Copyediting & Proofreading
Mechanical precision for serious fiction. We ensure your completed novel meets the exacting grammatical, typographical, and continuity standards of international trade publishing—governed by The Chicago Manual of Style (17th Edition).
Tiered transparently by word count ($0.0085/word for copyediting; proofreading from $0.005/word).
- Standard: The Chicago Manual of Style (17th Edition)
- Markup: Full Microsoft Word Track Changes file
- Clean Copy: Publication-ready clean manuscript
- Style Sheet: Comprehensive Custom Novel Style Sheet
- Continuity: Timeline, character traits, and world rules audit
- Turnaround: 2 to 4 weeks for full-length fiction
What is Professional Copyediting?
The indispensable technical scrutiny that separates an amateur draft from a bookstore-grade literary work.
In commercial and literary trade publishing, copyediting is the guardian of mechanical integrity. Governed by The Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS 17th Edition) and authoritative lexicons (Merriam-Webster for American English; Oxford for British English), copyediting eliminates mechanical friction so that nothing pulls the reader out of your narrative dream.
Our copyeditors examine grammar, punctuation, capitalization, hyphenation of compound modifiers, foreign phrase formatting, numeral conventions, and dialogue mechanics.
Equally vital is our rigorous narrative continuity audit: we track calendar progression, seasonal shifts, character physical traits (eye color, scars, height), historical accuracy, and fictional world terminology across hundreds of pages, cataloging every detail in your bespoke Custom Novel Style Sheet.
Who Needs Copyediting & Proofreading?
Copyediting is the mandatory penultimate phase for manuscripts whose creative writing is completely finished.
✓ Recommended For
This service is designed for manuscripts meeting these benchmarks:
- Locked Manuscripts: You have completed developmental and line-level revisions; your scenes, character arcs, and dialogue are finalized.
- Independent Authors Demanding Trade Quality: Novelists self-publishing through IngramSpark or Amazon KDP who demand interior polish indistinguishable from major trade publishers.
- Agent & Publisher Submissions: Authors submitting to literary agents or publishers who want zero mechanical errors, comma splices, or formatting discrepancies.
- Complex Ensembles & Timelines: Stories featuring multi-strand chronologies, extensive casts, or rich speculative worldbuilding where continuity errors easily slip past beta readers.
- Regional Conversions: Authors converting manuscripts between US and UK/Commonwealth spelling, punctuation, and typographical traditions.
✕ Who Should Wait
Do not book copyediting if:
- Your Story Structure is Evolving: If you are still reconsidering plot twists, character motivation, or scene order, start with a Manuscript Assessment. Correcting grammar on scenes you later delete wastes money.
- You Need Sentence-Level Voice Elevation: Copyediting fixes mechanical errors and continuity; it does not rework prose rhythm or dialogue subtext (see Line Editing).
- Your Draft is Incomplete: We only copyedit finished, locked manuscripts from title page to final scene.
What Happens During Copyediting
Our multi-pass technical editorial protocol ensures comprehensive consistency and typographical fidelity.
Style Intake
We configure your house rules: US vs. UK spelling, serial comma preference, dialogue quotation styles, and treatment of numerals.
First Tracked Pass
A rigorous line-by-line audit correcting grammar, typographical errors, punctuation, dangling modifiers, and hyphenation according to CMoS.
Style Sheet Compilation
Your editor constructs your 15–25 page Custom Novel Style Sheet, cataloging every character trait, timeline event, and world term.
Verification Pass
A secondary cross-check verifies the text against the newly compiled style sheet, resolving queries and delivering the clean final manuscript.
Four Pillars of Mechanical Precision
CMoS 17th Edition Standards
Strict adherence to professional trade standards: em-dash and en-dash usage, hyphenation of compound adjectives (e.g., ill-advised plan vs. the plan was ill advised), comma discipline, capitalization of titles and terms, and quotation placement.
Narrative Continuity Tracking
We catch subtle discrepancies across chapters: eye color changing from hazel to grey in Chapter 14; a wounded left arm referenced as the right arm in Chapter 22; or a full moon appearing two days after a crescent moon.
Timeline & Chronology Auditing
We verify calendar logic and temporal markers: ensuring that characters do not age irregularly, travel times between locations remain physically believable, and days of the week align with the stated dates in the narrative.
Factual & World Consistency
For real-world settings, we check street names, historical dates, and technical details. For fantasy and sci-fi, we verify that your invented languages, royal lineages, magic system limitations, and specialized vocabulary follow strict internal rules.
What You Receive in Your Client Vault
Everything needed to move directly into interior typesetting or digital publication.
1. Track-Changes Manuscript (.docx)
Your full novel returned with every grammatical correction, punctuation fix, and consistency adjustment displayed via Microsoft Word Track Changes.
- Complete mechanical and grammatical corrections throughout every chapter
- Margin queries explaining intentional exceptions or querying authorial meaning
- Full author control to review and approve every change
2. Clean Final Manuscript (.docx)
A pristine, publication-ready Microsoft Word file with all accepted corrections applied. Formatted with clean paragraph styles ready for interior book layout or submission to publishers.
3. Comprehensive Custom Novel Style Sheet
A bespoke 15–25 page reference dossier logging every style rule applied to your novel: spelling dictionary selections, capitalization standards, foreign word italicization rules, an alphabetical Character Roster (with physical descriptions and ages), Setting Index, Timeline Matrix, and Worldbuilding Glossary.
4. Production Summary Memo & Query Support
An editorial memorandum summarizing common mechanical tendencies identified in your draft, with 14 days of asynchronous follow-up in your client vault to answer any questions about the style sheet or specific queries.
Copyediting & Proofreading Investment
Strictly transparent rates based on verified word count. No hidden fees or inflated estimates.
Copyediting cannot fix underlying narrative plot holes or unconvincing character transformations. If your manuscript has not yet received an objective structural evaluation, we urge you to begin with our Manuscript Assessment ($250+).
| Word Count | Illustrative Format | Full Copyedit ($0.0085/w) | Proofreading ($0.005/w) | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 40,000 words | Novella / Short Novel | $340 (Studio Min) | $200 (Min $200) | 2 weeks |
| 70,000 words | Literary Fiction | $595 | $350 | 2 to 3 weeks |
| 80,000 words | Standard Novel | $680 | $400 | 2 to 3 weeks |
| 90,000 words | Thriller / Mystery | $765 | $450 | 3 weeks |
| 100,000 words | Historical / Sci-Fi | $850 | $500 | 3 to 4 weeks |
| 120,000 words | Epic Fantasy / Saga | $1,020 | $600 | 4 weeks |
What is NOT Included in Copyediting
Understanding our editorial scope ensures you select the correct service for your novel:
✕ Structural or Developmental Editing
Copyeditors assume your scenes, acts, character arcs, and plot pacing are completely finalized. We do not evaluate whether a scene should be cut or reorganized. If your structure needs diagnosis, please book a Manuscript Assessment or Developmental Editing.
✕ Heavy Stylistic Line Editing
A copyeditor corrects grammatical errors and awkward syntax, but will not fundamentally rewrite your prose rhythm, heighten lyrical imagery, or deepen dialogue subtext. Stylistic elevation belongs to Line Editing.
✕ Interior Book Layout & Typesetting
Copyediting is performed within Microsoft Word. Transforming your clean file into print-ready PDFs and validated EPUB3 files is handled under our Publication Preparation service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions regarding our copyediting and proofreading standards.
Only after all structural, developmental, and line-level changes are finished. Your manuscript should be locked: every scene written, all chapters in final order, and character journeys resolved. Copyediting is the final quality gate before design and publication.
We adhere strictly to The Chicago Manual of Style (17th Edition), the universally accepted benchmark for commercial fiction publishing. For US English spelling, we consult Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary; for British and Commonwealth English, we reference Oxford English Dictionary and New Hart's Rules.
Yes. Scriptorium Studio operates internationally. In your intake brief, you declare whether your target readership expects American English (single quotation marks inside doubles, serial comma, -ize endings) or British/Commonwealth English (single outer quotes, punctuation outside quotes, -ise endings, distinct hyphenation rules).
Copyediting is performed in Word before interior layout, checking grammar, sentence mechanics, timeline logic, and consistency.
Proofreading is the final inspection performed on formatted page proofs (PDF or EPUB) after typesetting, checking for layout glitches, broken words, orphan lines, and any tiny typographical slips that survived copyediting.
Test Our Eye on Your Opening Pages
Start with The First 1,000 Words. See how our senior editors diagnose sentence rhythm, mechanical clarity, and voice integrity — completely free, with no obligation and no credit card required.
Submit the First 1,000 Words — Free →Confirm Your Architecture Before Final Polish
Grammatical precision cannot compensate for structural fractures. If your novel has not yet undergone comprehensive diagnostic evaluation, begin with our Manuscript Assessment.