What are Copyediting Services and Why Do You Need Them?

By Darshan Shah | Digital Content Solutions | Comments are Closed | 27 January, 2023 | 0

Want to dive into what copyediting services entail? Let’s learn about their advantages, when you should opt for them, and much more!

Every author puts a lot of effort into writing their book. Be it in the fiction or non-fiction genres, every book requires hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of research, brainstorming, writing, editing, and, eventually, publishing.

The editing of the book is among the key aspects that dictate the outcome of all this effort. It can make or break the book, prevent it from being accepted by a publisher, or not be relished by the reader.

Editing is a crucial aspect that ensures the language in a piece of writing flows cohesively, is easy to understand, is free of linguistic and grammatical errors, and keeps the reader engaged.

These are some common writing and copyediting mistakes that occur when the author decides to edit their draft themselves. However, with the publishing landscape immensely changing over the years, many authors are now looking towards outsourcing their copyediting needs for several beneficial reasons.

What Is Copyediting?

Copyediting refers to the process of enduring that a piece of writing is clear, correct, and accurate. In the publishing industry, it’s the final step of preparing a manuscript before it’s submitted to a publisher to review.

The terms copyediting and proofreading are often used interchangeably, but the two are quite different in scope. While copyediting ensures that the content is factually, mathematically, and ethically correct, proofreading refers to the process of ensuring the overall quality of the work, and it may or may not involve light editing.

With that distinction out of the way, here are some key aspects a copyeditor takes care of when working on a manuscript.

Checking facts, including names, dates, places, events, and so on.
Checking the math, including tax rates, percentages, and other calculations.
Ensuring the content isn’t libelous or slanderous and is ethically drafted.
Getting rid of fluff to keep the text concise.
Ensuring the content is cohesive, i.e., it flows well from one section or paragraph to another.
Ensuring the content this free of spelling or grammatical errors.
Checking for the right synonyms of specific terms with the subject matter or niche in consideration.
Ensuring the prose conforms to the publisher’s style chart of choice, and much more.

As you can see, a copyeditor’s scope of work is massive. It goes a long way in making a piece of writing engaging to read, worthy of publication, and, eventually, valuable to the reader.

Why Do You Need Copyediting Services?

The short answer is that you need them to get the best version of your book published.

Every organization in the publishing industry hires copyeditors for the simple reason that each one of them must ensure that the content they publish, be it in the form of a book or on their website, is free of error.

For instance, as an author, you might be well-versed in all the intricacies of grammar, language, semantics, and more, and may think you can also edit your book once you’ve written it. Others, on the other hand, are experts at putting together complex ideas but may still need a second pair of eyes to review their content to ensure it’s worthy of publication.

The truth is, it never hurts to have someone go through your work to bring it in shape, as writers may often miss out on potential errors they may have made. As we mentioned in the previous section, if you’re unsure about ticking all the boxes mentioned in the list of a copyeditor’s scope of work, you need their services.

What Are The Advantages Of Copyediting Services?

Hiring copyeditors offers you several benefits.

They Eliminate All Errors From Your Manuscript

First and foremost, a copyeditor eliminates all spelling, grammatical, and factual errors and inaccuracies.

They Help Enhance The Content’s Accuracy

Authors usually write content with a certain set of ideas in mind and a vision of how to present them. However, these ideas can often be penned down in a manner that could prove to be confusing to an objective third person.

A copyeditor can help by objectively reading through the content and making or suggesting any changes that are necessary to ensure the content is accurate, clear, and flows well.

They Help Reduce The Chances of Rejection

There are several reasons why a publisher may reject a manuscript on the first go. This could be due to insufficiencies or errors in language, lack of substance, the unclear flow of ideas, or any other reason.

A copyeditor combs through a manuscript to ensure these aspects are taken care of, thereby increasing a manuscript’s chances of being approved.

Accelerates the Publishing Process

Last but not least, copyediting can help speed up the publishing process, as publishers only need to focus on the quality and substance of the material from a reader’s and marketing perspective.

This is because the copyeditor takes care of all the other aspects, such as the language, factual correctness, and so on, making the publisher’s job seamless.

When Should You Opt For Copyediting Services?

Copyediting is usually the first stage of the prepress process. Authors who decide to self-publish their book usually have to bear all the production costs, which are otherwise taken care of by a publisher if you decide to approach one.

The right time to opt for copyediting services is after you’ve completed your draft. The copyediting stage will be the precursor to your submitting the edited copy to a publishing house for them to evaluate.

However, some publishers offer in-house services which take care of the editing process according to the brand’s tone.

In Conclusion

Copyediting is key to the publication and success of a book and is among the most crucial steps at the prepress stage. Whether you’re writing an educational ebook or a fictional novel, copyediting is key to ensuring your book gets the print run it deserves.

Hurix Digital’s copyediting services take care of all your copyediting needs to ensure your book is free of error, perfectly formatted, and has the highest chance of being picked up by a publisher. Overall, we ensure that your book is in the best shape before it goes out into the market.