How To Copy Edit A Fiction Manuscript

By Jon Ginsburg

You’ve completed the first hurdles – a story was conceived, characters created, a plot was outlined, then fingers were put to keyboard, or pen to paper, and a story was written. It was likely an extensive process, with some difficult choices made along the way - what should stay, who can be cut. There have been first readers, some overly positive, some overly critical, and some with good and helpful feedback. You’ve done a thorough edit to tighten the narrative and to address any clear inconsistencies. All should be well, no? It must be time for your manuscript to go to press. Regrettably, even before a proof copy printed, there comes one last major hurdle – the copy edits.

While copy editing often gets confused with proof reading and with editing in general, these are all very separate steps in the route that takes a manuscript from conception to the finished book on the shelf. A broad edit is done immediately after you’ve completed your manuscript, usually by the author and possibly some other first readers, such as peers, friends and family. You might choose to make some major alterations to your work based on the feedback you get and your own reading.

Once the first readers have done their work and you have made any changes, it gets submitted to the publisher where a copy editor will take on the project. Their job is to read carefully, checking for any errors that have been missed including spelling, grammar and punctuation as well as inconsistencies in the manuscript’s timeline, characterization and plot.
A copy editor’s must ensure that the final manuscript is well organized and well written. When the copy edit it complete, the work returned to the author for a final chance to make any changes, be they minor or major. The author has discretion to make changes as they see fit.

Proof reading won’t happen until after the copy edit, as it is the last read-through once the book has been typeset and printed into a galley or proof. Proof reading is exclusively determined on making certain that there are no typos or other errors in the final copy. Major edits are not typically permitted one a proof has been printed.

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