Services for Nonfiction Authors

Subject Areas

I edit a broad range of nonfiction subjects, such as

• education and parenting

• food and cooking

• health and fitness

• business and entrepreneurship

• technical topics

• how-to and self-help books

• Christian nonfiction

Copyediting and Line Editing

Copyediting is sentence-level editing with comprehensive, detailed attention to the following areas:

• clarity

• consistency

• grammar

• spelling

• capitalization

• hyphenation

• punctation

• usage of words and phrases

• appropriateness for the audience

• numbers

• quotations

• acronyms, initialisms, and abbreviations

• headings and subheadings

• lists

• tables and figures

Line editing is sentence- and paragraph-level editing focusing on these things:

• clarity

• readability

• word choice

• style

• tone

• voice

• flow

• appropriateness for the audience

There is some overlap between line editing and copyediting, so if you want me to line edit your book, I’ll combine the two services into one stage of editing. Line editing and copyediting take place after the structure and content of your book are in place and before it is formatted for publication.

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I use Microsoft Word’s Track Changes feature so you can see exactly what changes I’ve made and decide if there are any that you don't want to implement. I also use comments to explain why certain changes were made, make additional suggestions, present multiple options, and ask for clarification when needed.

Reference Formatting

Reference formatting includes checking that in-text citations, footnotes or endnotes, and bibliography or reference list entries conform to your chosen style guide:

• All elements are present and in the correct order for that source type.

• All elements are correctly styled and punctuated.

• All sources cited in the text are listed in the bibliography or reference list, and all sources listed in the bibliography or reference list are cited in the text.

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The Chicago Manual of Style, either author-date or notes and bibliography, is the most commonly used reference style for nonfiction trade books, but I can implement APA or your custom style if you prefer.

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This service includes formatting the citations and references to conform to the style guide. I’ll flag issues for you to address, such as missing or conflicting information. I can also provide more in-depth verification and correction of reference information if needed.

Typesetting/ Book Interior Layout

After your manuscript has been copyedited and all the changes have been incorporated, I’ll create your print book interior and e-book files using Vellum. These are some of the features Vellum layouts can include:

• title page

• copyright page

• table of contents

• chapters

• headings and subheadings

• single-level bulleted or numbered lists

• images

• simple tables and charts

• footnotes or end notes

• fonts chosen from those included in Vellum

You’ll get these files:

• PDF of print interior

• EPUB reflowable e-book files optimized for Kindle, Apple, Nook, Kobo, and Google, and a generic EPUB file for other platforms

You can view my sample print and e-book layouts here.

If your book requires a more complex layout or custom fonts not available in Vellum, I can refer you to a typesetter or interior designer who can do a fully customized layout for you.

Proofreading

Once your edited manuscript has been laid out for print and formatted as an e-book, it’s time for one final check to make sure everything is complete and in order before it’s published.

Proofreading involves checking the text, layout, and other elements for remaining issues in any of the following areas:

• spelling

• grammar

• punctuation

• capitalization

• hyphenation

• numbers

• lists

• acronyms, initialisms, and abbreviations

• numbering of pages and chapters

• numbering, placement, and formatting of tables and figures

• consistent treatment of elements such as titles, headings, quotations, and captions

• reference formatting

• headers and footers

• table of contents

• lists of tables and figures

Proofreading addresses some of the same issues as copyediting, but changes are minimized at this stage because adding or deleting a line of text (or even a word) can affect the layout of not just the page it's on, but also several following pages. It also involves checking elements that are not present until after the manuscript is typeset, such as page numbers, headers, and footers.