Why Hiring a Copy Editor Is a Good Idea

When you think of a copy editor, what image comes to mind? Perhaps you think of an old man hunched over reams of paper, red pen in hand, squinting through smudged glasses. This image comes from the days when publishing houses controlled the flow of writing from artist to audience.

Now, most publishing houses and magazines outsource their copy editing. Increasingly, authors who are unable to get a publishing contract decide to self-publish, hiring freelancers to do their editing and production. Many copy editors work from home, where they freelance for publishing houses or independent publishers.

Copy editors revise written content to ensure clarity and accuracy and, as such, must have a strong grasp of the English language. They can turn a rough draft full of spelling, grammar, language, and style errors into a piece of writing ready for print.

They often have degrees in English and must love reading and writing in order to be truly successful. They work with the author to improve the original draft, reshaping and trimming the rough work into a piece ready to be published.

Among other things, copy editors strive to improve the following:

• Clarity
• Tone
• Plot consistency
• Grammar
• Punctuation
• Transitions
• Sentence structure

Many industries outside of publishing also rely on copy editors.

Businesses use copy editors to ensure that they are delivering a clear, consistent message to all of their customers and prospects.

In many instances, spelling and grammar errors have derailed advertising campaigns or completely obscured a message. Attention to grammar and spelling also reflects a business's attention to detail—something customers value greatly.

Universities and academics use copy editors before publishing new research or conclusions in a specific field of study. Errors in the writing undermine the validity of the content; in an academic setting, accuracy is paramount, and this applies to both the research and the grammar.

Why should you hire a copy editor?

Whatever your industry, hiring a copy editor is a good idea. Submitting a book full of errors to a publishing house can greatly affect your chances of being accepted, and self-publishing a book full of errors will give you a poor reputation as an author.

Although grammar mistakes can seem unimportant at times, they affect the reader's experience in a big way. A missed comma or period can disrupt the flow of your writing and pull the reader back from whatever point you are trying to make. A copy editor will help you avoid these embarrassing mistakes.

Conclusion

Most good writers know they have to revise and reread their writing once they've completed a rough draft, but it's nearly impossible for them to catch every mistake. They will often read what they think they wrote instead of what is actually on the paper. Hiring a copy editor to act as an objective reader will always be more efficient because he or she does not have any emotional attachment to the work.

Our copy editors are professionals who know exactly what slipups and mistakes to look for. Because they have not seen your document before, they can bring a fresh, sharp perspective to analyze each and every word, line, and phrase. Our professional copy editors will catch your mistakes and other problems you may have missed and can analyze your text as a whole for conciseness, clarity, flow, and style.

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