I have been editing and proofreading non-fiction articles, publications and books for over a decade, and recently I’ve started offering my services to fiction writers too. What I’ve noticed is that the same questions tend to come up across the board when I talk about the services I offer. So I thought it would help to go through some of the most common questions I encounter as an editor, and hopefully it helps you no matter which type of writer you are.
If you know me, you know I love a good analogy…so let’s imagine your manuscript is a road trip. A journey for your reader going from Point A at the start to Point B at the end. Your job is to get them to stay on course all the way through.
An editor is someone who looks at the route, and makes sure it’s the best one you can take, and a proofreader is more like the mechanic who checks out the car before you go, making sure there are no repairs required…stay with me…
When I edit a manuscript, I look at its structure, content and style. I will help to shape it, and improve the coherence, clarity and overall quality of the writing. For non-fiction that can involve checking cited sources, or advising on the strength of points or anything that may need clarified. For fiction, it could be considering the beats, conflict, chapter breaks, character development and more. I also offer language refinement, which includes POV and tense consistency.
On the other hand, proofreading is more about the text on a word-by-word level. It addresses grammar, punctuation, spelling, and typographical errors. When proofing a manuscript, I also check formatting consistency, although that isn’t the case for all proofreaders. Some only check the text.
So one’s looking at the car, and one’s focus is on the journey. However, despite their distinct roles, editing and proofreading are not mutually exclusive and they often overlap. I don’t generally offer editing without proofreading, unless someone really does not want me to check the details, and I can honestly not think of an occasion when this has happened! More likely, someone wants their manuscript to be proofed, and I offer editing as an additional service. After all, beautiful grammar will only get you so far if you are looking for a publisher to take you seriously.
So that’s it – if you’d like a breakdown of the services I offer to writers, please get in touch. My new website is nearly done and all of the information will be there soon, but for now, let me know if you need help and I’ll be happy to give you more details.
Good luck!
