During comprehensive editing, your publication’s Managing Editor will review and make changes to your content. Then comes the job of the copyeditor: your uniquely skilled publication ally. Diverse in expertise from your general editor, the copyeditor is meticulous, attentive, and adept in grammar and word usage. He or she also remains current with book publishing’s most up-to-date standards and practices.
During copyediting, the copyeditor reviews your “copy” (the raw material of your written document) and corrects mistakes and repetition within. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Grammar, syntax, and punctuation rules
- Technical consistency in spelling, capitalization, font usage, numerals, hyphenation
- Elemental fact checking (correct names, dates, etc.)
- Character description, plot points, and setting
- Continuity errors
- Story elements for consistency, cohesion, and completeness
- Usage and style – typically based on a specific style guide, like the Chicago Manual of Style or APA Style (https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html and https://apastyle.apa.org/)
- Potential legal liabilities
Once these steps are finalized, your manuscript is ready to send off to the production editor and author(s) for review, then off to typesetting.