Our team of editors who are skilled in both US and British English, offer book editing to fiction and non-fiction writers all over the world. We use a quality standards test to ensure all new editors that come on board are sufficiently skilled, experienced, committed and observant to work upon books.
We are flexible and will approach your manuscript either as we determine it needs or as guided by you. The different kinds of editing we tend to work on most are:
- Proofreading
- Line editing
- Heavy editing and rewriting
- Structural editing
- Manuscript assessment
Proofreading
Proofreading or copy editing is imperative for every piece of writing, from websites to novels. A proofreader is focused on eliminating errors, which tend to include different things for different pieces of writing. PublishMyBook.Online proofreaders are experienced with both fiction and non-fiction. Proofreading includes correcting the following:
Both fiction and non-fiction
Abbreviations and contractions
Alternative spelling
Punctuation such as apostrophes, colons, commas, dashes, ellipses, hyphenation, periods
Capitalisation
Italics
Spelling
Titles
Non-fiction
Abbreviations and references
Abstracts
Referring to creative works, scientific papers, bible verses
Brackets
Dates
Numbered lists, numerals
Quotations, reference lists and references
Fiction
Point of view
Dialogue
#proofreading
Line editing
All books need a line edit or two. This is where all the broad and narrow elements of perfecting your writing are brought together to ensure your book is doing what you set out to achieve. It is a proofread as well as a more thorough analysis of the overall plot, structure and character arcs (or if non-fiction topics).
A line edit involves a complete read-through and corrections using Microsoft® Word’s track changes tool, so that you can accept or reject each change. Line editors will comment on big picture issues, such as ambiguity, slowness in the plot, character confusion or other inconsistencies. They will also fix any issues they can, including those listed on the proofreading section above. Sometimes, a line edit will be making bigger picture changes, and will be so much heavier than a proofread, that your manuscript may also need a proofread after the line edit. This is partly because some writers introduce more errors each time they work on a manuscript, and partly because one round of editing is not guaranteed to pick up 100% of the errors.
#line
Heavy editing and rewriting
Our senior editors are creative writers themselves and can provide heavy editing and rewriting services for certain genres. Some would call this ghost writing, but we consider it to be editing as long as we are working with an existing piece of text. As it usually involves multiple rounds of editing, it may also be termed a ‘comprehensive edit’. We consider a comprehensive edit to include at least three rounds of editing, eg.
- Structural edit
- Heavy edit or line edit (depending on the manuscript)
- Proofread
A heavy edit involves a complete read-through,detailed changes (using Microsoft Word to track changes), and comments on the side of your manuscript about things that may need to be changed or considered.
#heavy
Structural editing
During the sales process, a book might be identified as one that needs to undergo some structural changes prior to a line edit or proofread. Structural changes in non-fiction would include analysing whether each topic has had just the right amount of focus on it, and whether the overall thesis has been properly stated at the outset (of the book, each chapter and each section) and subsequently justified by the text. In fiction, structural edits sometimes involve suggesting deletions or rewording slower sections of writing that are irrelevant to the plot and characters.
A structural edit involves a complete read-through and report about things that may need to be changed or considered. For example, does the book have an obvious plot hook, something driving the reader to continue? Are the characters interesting and engaging? Is the structure following a logical pattern?
#structural
Manuscript assessment
Authors who are unsure about the potential of their writing to reach a viable market often start with a manuscript assessment. This gives writers the opportunity to work with an experienced editor who will first read the entire manuscript, then give valuable feedback.
A manuscript assessment involves a complete read-through and a report you can action, which details the plot or subject-matter, character or topic development, cohesion, language, accuracy, saleability and other general comments on where to next. If your manuscript is ready for traditional publishing in the editor’s opinion, a glowing report saying so is worth sending to a publisher along with your submission.
#ma
No matter what kind of editing you arrange with the PublishMyBook.Online team, you can rest assured that we will be honest with you. We will do what you ask us to, and if that means a structural edit that states your book is not ready for publication, so be it. We would rather do ourselves out of a publishing project, than mislead you into going down the path of self-publishing only to discover later, from readers and reviewers, that your book was not good enough.
Nobody wants that to happen. So if you engage us for any kind of editing, we will tell you if your book needs more work.
Why choose PMBO for editing?
We have decades of editing experience and only the most highly skilled editors pass our editing standards test. Our editors are great communicators, will be flexible to your needs, and are responsive via email.
If your book is 30,000 words or more, please feel free to request a free sample edit. That way, you can judge for yourself if a PMBO editor is right for you.
Does your book need editing?
If you need help working out whether your book needs an edit, and what kind, please upload your document to Dropbox and send us the link via the Contact Us page. One of our editors will take a look and let you know what they think your manuscript needs.
Would you like to know more about our editors?
You can read more about us on the About the Editors page on the Australian eBbook Publisher website.
Would you like to meet your editor face-to-face?
Each year we engage in a limited number of personal consultations at cafes around Brisbane. If you would like to make a booking, please contact us to organise to pay for this service upfront. The charges are as per our publishing consultation service.
Most projects do not require face-to-face meetings. Your words need to stand alone, without your verbal explanation, so it is often wise to have a remote editor who can approach your work with the complete lack of foreknowledge that a reader would have.
Feedback about our editing services
PMBO book editors give practical steps for improving each author’s writing. We know we are appreciated for our constructive criticism because our writers often come back to us for more.
“Your personalised attention to detail has not gone unnoticed. … I am very pleased with what you have done.”—Luke Gracias, author of The Devil’s Prayer
“Thank you so much for all of your feedback! I just read through the manuscript assessment, it's fantastic being able to get an objective opinion and constructive criticism, I appreciate it very much.”—S.K. Levy, author of Reigntime
“I have all but completed the changes, I accept them all and am impressed with the detail of your work.”—Harvey F, author of The Tiger Tea Club
“PublishMyBook.Online were fantastic in all aspects of the publishing journey, from editing through to cover design.”—Michelle Montebello, author of Interwoven.