Blog • Understanding Publishing
Posted on Dec 19, 2019
Copy editing services... from actual copy editors!
About the author
Reedsy's editorial team is a diverse group of industry experts devoted to helping authors write and publish beautiful books.
More about the Reedsy Editorial Team →About Martin Cavannagh
Head of Content at Reedsy, Martin has spent over eight years helping writers turn their ambitions into reality. As a voice in the indie publishing space, he has written for a number of outlets and spoken at conferences, including the 2024 Writers Summit at the London Book Fair.
Learn more →Tired of other copy editing services robotically pairing you up with a random, featureless editor? Experience something different with Reedsy, which gives you free access to the thorough profiles of 500+ copy editors — and the power to pick your own professional.
Meet Reedsy’s publishing professionals and gain access to world-class copy editing services
If you’ve got the manuscript, we’ve got the copy editors who can turn it into a bestseller. Reedsy is home to hundreds of the best copy editors in the business, and you can see all of their credentials before choosing the one who’s the perfect fit for your book. Our rigorous vetting process accepts only the top 3% of talent in the industry, so the quality of our copy editors is unmatched. Whatever your budget is, you’ll be getting the most bang for your buck.
Work on your book with a professional copy editor.
The best copy editors are right here on Reedsy. Meet them today!
Learn how Reedsy can help you craft a beautiful book.
But first…what does it mean to get a copy edit?
Once you’re satisfied with the big-picture structure and content of your book, it’s time to turn to the copy edit. Copy editing is the next stage in the editing process where a professional editor “fine-tunes” the text of your book to perfection. This means that a copy edit will address all of the things that might have previously escaped your notice, including grammar mistakes, typos, unnecessary repetition, and punctuation slip-ups. A copy edit will also catch any inconsistencies in your story — from erratic tonal shifts to conflicting descriptions of a character.
A copy edit is critical if your goal is to take your manuscript to the next level and publish a polished, enjoyable book. Before you commit to a collaboration for a copy edit, make sure that this is the type of editing that your book needs. To understand the difference between a developmental edit, a copy edit, and a proofread, we recommend reading this guide on the types of editing common in the publishing industry.
Q: How would you define your role as a copy editor?
Suggested answer
Copyediting is all about consistency – consistent backstories for your characters, consistent details in your setting, consistent arguments in non-fiction, consistent use of style to satisfy the publisher (and your most nitpicky readers). I think good copyediting should be almost invisible – my job isn't to change your style as a writer, it's to make sure the book is saying what you intended to say. My job isn't to change the way you tell your story, it's to make sure that you reveal each detail and thought in the order that keeps your reader as deeply engrossed in the story as possible.
Mairi is available to hire on Reedsy ⏺
Being a copy editor is all about catching those sneaky typos, fixing up clunky sentences, and making sure the tone stays just right so readers stay hooked and never feel lost or confused.
But it goes way beyond just being the “grammar police” or nitpicking every last comma (though yeah, I’ll totally keep an eye on those). My focus is on flow, rhythm, and making sure your message doesn’t just get across—it leaves an impact. If something feels off, I’ll tweak it back into shape, but without stripping away your voice or changing your style.
At the end of the day, it’s your story—I’m just here to make sure it shines as brightly as it deserves, keeps readers engaged, and lands exactly the way you want. My job is to let your words do the talking, but in their very best form.
Eilidh is available to hire on Reedsy ⏺
I advocate for the reader. I read your words with fresh eyes, keeping in mind how readers will probably receive the ideas. Sometimes I will change your words so the message is consistent and clear; sometimes I will ask you about your intention for a sentence; sometimes I will suggest a new way of saying something since we editors are up-to-date with the latest thinking, terminology and industry conventions.
Alongside all this, I will make proofreading changes according to your preferred style (US or UK English; spelling choices like organise or organize; 'single' or "double" quote marks) – together we will construct your personalised 'Style sheet' for you to hand over to your proofreader, then you can reuse and adapt it for all your books.
Alex is available to hire on Reedsy ⏺
What’s the average going rate for copy editing services?
The average going rate for copy editing services on Reedsy is about $1,020, or about $5 per page. However, this can vary wildly, depending on the manuscript, genre, and copy editor! Use the calculator below to get a more personalized estimate of your potential copy editing costs. P.S. It’s completely free to reach out to a copy editor on Reedsy and ask for their quote.
Pricing calculator
Calculate the average cost of editing services for your genre.
Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Proofreading
Please note: these numbers are simply averages and do not include picture books, whose word counts differs massively from those of other genres.
Why can you trust the copy editors on Reedsy?
While other copy editing services match you up with a faceless editor, Reedsy offers increased power over your decisions, a transparent and personalized experience, and certified quality. Every editor on our marketplace has a thorough profile that describes their background and past projects. We take the caliber of our freelancers very seriously, and you’ll find that many of our publishing professionals have previously worked on bestselling books for top publishers — including the Big 5.
Starting a collaboration is even simpler. At any time, you can select up to five copy editors with whom you’d want to collaborate. One or more of your chosen editors will reply with a quote tailored for your book if they also wish to work with you. The collaboration will begin once you establish terms and a timeline, and our service team is available around the clock to assist you every step of the way.
Q: What does a skilled copy editor bring to a manuscript?
Suggested answer
A skilled copyeditor brings so much to a manuscript aside from the nuts and bolts of editing.
For starters, they should fix errors pertaining to grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, clarity, timeline, unnecessary word repetitions, and location-specific terminology (for example, a book full of Briticisms that is targeting an American audience will need every Briticism replaced with its American equivalent).
They should never overshadow the author's writing with their own style and should only recast for clarity as needed without changing the meaning.
They should compose a very detailed style sheet that clearly and concisely outlines every aspect of the style choices they've implemented, including sources they used, word spellings, the treatment of numbers, etc.
The purpose of the style sheet is both for the author to see and understand the style choices they've implemented and for the proofreaders and cold readers to continue to implement as they work through the manuscript.
Aside from all of the above, if one has copyedited hundreds of books for the Big Five publishers as I have, in addition to copyediting for The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, and Time Out New York, there is a wealth of knowledge one develops that goes beyond adhering to this rule in The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th ed., or this rule in Words into Type, 3rd ed.
Every imprint of every one of the Big Five publishers has its own style guide that is proprietary and protected by NDA's, which is why I never share any of those specifics with anyone, even though I have access to and knowledge of all of that information.
But the great thing is that every client who works with me through Reedsy gets to benefit from the thousands of hours I've put in to study these styles and develop my own style as an editor that is an amalgam of all of them.
Ian is available to hire on Reedsy ⏺
