Areas of Service
Developmental editing
Developmental editing is also called structural editing and sometimes story editing. A developmental editor will take an in-depth look at your story concept as a whole to point out and/or correct any plot, character, and setting inconsistencies that may arise within your writing. We understand that whether you’re writing a short story or a 100k word novel, details are easy to miss or change as you frantically type the scene you’ve been thinking about all day. Your developmental editor will catch these inconsistencies for you to lighten your burden. A developmental edit will often include suggesting revisions to awkward sentences, fact checking (to a limited extent), timeline consistency tracking, and dialogue and paragraph formatting. While developmental editing does take grammar and punctuation inconsistencies into consideration, those types of errors are not the main focus, and some errors may remain after a developmental edit. It is highly recommended to follow a developmental edit with either a copyedit or a proofread, and preferably both, to catch all those persistent errors.
Copyediting
Copyediting is also commonly called line editing. Your copyeditor will evaluate your manuscript for usage and grammar errors and inconsistencies, as well as punctuation flubs and typos. Many common errors involve commas, run-on sentences, and homophones (the pesky there/their/they’re), but you’re in luck. You don’t have to remember all those lessons from school; your copyeditor has got you covered. During a copyedit, your editor will suggest alternatives to awkwardly worded sentences or odd-sounding words to make your manuscript read clearly and professionally. The last thing you want is for your readers to miss your meaning because there was a cleaner way to lay out a sentence that you didn’t see. Your copyeditor will also recommend for deletion repetitive or otherwise unnecessary words or sentences within your manuscript to keep your writing concise. Copyediting should be completed once the story is in its final format. While you can have a copyedit performed before a developmental edit, oftentimes a developmental edit will move, rearrange, or delete sentences or entire scenes that your copyeditor would have already spent time on, making some of the work the copyeditor performed obsolete.
Manuscript evaluation
Manuscript evaluation generally happens before the editing process. Whether you’re concerned about your world building or the believability of your characters, a manuscript evaluation can give you insights into what works in your story and what doesn’t. During a manuscript evaluation, your editor will take note of the good, the bad, and the ugly in your manuscript and then prepare a report for you that details everything for you to look at later.
Proofreading
Proofreading needs to be the last step of the editorial process and should take place right before you send your manuscript off for production. Proofreading focuses on correcting any missed punctuation errors and typos that may remain after a developmental and/or copyedit. Proofreading should be completed after your manuscript has been formatted so that your editor can ensure consistent formatting throughout your manuscript before you send it off to your agent if you are traditionally publishing or your printer if you are self-publishing. Sending your proofreader your manuscript in its completed form will allow for that final polish to make your manuscript shine.
Testimonials
“I’ve worked with Lindsay at Hallowell Publishing to publish sixteen of my books, and I absolutely cannot put anything out in the world without her eyes on it. We’ve primarily worked together for proofreading and later stage edits, but she’s an incredible resource to have at all parts of the publishing process. I’m beyond grateful for the work she’s put into all my books to make them more readable, error-free, and generally better overall.
Personally, I find Lindsay fantastic to work with, the perfect balance of being fierce with a red line edit and leaving notes that make my writer heart sing. I cannot recommend her enough!”
“Over a two-year period, Lindsay provided invaluable assistance with a 900-page novel I completed in draft and was seeking to publish. As lead editor for the project, Lindsay’s expertise was integral to its success and wrap-up. I thoroughly enjoyed my time working with Lindsay, and came to know her as a truly valuable asset to any team.”
“I consider myself a fairly good writer, but when it came time to turn a bunch of history articles into a book, I knew I needed professional help. Lindsay not only fixed typos and punctuation errors; she gave me good advice on the structure of my book and pointed out redundancies, poorly-constructed sentences and references which would confuse readers who were not familiar with my subject.
The book turned out better than I had dared to expect, and has become a “best-seller” around the little town. Its success, for which Lindsay deserves much of the credit, has encouraged me to begin planning several more books; I look forward to working with her in the future!”