finalized manuscript, ready for formatting!

FAQ

Still have questions? Here are some of the most common things authors ask before booking a copyedit.

Copyediting focuses on grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, style consistency, and clarity. It’s an in-depth review that improves the flow and polish of your writing.

Proofreading comes after copyediting and is the final check for lingering typos, formatting issues, and minor errors before publishing.

Line editing is a deep edit focused on the craft of the writing itself—word choice, sentence rhythm, voice, and flow.

Copyediting is more technical: it polishes grammar, punctuation, style consistency, and readability, ensuring everything is clean and clear while preserving your voice.

Turnaround times vary depending on the length of your manuscript and my schedule, but you can expect a full copyedit to take 3 to 6 weeks. We’ll discuss deadlines during our initial conversation.

Copyedits start at $0.016 per word. Final quotes are based on length, complexity, and turnaround time. Payment plans are available.

My goal is to strengthen your writing, not overwrite your voice. During the copyedit, I’ll focus on correcting errors and smoothing flow without changing your natural tone, rhythm, or style.

If I suggest any changes to phrasing, I’ll always do so with your original voice and story’s intent in mind.

I’m happy to adapt to any style guide or publisher requirements you may have. We’ll discuss any specific preferences during the intake stage.

Absolutely! After reviewing your edited manuscript, you’re encouraged to reach out with questions.

I love editing fantasy, romance, soft sci-fi, historical fiction, and women’s fiction. If your story falls outside these genres, feel free to reach out—I’m happy to discuss it!

Ready to polish your manuscript?

Let’s refine your story with care and confidence.

Request a Copyedit
  • The service was very high quality. I truly feel like the editing process took my writing to a new level, and I learned a lot along the way. It was well worth the money spent.
    Lyn Gilleland, Twilight Rain