Proofreading
Proofreading (also known as copy-editing) consists of identifying and correcting (or marking for correction) all spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors.
Spelling is checked according to Australian, British, or US conventions, as required.
Punctuation is tested against modern practice, while accommodating an author's personal preferences (e.g. Cambridge versus Oxford commas).
Grammar is examined for compliance with accepted basic rules (e.g. subject-verb agreement, dangling/hanging/unattached participles, capitalisation, wrong word selection, and so on).
Editing
Editing may be carried out at two levels: light and in-depth.
Light editing focuses on clichés, clumsy or inelegant wording, repetitions, over-use of certain words and phrases, vague or imprecise wording, and so on.
In-depth editing takes light editing to the next level, where inconconstencies in subject matter are highlighted (e.g. the hero's eye colour is blue on p.17 but brown on p.26). The extent of deep editing is dependent on the nature of the material under review.
Rates
Rather than give indicative rates, which may end up misleading you, we provide a firm quote only after reviewing a representative sample of the material.
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of material do you review?Fiction (but not poetry), non-fiction, biographies, film and TV scripts (Word, Scrivener, Final Draft 9 and 10), user, technical, and training manuals, other business documents, etc. Whatever you have, if it involves words, check to see if we can handle it. Chances are, we can.
How long does it take to complete a review?There are many factors affecting turnaround time, including length and complexity of the review material and our current workload. However, we will indicate a likely completion date before an assignment is accepted.
Are you a literary agency?No.
Do you have any influence with agents or publishers?We wish...
Do you provide manuscript appraisals?Yes. This service is separate from proofreading and editing and needs to be done earlier. Manuscripts are appraised for suitability of structure, plot, characterisation, style, language, pace, dialogue, narrative, and formatting.
When should I have my work proofread or edited?It should be the final step before submitting your work to an agent or publisher. Any earlier and you risk repeating the exercise following a rewrite or significant revision.