Copy Editing (Line and Substantive Editing):

The terms copy edit and line edit are often used interchangeably. In a copy edit, I will:

• Make line-by-line changes that impose standard spelling, grammar, usage, style, and punctuation throughout your manuscript.
• Correct or flag to your attention redundant, conflicting, or unclear statements.
• Check references and endnotes and revise them as necessary to ensure adherence to a designated house or publication style.
• Check cross-references, compare information in figures and tables with statements in the narrative, and correct or flag any discrepancies.
• Provide a detailed style sheet summarizing stylistic changes to your manuscript.

In a substantive edit, I’ll provide a more intensive edit that addresses issues of content (accuracy, currency, scope), organization, and writing style (flow, readability), in addition to line editing your manuscript. Here is an example (PDF format):

Sample edit: clinical manual

Development Editing:

Books that are designed for the highly competitive academic textbook market often undergo rigorous development. In a development edit, I will:

• Provide in-depth analysis of the scope, organization, intellectual level, and tone of the proposed work to ensure that your book meets the needs of its market.
• Review competing titles, evaluate market trends, and elicit or evaluate feedback from reviewers.
• Evaluate and offer suggestions to enhance the use of tables, boxes, special features, and art.
• Provide a substantive edit, including suggestions for rewrite, reorganization, and reformatting of information.
• Work with you to incorporate market feedback and editorial suggestions into the final, production-ready manuscript.

Malatestiana Library, Cesena, Italy | First civic library in Europe (and part of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme)

Iowa State Capitol Law Library, Des Moines, 1884 | One of the most beautiful libraries in America

Rose Reading Room | New York Public Library

“Wisdom,” Rockafeller Center, New York City | Lee Lawrie, sculptor

“Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation.”
― Walter Cronkite