What Does A Copy Editor Check For?

Gary Smailes | 5 November 2025

Where Copy Editing Fits and What It Covers

Copy editing follows developmental and line editing and precedes proofreading. Structure first, voice next, correctness last. That sequence protects budget, momentum, and sanity.

Picture a thriller with a new midpoint twist added after a line edit. Every scene reference shifts. Names and dates wobble. A copy edit at that stage would turn into whack-a-mole. Better to lock structure and voice before a language scrub.

What copy editing targets

Three aims drive this stage, correctness, clarity, and consistency. The work runs on a chosen style guide and dictionary, not gut feel.

Common targets include:

• Grammar and syntax. Subject–verb agreement, pronoun case, modifier placement, parallelism, tense and voice stability.
• Punctuation. Commas, serial comma policy, colons, em dashes and en dashes, ellipses, hyphenation, apostrophes, quotation marks.
• Usage and style. Word choice that matches meaning and register, idioms that fit audience, tone that stays level across chapters.
• Spelling. Dictionary alignment, regional variants, proper nouns, cleanups after autocorrect.
• Formatting. Consistent headings, list style, capitalization rules, italics versus quotes for titles and terms, numbers and units.

A quick before and after shows the range.

• Before: Each participant have submitted their forms by Friday, right?
• After: Each participant has submitted the form by Friday, right?
• Before: She ran to the door, and then she paused, and then she ran back again.
• After: She ran to the door, paused, then ran back.
• Before: The team met on 1/5/24. The following friday they met again.
• After: The team met on January 5, 2024. The following Friday they met again.

Cleaner, tighter, and aligned with guide choices.

Levels of copy editing

Not every manuscript needs the same intensity. Editors define scope upfront.

• Light. Typos, punctuation, small grammar fixes, basic style alignment. Minimal rewording. Ideal for clean prose or a second edition.
• Medium. All light tasks plus routine sentence smoothing, consistent terminology, and attention to rhythm where roughness blocks clarity.
• Heavy. Dense prose, ESL concerns, or complex projects. More intervention to untangle syntax, prune wordiness, and align register. Meaning stays intact, while sentences read with less friction.

A page with light edits might show a handful of commas and a hyphen tweak. A heavy page might show reordering within sentences, notes on ambiguous references, and queries about timeline clues.

Boundaries that protect voice and scope

Copy editors refine sentences. They do not redesign pages. No major rewrites. No voice transplant. No plot surgery.

Expect queries in the margins when logic falters, when a date conflicts, or when tone shifts without intention. For example:

• “Timeline check: Maria meets Ben on Tuesday in chapter 3, yet this passage calls it Monday.”
• “Voice check: narrator slips into academic diction here. If deliberate, happy to record in the style sheet.”

A good copy editor flags and asks. The author decides on meaning. That partnership keeps intent intact.

Style guides and dictionaries

Choose guide and dictionary before work begins. For trade books, many teams use The Chicago Manual of Style. For academic, APA or MLA. For journalism, AP. Pair the guide with a dictionary, Merriam-Webster for American English or Oxford for British English. Those choices answer 90 percent of questions before they reach your inbox.

A style sheet sits beside the guide. House preferences go there, serial comma policy, headline case rules, treatment of numbers, spelling for branded terms, capitalization of job titles in running text, em dash spacing, and custom notes on voices or dialect. That document travels to the proofreader and typesetter.

What a professional handoff looks like

Before edits start, confirm the basics.

• Scope. Light, medium, or heavy. Chapters included. References and captions included or excluded. Front and back matter defined.
• Timeline. Start date, delivery windows, review cycles, and holidays.
• Deliverables. Tracked changes in a Word file or Google Doc. Margin queries. A clean copy with changes accepted for layout. An updated style sheet. A short memo on patterns worth watching.

Ask for a 2 to 4 page sample if you want to test fit. Send clear goals and a brief on audience and tone. A short tryout prevents a long mismatch.

A small preflight check for authors

Do a one-hour sweep before handing over the file. You save time and keep queries focused on substance.

• Set document language to en-US or en-GB.
• Apply proper styles to headings and subheads.
• Run a find on double spaces and convert straight quotes to curly where needed.
• Fix obvious placeholders, TK dates, bracketed research notes.
• Create a list of characters and places with standard spellings.

A note on speed and pricing

Density affects pace. A lean business chapter moves fast. A footnote-heavy history chapter slows the meter. Agree on per-word or per-hour pricing, plus a not-to-exceed number for heavy sections. No surprises helps both sides.

Quick self-test, are you ready?

If any of the below sounds familiar, schedule copy editing now.

• You feel unsure about comma placement and hyphenation.
• Readers flag small inconsistencies rather than plot.
• Your eyes slide over the same typo during each pass.
• A style sheet exists only in your head.

If major structural changes sit on the horizon, pause. Finish those first. Then lock in a copy edit that cleans and aligns the final text.

Clear scope. Firm boundaries. Shared guides. That trio turns copy editing from a mystery into a reliable step toward a clean, professional book.

Core Language Checks: Grammar, Punctuation, Usage, and Spelling

Copy editors hunt for the mistakes that make readers stumble. Grammar, punctuation, usage, and spelling form the core toolkit. These fixes turn rough sentences into smooth reading.

Grammar and syntax: the structural foundation

Grammar errors break trust fast. A misplaced modifier or wonky pronoun reference sends a signal: this author doesn't sweat details. Readers notice.

Subject-verb agreement trips up many writers. Collective nouns and intervening phrases create the worst tangles.

• Wrong: The team of engineers are working late.
• Right: The team of engineers is working late.
• Wrong: The data from three studies suggest a pattern.
• Right: The data from three studies suggests a pattern.

Pronoun case and reference demands precision. Who did what to whom?

• Wrong: Between you and I, the meeting was pointless.
• Right: Between you and me, the meeting was pointless.
• Wrong: Sarah gave the report to Jim and myself.
• Right: Sarah gave the report to Jim and me.

Modifier placement controls meaning. Put the modifier next to what it describes.

• Wrong: Walking through the park, the fountain caught my eye.
• Right: Walking through the park, I noticed the fountain.

Parallelism creates rhythm and clarity in lists and comparisons.

• Wrong: She likes hiking, to swim, and reading.
• Right: She likes hiking, swimming, and reading.

Tense and voice consistency keeps the narrative steady. Avoid random shifts unless intention drives them.

• Wrong: He opened the door and sees his brother waiting.
• Right: He opened the door and saw his brother waiting.

Sentence fragments and run-ons need attention when they muddle meaning. Some fragments work for effect. Others just confuse.

• Fragment that works: The deadline loomed. Three hours left.
• Fragment that fails: Because the meeting ran late. We missed dinner.
• Run-on: The storm hit at midnight the power went out we lit candles.
• Fixed: The storm hit at midnight. The power went out, so we lit candles.

Punctuation: the traffic signals of prose

Punctuation guides readers through sentences. Wrong signals cause crashes.

Serial comma policy needs consistency. Pick Oxford comma or skip it, then stick with the choice.

• Oxford comma: We ordered pizza, salad, and wine.
• No Oxford comma: We ordered pizza, salad and wine.

Both work. Mixing them in one document creates chaos.

Commas versus other marks require judgment. Where does the comma end and the colon begin?

• Comma splice: The rain stopped, the sun appeared.
• Fixed with period: The rain stopped. The sun appeared.
• Fixed with conjunction: The rain stopped, and the sun appeared.

Colon use introduces lists, explanations, and quotations.

• Wrong: She brought: apples, oranges, and pears.
• Right: She brought three fruits: apples, oranges, and pears.

Em dashes and en dashes serve different purposes. Em dashes (—) mark breaks or emphasis. En dashes (–) show ranges and connections.

• Em dash: The results were clear—we had failed.
• En dash: Pages 15–30 cover the basics.
• En dash: New York–London flight

Ellipses show omissions or trailing thoughts. Three dots with spaces before and after in most style guides.

• Wrong: She paused...then spoke.
• Right: She paused . . . then spoke.

Hyphenation links compound modifiers before nouns but not after.

• Before noun: The well-known author spoke first.
• After noun: The author is well known.

Apostrophes show possession and contractions. They do not make plurals.

• Wrong: The 1990's were different.
• Right: The 1990s were different.
• Right: The '90s were different.

Quotation marks come in straight (' ") and curly (' " ' ") forms. Professional publishing prefers curly quotes. Straight quotes look like typewriter output.

Dialogue mechanics: making conversations flow

Dialogue punctuation follows strict rules, but those rules vary between American and British English.

American style puts commas and periods inside quotation marks.

• "The meeting starts at noon," she said.
• She called it "a disaster."

British style puts punctuation outside unless it belongs to the quoted material.

• 'The meeting starts at noon', she said.
• She called it 'a disaster'.

Interior monologue needs consistent formatting. Italics work for thoughts. Quotation marks work for spoken words.

• Spoken: "Where did I put my keys?" she asked.
• Thought: Where did I put my keys? she wondered.

Dialect and slang consistency matters for character voice. If a character drops g's from -ing words, do it throughout their dialogue.

• Consistent: "I'm goin' to the store. You comin' with me?"
• Inconsistent: "I'm going to the store. You comin' with me?"

Spelling and variants: picking a lane

Spelling choices need consistency across the entire manuscript.

Regional variants create the biggest headaches. American English differs from British English on hundreds of words.

• American: color, realize, center, gray
• British: colour, realise, centre, grey

Pick one system and enforce it everywhere.

Proper nouns demand accuracy. Misspelling someone's name or a place kills credibility.

• Wrong: San Fransisco, Beethovan, MacDonald's
• Right: San Francisco, Beethoven, McDonald's

Commonly confused words trip up even careful writers.

• Affect (verb) versus effect (noun)
• Principal (main) versus principle (rule)
• Compliment (praise) versus complement

  Consistency and Style Governance

  Readers forgive the odd typo. They do not forgive wobble. The same term used three different ways. Headings that switch style midstream. Dates that hop from 5 June to June 5. Consistency is your quiet promise to the reader. Keep it, and your voice feels confident. Break it, and the whole thing starts to rattle.

  Style guides and house style

  Pick a backbone. For books, Chicago Manual of Style is the default. For academic work, APA or MLA. News and web teams often lean on AP. Once you choose, write down every planned exception. That list becomes your house style.

  A project style sheet is not busywork. It saves hours and stops arguments. It answers questions before they become comments. Example entries:

  • Spelling: email, not e-mail. Website, not web site.
  • Headings: Title case for H1 and H2. Sentence case for H3 and below.
  • Numbers: Words for one to nine. Numerals for 10 and above, with exceptions for scientific data.
  • Time: 9 a.m., not 9AM or 9 am.
  • Lists: Use a period after complete-sentence bullets. No period after fragments.

  I once edited a book where percent jumped between % and the word percent about forty times. We set one rule, logged it, ran a global check, and the problem vanished.

  Consistency grids

  A consistency grid is a quick index of choices. It looks dull. It saves your bacon.

  • Capitalization. Decide on internet or Internet. Web or web. Government or government. Job titles before names capped, after names lowercased. President Biden, the president.
  • Branded terms. iPhone or IPhone. YouTube, not Youtube. LinkedIn with the cap I. Follow the brand’s usage unless house style says no.
  • Hyphenation. Close compounds that standard dictionaries close. Decision making becomes decision-making when used before a noun. The team improved decision making. The team ran a decision-making workshop.
  • Titles and terms. Long works in italics. Short works in quotation marks. The New Yorker, “A Small, Good Thing.” Special terms on first mention in italics only if you plan to repeat them. Then drop the italics.
  • Headings and captions. Pick title case or sentence case. Hold the line. Keep parallel structure. If one heading starts with a gerund, the rest do too. Designing the plan. Building the team. Launching the product.

  Mini check: skim a chapter and list five repeated terms. Do they appear the same way every time? If not, pick one form and update your style sheet.

  Numbers and units

  Numbers trigger more inconsistency than any other category. Decide once, then stick.

  • Words vs numerals. Many book projects use words for one through nine, numerals for 10 and up. Keep numerals for percentages, ages, dates, and measurements. Five apples, 12 bananas, 7 percent, 9 years old, June 5, 2025, 3 km.
  • Dates. US style is June 5, 2025. British style is 5 June 2025. ISO is 2025-06-05. Pick one. Avoid th and rd in dates. Not June 5th.
  • Time. 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Midnight and noon beat 12 a.m. and 12 p.m. Use a thin space or regular space before a.m. and p.m., not a run-on.
  • Measurements. Space between number and unit. 5 kg, 12 cm, 98 F. For Celsius and Fahrenheit, pick one order and hold it. 37 C, not 37C. Insert a nonbreaking space so the number and unit do not split over a line.
  • Currency. $5, €10, £20. For cross-border texts, consider prefixes like US$30 or CA$30. Place the symbol before the number without a space unless your house style says otherwise.
  • Ranges. Use an en dash. No spaces for closed style. 1999–2005, pages 47–49, 9–11 a.m. Some houses prefer spaced en dashes. 1999 – 2005. Choose, then keep it steady.

  Tech tip: when you type a number and a unit, insert a nonbreaking space. In Word, Ctrl+Shift+Space. In Google Docs, Insert, Special characters, search for no-break. Do this for 10 km, 3 p.m., 25 %, and initials if your style calls for spaces.

  Terminology and structure

  Terms drift. Readers get lost. Lock key terms early.

  • Abbreviations and acronyms. Define on first use. Customer relationship management, CRM. After that, use CRM. Skip the parentheses if the flow works without them, but log the choice.
  • Preferred terms. Pick one form for industry jargon. Smartphone or mobile. Client or customer. Health care or healthcare. Do not switch without a reason.
  • Headings and lists. Keep parallel grammar. If one bullet starts with a verb, make them all verbs. If one ends with a period, end them all with a period. Fragment bullets do not need periods in most house styles.

  Quick exercise: open your last chapter. Find every instance of an acronym. Is the first one defined? Are later ones consistent? Fix and note the rule.

  Build and use a living style sheet

  Ask your copy editor to set up a shared style sheet on day one. A simple doc works. A spreadsheet works too. Sections to include:

  • Spelling choices and variants
  • Capitalization rules and title case model
  • Hyphenation preferences for common compounds
  • Numbers, dates, and time formats
  • Units, ranges, and currency
  • Punctuation decisions, like Oxford comma policy
  • Terms, acronyms, and names of people and places
  • Examples for tricky cases

  Keep the file open while you revise. When you coin a term, add it. When you answer an editor query, record the decision. When you find a wobble, note the fix and run a search. This one habit prevents backsliding and trims your proofreader’s errata list.

  Consistency is not glamour. It is goodwill. It makes your voice feel intentional. It frees the reader to focus on meaning instead of maintenance.

  Accuracy, Ethics, and Legal Considerations

  Accuracy earns trust. Ethics protects your credibility. Legal awareness saves your future self a headache. Copy editors watch for all three, and so should you.

  Fact-checking that sticks

  Names, dates, places, numbers, and quotes invite error. Readers notice. Lawyers notice faster.

  • Names. Confirm spelling, accents, and preferred forms. Beyoncé, not Beyonce. van Gogh, not Van Gogh. Company names often style internal caps, such as YouTube and LinkedIn. Check the source site or a reputable outlet.
  • Dates and timelines. Verify the event date, then cross-check against any timeline in the manuscript. If an email went out Tuesday, a scene set Monday should not reference it.
  • Places. Street names, neighborhoods, and regional spellings trip writers. Is it São Paulo or Sao Paulo. Kyiv, not Kiev in current usage for most outlets. Use a reputable atlas or government site.
  • Statistics. Numbers require a source. If a stat surprises you, pause and verify with two independent sources. Note the collection year and the population sampled. Percentages without a denominator mislead.
  • Quotations. Confirm wording and punctuation against the original, not a third-party summary. Note any ellipses or brackets.
  • URLs and social handles. Click through every link. Does the page still exist. Is the content the same as described. For social, confirm the official handle rather than a fan account.
  • Products and brands. Use exact product names. iPad Pro 12.9-inch, not iPad Pro 13. Check trademark usage on the brand’s site if the text focuses on the product.

  Quick check: pick a page at random. Circle three facts. Verify each with two sources, one primary if possible. Add those sources to your notes or bibliography.

  Flag anything implausible. A nine-year-old running a marathon. A sunset at 10 p.m. in Miami in December. Query the author and suggest a fix or a source.

  Citations and references

  Scholar or blogger, source hygiene matters. Pick a citation style, then apply it without drift.

  • Choose a system. Books often follow Chicago notes and bibliography. Social sciences lean on APA. Humanities programs prefer MLA. Company white papers sometimes follow a house system. Select one, then stick to it.
  • Normalize entries. Authors in the same order. Title case rules fixed. Journal names styled one way across the list. Issue and volume always present when required.
  • Footnotes and endnotes. Numbering runs in sequence. The callout number matches the note. Superscripts fall after punctuation for most styles. Confirm your style choice and follow through.
  • Cross-references. If the text says see chapter 7, the heading in the table of contents needs to read Chapter 7, with matching capitalization. Align figure numbers and captions.
  • Source attributions within text. When summarizing a source, name the source clearly. When quoting, introduce the quote and supply a note or parenthetical as your style requires.

  Mini exercise: take five sources from your reference list. Bring them into alignment with your style choice. Then format one oddball entry, such as a podcast episode or a conference paper, using the same style, and add the pattern to your style sheet.

  Permissions and fair use

  Quotations and images do not serve as a free buffet. Some uses fall under fair use, many do not. When in doubt, ask for permission.

  • Lyrics and poetry. Short lines still trigger permission needs in most cases. Do not quote a chorus or a poem stanza without written permission unless your use qualifies as critique or analysis under fair use. Even then, be cautious.
  • Long prose quotations. Prose over a brief excerpt often requires permission outside scholarship or review. Paraphrase or reduce the quoted portion where possible.
  • Artwork and photography. Photos, paintings, and charts carry copyright. Licensed stock requires correct credit lines and license tracking. Screenshots of software and films may require permission.
  • Epigraphs. Beautiful, and often a permissions trap. Secure permission early or replace with public domain text.
  • Trademarks. Use brand names correctly and include trademark symbols if house style requires. Avoid implying endorsement or affiliation.

  Keep a permissions log. Include the excerpt, rightsholder contact, date requested, status, and granted language. File copies of license agreements in one place the whole team can access.

  Risk flags to treat with care

  A good copy editor reads with a lawyer’s squint. You should too.

  • Defamation and libel. Claims about a person’s conduct or motives need strong sourcing. Avoid adjectives that imply crimes or medical diagnoses. Prefer verifiable facts. Use allegedly only with sourcing, and do not lean on it as a shield.
  • Medical, legal, and financial advice. Advice requires disclaimers and sourcing. Use neutral language. Point readers to consult a licensed professional for personal decisions. Avoid guarantees.
  • Plagiarism. Do not recycle paragraphs from older posts without disclosure. Do not copy from sources without quotes and citations. Self-plagiarism across editions or platforms still misleads readers.
  • Sensitive populations. Minors, private individuals, and victims deserve protection. Mask identifying details when necessary and state that you have done so.

  If a passage makes your stomach tighten, flag it. Propose a revision. Ask for a source. A small rewrite now beats a takedown later.

  Make the legal pass easy

  Help your copy editor help you.

  • Provide sources upfront. Share a bibliography, links, PDFs, and interview notes. For data, include the spreadsheet or report.
  • Share the permissions log early. Note pending requests and deadlines. If a rightsholder refuses, plan a replacement.
  • Replace unverifiable claims. If a fact fails verification, rephrase or cut. If a claim needs nuance, add a qualifier and a source.
  • Keep a record of decisions. When a lawyer, editor, or subject-matter expert answers a question, add the decision to the style sheet and the permissions log.

  One last habit. Before you send a chapter, run a fact sweep with a fresh eye. Names. Dates. Numbers. Quotes. Links. Brands. If you feel bored, good. Boredom means fewer surprises for readers and for the legal team.

  Continuity, Structure, and Formatting Integrity

  Readers forgive a typo. They do not forgive a broken timeline, a vanishing prop, or a chapter callout pointing to nowhere. Continuity and structure keep faith with your reader. Formatting keeps production sane.

  Continuity, the story’s spine

  Timelines slip. Ages drift. Settings teleport. A copy editor hunts for these gremlins.

  • Timeline and chronology. Build a simple table with date, weekday, scene, and page. If chapter four says Friday night, chapter five should not open on Friday morning. Seasons matter too. Cherry blossoms in October will raise brows.
  • Character ages and descriptions. Note birth years, ages per scene, eye and hair color, scars, tattoos, and recurring wardrobe. If a character loses a coat in chapter two, no cozy reunion in chapter three without a line explaining it.
  • Setting details. Street names, café hours, sunrise and sunset times, regional spellings. A London pub does not serve breakfast at 6 a.m. without a story reason.
  • Point of view and tense. Stay in one head per scene unless the book’s design invites shifts. Tense must hold steady. I was running pairs poorly with I run unless a flashback or a deliberate shift signals change.
  • Echo words and repeated beats. Watch for clusters. Three sighs in one page. Two paragraphs opening with However. The same shoulder shrug every time a character hesitates. Vary or cut.

  Quick drill. Pick one chapter. Highlight every time marker, every age reference, and every body movement. Build a three-line timeline for the chapter. Fix any conflict before it grows roots.

  Cross-references that behave

  References are promises. Keep them.

  • Figures and tables. Numbers should run in order. If the text says see figure 14, the caption must read Figure 14 and the figure should exist. If a figure moves, update numbers across the file.
  • Callouts. See chapter 7 means the table of contents must show Chapter 7, capitalization and spacing aligned. If headings change, sweep the file for old callouts.
  • Notes. Footnote and endnote numbers should rise without skips. Superscripts in the text should match the notes list. Check every link inside notes as well.
  • Running heads and TOC. Names and titles must match body text. If a chapter uses a short title for running heads, use the same short title on both left and right pages in print, or in header and footer styles in digital.

  Use built-in cross-reference tools in Word or Docs. Fields update when content shifts, which saves hours and errors.

  Front matter and back matter deserve respect

  Readers meet your book before page one. Production staff rely on the tail end. Get both right.

  • Title page. Author name, book title, subtitle, edition, publisher, imprint, and year align with cover and metadata files.
  • Dedication and acknowledgments. Keep tone consistent with the rest of the book. Double-check spellings of names. Confirm any named institutions prefer their full form.
  • Epigraphs. Source lines follow a consistent pattern. Quotation marks, italics, and line breaks match house style. Permissions in place.
  • Glossary and appendices. Entries use a consistent headword style. Definitions parallel in structure and punctuation. Cross-references between entries work.
  • Bibliography and index readiness. Bibliography follows the chosen style. For the index, supply clean, consistent headings and stable pagination in proofs. If an indexer will work from your file, share a brief with scope, level of detail, and any no-go terms.

  Mini check. Open the TOC, the first page, and the last page. Verify every proper noun, number, and heading. Fix mismatches now, not during proof.

  Formatting hygiene, the quiet hero

  Neat files move through production without drama.

  • Heading styles. Apply Word or Docs styles, not manual bold and size changes. This supports automatic TOCs and stable cross-references.
  • Lists. Parallel structure in each item. End punctuation consistent. Numbers or bullets chosen for a reason, not on a whim.
  • Captions and credits. One format for all images. Photographer or source named the same way throughout, with placement and figure numbers synced.
  • Curly quotes and apostrophes. Convert straight quotes to smart quotes, then scan for inch marks in measurements where straight quotes belong.
  • Space cleanup. Single spaces after periods. Nonbreaking spaces between numbers and units, and in initials, like 10 kg or T. S. Eliot. Thin spaces around en dashes if house style asks for them.
  • Widows and orphans. Mark problem lines so the proofreader knows where to watch. Do not hard return your way out of layout issues in a manuscript file.

  One pass, one fix. Run a global search for two spaces. Replace with one. Then search for space-hyphen-space in ranges. Replace with proper en dashes where needed.

  Queries and the handoff

  Good edits leave a trail. Your proofreader and typesetter will thank you.

  • Tracked changes on. Comments clear and specific. Explain intent, not ego.
  • Margin queries where logic bends. Ask questions, propose a fix, and tie to the style sheet entry when relevant.
  • Clean copy for proof. Accept final changes after author review. Remove stray comments and hidden text. Update fields, TOC, cross-references, and figure numbers.
  • Style sheet updated. Include choices for spelling, hyphenation, numbers, titles, capitalization, dialogue style, and any project quirks. Share the file with all stakeholders.

  Make structure easy for your editor

  • Share a character list, place list, and a working timeline before copy editing starts. Include ages, relationships, and first appearance pages.
  • Apply Word or Docs heading styles from draft one. Cross-references and the TOC will validate in seconds, not hours.
  • Note special elements. Sidebars, tips, pull quotes, code blocks. Tag them with consistent styles, then keep a list of all special items.
  • Lock sources and figures before final pass. Late swaps ripple through numbering and references.

  Do this, and your story holds together, your pages line up, and your team moves faster. Boring to prepare. A joy to read.

  Frequently Asked Questions

  What copy editing covers and where does it sit in the editorial process?

  Copy editing is the stage that follows developmental and line editing and comes before proofreading; its three core aims are correctness, clarity and consistency. Tasks include grammar and syntax fixes, punctuation, regional spelling choices, formatting, consistent headings and aligning usage to a chosen style guide.

  Think of it as a language scrub that runs on rules (Chicago, AP, Oxford, etc.) and a living style sheet — it polishes the prose without redesigning scenes or changing the voice established in the line edit.

  How do I prepare my manuscript for copy editing (a preflight check)?

  Do a one‑hour preflight sweep: set the document language (en‑GB or en‑US), apply proper heading styles, remove obvious placeholders (TK, bracketed notes), fix double spaces and convert straight to curly quotes where appropriate, and create a simple character/place list. These steps reduce low‑value queries and speed the copy editor’s pass.

  Also lock structure and voice first — if you expect major scene shifts, finish those before copy editing to avoid repeated work and a “whack‑a‑mole” of corrections across chapters.

  What are the levels of copy editing and which one should I choose?

  Copy edits are typically offered as light, medium or heavy. Light fixes typos, punctuation and basic style alignment; medium adds routine sentence smoothing and consistent terminology; heavy tackles dense prose, ESL concerns and significant sentence reworking while preserving meaning. Choose light for near‑final prose, medium for drafts that need rhythm and consistency, heavy for complex or wordy manuscripts.

  When in doubt, request a 2–4 page sample to judge the editor’s approach and confirm the recommended level before committing to the whole book.

  What deliverables should I expect from a professional copy editor?

  A solid deliverable package includes tracked changes in Word or Google Docs so every tweak is visible, clear margin queries for any ambiguity, an editorial note summarising patterns and risks, and an updated living style sheet recording decisions (spelling, hyphenation, numbers, voice notes).

  Ask for a short memo on recurring issues and, ideally, a brief sample edit first so you can confirm the editor’s tone and query style — this prevents surprises and sets your review rhythm.

  What should be on my project style sheet (copy editor style sheet examples)?

  Keep the style sheet short and actionable: regional spelling (en‑GB or en‑US), serial comma policy, number rules (words 1–9 vs numerals), hyphenation preferences, treatment of dialogue and interior thought, preferred spellings for names and branded terms, and any non‑negotiables (fragments allowed, dialect rules).

  Add entries as you settle decisions — when you answer an editor query, record it there — and include a permissions log and character/place list so the sheet becomes the single source of truth for copyedit and proof stages.

  How do copy editors handle accuracy, permissions and legal risk?

  Copy editors flag factual claims, dates, names and statistics and expect authors to supply sources; they also maintain a permissions log for quotations, images and epigraphs and will query anything that looks legally risky (possible defamation, medical or financial advice). Verify surprising facts with primary sources and attach documentation to speed the legal pass.

  When in doubt, paraphrase, add sourcing, or seek written permission — especially for lyrics, poetry, long prose quotes or third‑party images — and record all permissions in the shared log so the production team can show clearance if required.

  How do I maintain continuity and formatting integrity through copy editing?

  Provide a character list, place list and a simple timeline before copy editing starts and use Word or Docs heading styles so TOCs and cross‑references update automatically; the editor will then check ages, chronology, figure numbers and callouts to catch timeline slippage and vanishing props early. Apply consistent styles for captions, lists and special elements (sidebars, code blocks) to avoid layout headaches later.

  Also run automated hygiene fixes (replace double spaces, ensure smart quotes, insert non‑breaking spaces between numbers and units) and add any stubborn choices to the style sheet so continuity remains governed, not accidental.

  

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