As an author, you are the best person to know your mind, your ideas, your story, your characters, and your plot. You have probably worked through several drafts before reaching the present stage. While some authors have the liberty of leaving the script aside for a few weeks and restarting with a fresh mindset, it isn’t always possible. Hence the need to outsource copy editing.
Copy editing is the process of weeding out inconsistencies in any type of literary work. Manuscripts, reports, presentations, business plans, marketing collateral, websites, blogs, newsletters, voiceovers, and even movie scripts – contextual errors, redundancies, and deviations have a knack of cropping up everywhere.
Copy editing includes all the benefits of proofreading (like weeding out typographical, grammatical, and spelling mistakes), but focuses on improving the manuscript.
As a business head, you want to share your thoughts, opinions, and POV on the company intranet, on social media and in print. Yet, you are pressed for time (and ‘timing’ indeed means a lot for your piece to be relevant). While you write well, perfecting an article, bringing in the finesse, adding the references, and tying up the loose ends is not something you have the bandwidth or patience for.
On the other hand, as an author, when you approach a publishing house with your literary work, even the smallest of errors or discrepancies can discourage them from accepting your submission.
In both cases, to put your best foot forward, you should contemplate availing the services of a copy editor, so that your article or your manuscript gets the attention and finesse it deserves.
You are regularly bombarded with tons of new manuscripts. You also know that some of these ideas have potential, but lack punch. However, identifying a literary masterpiece is not enough. These manuscripts need editing, polishing, and proofreading, and you do not have the editing bandwidth for this.
Here, you could consider outsourcing editing jobs to experienced editors or content agencies that know the subject matter and understand the task at hand. By doing this, you can increase your editing throughput without compromising on efficiency and adding overheads.
A copy editor starts by reading the entire manuscript to evaluate the topic and make a mental map of the flow of information, characters, and the plot. There is no editing in the first phase. Post this, she/he starts the elaborate and painstaking process of copy editing, which includes:
Checking for grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors
Ensuring consistency in tone, style, and formatting
Improving clarity and readability
Fact-checking and verifying sources
Eliminating redundancies and tightening the text
Our writers are voracious readers. In fact, most of us chose a career in writing because we love reading! Over the years, we have read and edited various subjects – from grade one textbooks to whitepapers, and from company reports to comic books!
We understand that even similar topics can have different perspectives, and it might not always be possible for us to have all the skills in-house. Hence, before we take up a project, we evaluate the requirement and assess the required skill sets vis-à-vis the timelines – only if both the parties are convinced, do we go ahead.
Once we decide to work together, you can rest assured. Your manuscript will be entrusted to professional writers who will check every aspect of the document, carry out research if required, and deliver a complete job!
Visit us www.lexiconn.in or drop us a line at content@lexiconn.in.
LexiConn also offers a free 30-minute content consultation session to help you with your content strategy.
Write to us and share your requirements. We will be glad to offer a sample copy edit for language, grammar, and sentence construction.
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