Some people call this substantive or content editing, and it ideally happens before a copyedit. Developmental editing involves “big picture” editing of the overall structure of a piece—chapter by chapter, section by section. We will review the work to ensure logical organization, to resolve any redundancies or omissions in content, and to note any shifts in voice or tone. Plotting or pace may also be addressed, and restructuring or rewriting may be necessary to enhance clarity or coherence.

Copyediting might also be referred to as “line editing” and involves applying the four “C’s” as our guide—is everything consistent, clear, correct, and coherent? This service includes mechanical edits and addresses spelling, hyphenation, number style, punctuation, handling of quotes, bias-free language, and more. We can tailor our approach to be light-handed or more heavy-handed, depending on your needs. We will also perform fact checking by request. We defer to the Chicago Manual of Style on most style issues but can work with other manuals or house style guides as needed.

A proofread is typically performed on text that has already been copyedited and is now formatted or typeset. This is a final pass of a final draft that is nearly ready for publication. We will correct any egregious typographical or layout errors, and check the table of contents against the page numbers.