Nail the essentials with copy & line editing
Perfect the details with line & copy editing that allows the reader to immerse themselves in your world.
Copy & Line Editing Services
Grammar, Syntax, and Spelling Corrections
Copy editing includes corrections of grammatical errors, punctuation mistakes, syntax issues, and spelling errors to ensure technical accuracy and readability.
Consistency and Style Adherence
I will ensure consistent spelling, capitalisation, and hyphenation throughout the manuscript, adhering to a specific style guide (e.g., Oxford Guide, Guardian, Bloomsbury, Chicago Manual, etc.).
Clarity, Readability, and Prose Refinement
I will enhance the clarity and readability of the text by eliminating awkward phrasing, redundancies, and ambiguities, improving sentence structure, and refining the prose for a smooth and engaging narrative flow.
Style, Tone, and Voice Enhancement
I will ensure that the style, tone, and voice of the writing are consistent and appropriate for the intended audience and genre, suggesting changes to improve these elements as needed.
Dialogue and Description Improvement
I will pay special attention to dialogues and descriptions, ensuring they are natural, vivid, and contribute effectively to character development and scene setting.
Fact-Checking and Consistency in Content
Althought I cannot give an in-depth fact-check, I will point out obvious factual errors or inconsistencies and ensure that the manuscript’s content is logically consistent and coherent.
Ready to Elevate Your Manuscript?
Discover how my editing services can transform your writing. Get in touch today for a personalized quote!
Sean Sable
Based in the historic city of York, UK, I am a writer and fiction editor specialising in upmarket fiction, literary fiction, romance, and horror. My areas of special interest are gothic and folk horror but I enjoy editing a range of work including sci-fi, fantasy & romantasy. I offer a range of freelance writing and editing services, designed to bring your creative vision to life.
"This is how you do it: sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until it's done. It's that easy, and that hard." – Neil Gaiman
FAQs on Copy & Line Editing Services
Answers to your most pressing questions.
What genres do you specialise in as an author and editor?
I work in many genres, including:
Horror
Romance
Mystery
YA
Fantasy
Sci-Fi
Romantasy / Horrormantasy & Other Crossovers
I have a great deal of experience helping authors improve magic systems & world building across all genres.
What editing services do you offer?
I provide developmental and copy/line editing, manuscript assessments, beta reading, and sensitivity reading focusing on ADHD and/or British culture.
Do you handle all types of writing and editing?
While I am versatile, I do not accept projects in religious texts, very dark romance, or military/spy/espionage genres.
Regarding very dark romances:
I am happy to accept dark romances where the themes are on the “grey” end of the spectrum. However, I am not able to accept the following themes:
– Non-consent (Including CNC). Ambiguous or unspecified consent is okay.
– Taboo (Incest, etc.)
– Full BDSM lifestyle (This is best left to a person who can co-sensitivity read)
How does your background influence your editing style?
As a writer myself, I appreciate the importance of open and honest feedback. I work to get to the heart of the challenges your manuscript faces so you can walk away with an actionable list of improvements you can begin working on straight away.
I see myself as your greatest cheerleader and champion as I believe your story is worth telling. I am kind but frank with my assessments, always leaving final choices in your hands so you always remain in control of your voice and narrative.
What can clients expect when working with you?
Clients can expect a collaborative approach, detailed feedback, and a commitment to maintaining the voice and vision of their work.
For copy & line editing you will receive:
– Detailed in-line corrections.
– An assessment document that gives an overview in the trends of your writing (both positive & areas to address). This will help you reflect on your writing practise as a whole so the value of the editing experience informs your future success.
– Detailed notes for the first 10,000 words. After this, notes will be truncated for speed and easy in review.
– An assessment of the overall impression of the manuscript and its readiness for submission or publication.
How long does copy & line editing take?
Turnaround times will vary depending on my overall workload, the length of your work and the level of editing required.
Manuscripts with a well honed writing style (including grammar & spelling) at the sentence level are easier to read. This speeds up the editing process. On the other hand, those books which are poorly constructed on a sentence level may take longer.
The process works in 2 stages. Stage 1 is line edit. In this stage, I will look at style and grammar/syntax. These will be returned to you for acceptance/rejection. You will have 6 weeks to return your MS to be with changes in place. Stage 2 is the copy edit. In this stage, I will address spelling, capitalisation, punctuation, grammar, syntax and minor fact-checking not done at the line edit stage.
In general, most books with word counts below 100K will have their copy & line editing complete within 90 days of beginning the edit.
Please note that I will request 3,000 words from the beginning of your novel to assess your base standard of writing. Pricing quotes assume an average number of errors and corrections. Should an assessment of your writing indicate that you have more errors than average, I will revise the quote based on this information.
How do I start working with you?
Contact me to discuss your project, and we’ll outline the steps to begin transforming your manuscript.
Ideally, you will want to get onto my books whilst still in the drafting stage as there may be a delay of up to 12 weeks before I can begin your edit. Deposits schemes are available to hold a space on my editing schedule.
Payments are made in 3 stages: 1/3 at booking, 1/3 at beginning, 1/3 at delivery.
Do you use Computer Assist (Ai, etc.) in your edits?
No.
With a CIEP qualification in Fiction Eding, a CELTA qualification in English Language Education and a Masters in Literature, my expertise extends to grammar, language usage, character analysis, plot development, and scene structure.
In my experience, editing software can be blunt instruments that, when used without thorough analysis and comprehension, may lead to a final draft that is inferior to the original.
At this time, I do not endorse the use of generative AI for drafting or editing works of fiction, as it has great potential to harm writing, society, and culture at large in its current format. Additionally, it has significant environmental impacts that cannot be underestimated.
On a personal note, fiction drafts with significant AI contribution stick out like a sore thumb. Whilst no one can guarantee accuracy in AI detection (don’t believe the software hype), those of us who regularly edit fiction can see many of the “tells” when they add up*. I reserve the right to kick back manuscripts with too many of these tells and I will ask you to provide evidence of your writing process (notes, early drafts, outlines, writing samples, etc) before I will continue. If you cannot provide this kind of evidence to a reasonable capacity, I will consider this a violation of our contract. Any deposit you have paid to be placed on my editing schedule will not be refunded.
If you did not write your work, I will not be interested in editing it and readers will not likely be interested in reading it.
If you use AI in your cover design or your marketing materials, I will ask not to be credited in your book’s credits as I have a strong public stance against the use of generative AI in creative spaces.
* Em dashes are fine. Circling prose, etc. is not.