Content Editing
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Content Edit and Editorial Letter
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Line and Copyediting
Line and copy editing focus on your writing at the paragraph, sentence, and word level. You may ask: what's the difference? Many traditional lines are blurred for indie authors who need the most from their editor and lack the resources of a publishing house. We're here for you.
Line editing with Rare Bird Editing is one intensive round of examining your manuscript line by line, with margin queries, suggestions, and references to help you learn through the editing process. In addition to grammar, punctuation, and usage, line editing will check facts, help you tighten up redundancy, flag filter and hedge words, and give you concrete suggestions to strengthen vague wording or limp nouns and verbs. It will identify places the pacing sags, zero in on world or character inconsistencies, and grapple with nuance. Your line editor will identify overused words and phrases, as well as cliches. Line editing will not catch every error, and you will almost certainly introduce new errors in the revision process, so proofreading is essential after line edits.
Cost: $.008 per word.
Copyediting will address grammar, punctuation, usage, point of view, pacing, tone and register, and will include general notes about filter and hedge words, overused words or phrases, or style points the author may want to address. We will not flag every instance of these and make suggestions, but we will give you the tools for more thorough self-editing. With copy editing, consistency and clarity are the law of the land. Every change we suggest serves these concepts, even the tricky punctuation rules that even your high school English teacher would get wrong. It's our job to know--or know when to look it up. The industry standard for a seasoned copyeditor is 90-97% accuracy. For every hundred errors (and we make thousands of changes in most manuscripts), 3 to 10 will slip through. For this reason, and to catch new errors, proofreading is always recommended after copyediting.
Cost: $.005 per word
All copyediting projects also receive free blurb editing if requested. Synopsis editing is available, but may incur an additional charge.
Line editing with Rare Bird Editing is one intensive round of examining your manuscript line by line, with margin queries, suggestions, and references to help you learn through the editing process. In addition to grammar, punctuation, and usage, line editing will check facts, help you tighten up redundancy, flag filter and hedge words, and give you concrete suggestions to strengthen vague wording or limp nouns and verbs. It will identify places the pacing sags, zero in on world or character inconsistencies, and grapple with nuance. Your line editor will identify overused words and phrases, as well as cliches. Line editing will not catch every error, and you will almost certainly introduce new errors in the revision process, so proofreading is essential after line edits.
Cost: $.008 per word.
Copyediting will address grammar, punctuation, usage, point of view, pacing, tone and register, and will include general notes about filter and hedge words, overused words or phrases, or style points the author may want to address. We will not flag every instance of these and make suggestions, but we will give you the tools for more thorough self-editing. With copy editing, consistency and clarity are the law of the land. Every change we suggest serves these concepts, even the tricky punctuation rules that even your high school English teacher would get wrong. It's our job to know--or know when to look it up. The industry standard for a seasoned copyeditor is 90-97% accuracy. For every hundred errors (and we make thousands of changes in most manuscripts), 3 to 10 will slip through. For this reason, and to catch new errors, proofreading is always recommended after copyediting.
Cost: $.005 per word
All copyediting projects also receive free blurb editing if requested. Synopsis editing is available, but may incur an additional charge.
Proofreading
Proofreading is a final check for spelling, punctuation, grammar, usage, and glaring factual errors. We will not address content issues or sentence construction in the proofreading stage. We expect very few errors at this stage; if your manuscript has not been copyedited, proofreading is not the service it needs...yet.
Cost: $.003 per word
Cost: $.003 per word
The Process
Is Rare Bird Editing right for you? Let's find out! We offer a free sample edit so you can get to know our editing style and see what we have to offer. After the sample edit, we will agree on a timeline and sign the contract.
All invoices are sent and paid through PayPal. Half is due on signing the contract, and the final half after delivery of the completed manuscript.
See what our line and copyediting clients have to say.
All invoices are sent and paid through PayPal. Half is due on signing the contract, and the final half after delivery of the completed manuscript.
See what our line and copyediting clients have to say.
