Editing can be broken down into three main categories:
- Substantive editing: sometimes known as a “deep edit” or “literary edit”, this service is extensive, costly and only availed of if the author specifically requests it. Depending on Cyberscribe’s workload, we will either provide an evaluation of the cost of such a task, or engage an appropriate literary editor for you, depending on the nature of the work
- A line-edit is also extremely detailed, examining the actual style, crafting and language used in the book. This could involve the tightening up of scenes, the removal of others that repeat similar information, correcting turgid or confusing paragraphs where sentences run on or where punctuation is misleading. The editor will look out for any inconsistencies, or the over-use of certain words or phrases.
- Copy editing: if the writer is re-publishing a title and provides a final, finished file (for example, the publisher’s final PDF files), this step will not be needed. However, if the writer has made changes to the original, or only has old text files they can’t confirm to be the version that was actually published, a thorough copy edit will be necessary. In the case of an original manuscript, a copy edit is essential. It checks all basic fact inaccuracies, grammar, punctuation, spelling and ensures consistency.