Book Manuscript Editing

What is Different about Manuscript Editing?

Manuscript editing is a rich sub-speciality of academic editing, owing to the wide range of needs of clients submitting manuscripts. Manuscripts include those written to be self-published or with a publisher in mind; they may be adapted from a student’s thesis, scientific paper or research paper; or they may be the result of collaborative effort, combining chapters from multiple authors or being wholly co-authored. For all manuscript authors, their document represents an enormous investment, often over many years, with the expectation that publication success will bring career and hopefully financial rewards.

Working with a Publisher

The problem is, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a traditional publisher. As the publishing industry changes in the digital age, fewer manuscripts are being accepted for publication, making getting published increasingly competitive. It has become the responsibility of authors to ensure that their manuscripts are already of an exemplary standard before they will even be considered. The new norm is that, as early as the book proposal stage, publishers expect that you will already have had the benefit of professional manuscript editing.

Self-Publishing

The competitiveness of being published has contributed to many authors choosing to self-publish. For these authors, finding the right manuscript editor is particularly important. Without the rigorous book editing to which your work would be subject through a traditional publisher, it is up to you to safeguard the final quality of your publication. The best way to do this is by choosing the best and most experienced manuscript editor that you can find.

The Benefits of Manuscript Editing

Your manuscript could not be in better hands than those of one of Capstone Editing’s specialist academic editors. As Australia’s premier editing service, we specialise in editing for academics and have edited more manuscripts than any other editing service in Australia. From book proposal to publication, you can be certain that you will receive the highest-quality professional editing available, to help you to reach your publishing goals, whatever they may be.

Your expert book editor will ensure your manuscript is:

Free of errors and infelicities in grammar, punctuation and spelling
Written in a style and tone appropriate for your genre and target audience
Correct and consistent in the placement and captioning of tables and figures
Logically structured, following standard requirements for major publishers in the field
Publication-ready, with appropriate formatting and referencing

For those authors targeting a particular publisher, your editor will ensure your book:

Follows the often-complex language house style of your target publisher
Follows all the formatting and referencing guidelines of your publisher
Has the best chance of acceptance for publication the first time, with minimal revision
Conforms stylistically and structurally with other books published in a series

For self-publishing authors, professional manuscript editing guarantees:

Adherence to the formatting and referencing guidelines most appropriate for your genre and planned sales platform
The same high standards and consistency in language, structure and formatting as those produced by traditional publishers
Your manuscript will be polished and impeccably presented, satisfying the expectations of your target market

For authors of collaboratively written works, your editor will check and improve your manuscript for:

Consistency in language use and expression between authors
Logical organisation and structure, including between and within chapters
The coherence of the manuscript as a whole

Capstone Editing’s Manuscript Editing Services

Manuscript authors can select from the full range of services offered by Capstone Editing.

Premium Copyediting

Capstone Editing’s Premium Copyediting service is the ideal choice for clients requiring manuscript editing. Our highly experienced copy editors will edit your manuscript for language (including grammar, spelling and punctuation); logic, clarity and flow; internal consistency and completeness; and structure. For those clients who are targeting a specific publisher or genre, your editor will ensure that your manuscript adheres to the required house style, formatting and referencing guidelines.

You can submit your manuscript online for our Premium Copyediting service at any time.

Substantive and Heavy Editing

For authors or academics whose manuscripts require more work to give them either the best chance for traditional publication or the greatest sales potential possible if self-publishing, we offer two more intensive editing options:

Substantive Editing:
Capstone Editing’s Substantive Editing service extends on the Premium Copyediting service by including additional work to improve any organisational, structural, logic or flow issues the manuscript may have. If necessary, editors will work with authors on rewording the text of the manuscript to ensure maximum effectiveness of expression. For clients adapting their theses into manuscripts for publication, this is the service for you.
Heavy Editing:
In addition to all aspects provided by the Premium Copyediting service, Capstone Editing’s Heavy Editing service includes substantial sentence rewording and detailed assistance and advice on matters of organisation and structure, as well as statements requiring further support. This service was designed specifically for non-Native English (ESL) writers, but would be suitable for any client whose prose would benefit from a deeper level of editing.

If you would like information about prices for our Substantive or Heavy Editing service, please email us with the manuscript for editing and details about how we can help you.

Proofreading

This service is designed for those manuscripts that have been previously copyedited or that do not require structural or language editing. Capstone Editing’s proofreaders will ensure your manuscript is consistent, perfectly presented and publication-ready. Simply email us today, with your document attached, to request the proofreading service.

Tailor-Made Services

Capstone Editing also offers tailor-made book editing solutions. Whether you want formatting only, require alternate referencing and conversion of your manuscript into American English for publishing on the American market, or are a publisher looking for a reliable provider of premium copyediting services capable of handling any volume of work, we can help. For more information about our rates, simply email us with your requirements and the manuscript for editing.

Our Reputation

We are proud of our reputation as the highest-quality academic editing service available. Testimonials from our past clients and the examples of our editing we provide here demonstrate the quality of our work.

Editing examples

These documents provide representative examples of our work for past clients.

Testimonials

I would like to thank Lisa for her thorough edit of my grant proposal. Her suggestions gave me better ways of expressing myself with clarity and (importantly for grant proposals) with fewer words! She provided detailed comments on her edits that helped ensure that we didn’t inadvertently change the intended meaning. I appreciated her attention to the details of formatting and nuances of meaning across the document. I highly recommend her to help improve the readability and clarity of academic documents.

Dr Monica Barratt NHMRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow University of New South Wales

Lisa has edited several journal articles for me. Her thorough command of language really helps in making sure that the article is well expressed and free of errors. Lisa works very quickly and I have found it invaluable to have somebody format an article to the style of the particular journal. It is a massive time saver that allows me to move on to my next piece of work. I plan to use Lisa’s services again, including for a book project I have coming up. I highly recommend her to academics wanting to save time and wanting to submit their work with the confidence that it has been thoroughly looked over and formatted to their particular requirements.

Associate Professor Dominic O'Sullivan Political Science Charles Stuart University

The fast, elegant and professional service provided by Dr Lines and her team saved me hours, days and weeks of work for which I am truly grateful. They worked to very tight deadlines and formatted, fixed and corrected my thesis so that I could submit it on time (and within my budget!) The editors who edited my thesis had phenomenal attention to detail and provided me with tremendously valuable feedback that improved the quality of my thesis. In addition to the usual material, my thesis had dozens of tables in both portrait and landscape format, a research study and case studies. My editors very quickly corrected and fixed all the material I threw at them and went beyond the call of duty to provide me with a beautifully referenced and immaculately formatted thesis. I am so appreciative of their advice and assistance.

Cheryl-Anne Whitlock Master of Arts (Journalism) University of Wollongong

Capstone Editing’s simple order process provides easy access to professional academic editing. In most cases, universities cover the cost of editing for their academic staff and we can invoice them directly.

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