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Copyediting
Copyediting
By Kasandra Christner '19
This page is under construction and subject to change.
This page is under construction and subject to change.
Image courtesy of Nic McPhee at Flickr.com
A copyeditor’s attention to detail is what polishes a manuscript before it’s published out into the world.
These editors work to make sure an author’s writing is completely error free before publication. They bridge any communication gap that might develop between the author and the reader. Correct grammar, punctuation, and formatting that communicates exactly what the author is trying to say is the goal of successful copyediting. However, copyeditors do not comment on the actual plot and organization of the work like a line editor would.
According to The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, copyeditors or positions very similar earn roughly $35,000 a year, depending on years of experience and what market the editor is working in (books, newspapers, magazines, etc.).
Skills and Qualifications
Skills and Qualifications
Detail oriented people make great copyeditors. Because works that are being copyedited are usually well developed and revised before the copyedit, most sentence-level errors are not obvious.
Copyeditors are also excellent readers, who look up every word they don’t know to confirm it’s being used correctly. Without a sharp eye for detail and good reading comprehension, a copyeditor is useless in helping facilitate communication between author and reader, and may even worsen the quality of the work.
Copyeditors have at least a bachelor’s degree in English, journalism, or any related major like media or communications.
Copyediting at Heidelberg
Copyediting at Heidelberg
The most hands-on approach to copyedit while at Heidelberg is joining the staff of on-campus newspaper, the Kilikilik, where each month you can copyedit student written articles before they are published.
If you are interested in copyediting full books, you might want to take “Writing and the Publishing Industry” to learn about how the publishing industry functions and how copyeditors fit into that world.
Works Cited
Works Cited
Einsohn, Amy. The Copyeditor’s Handbook. University of California, 2006.
“Proofreaders and Copy Markers.” Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 30 March 2018, https://www.bls.gov/oes/2017/may/oes439081.htm.
Last update: 05/07/2019 KC
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