It’s really no stretch to say that professional editors are superheroes in the copy writing world. The truth is that a writer has to crank out hundreds if not thousands of words a day in order to make ends meet, and while you should absolutely expect your writers to know the basics of grammar, composition and structure, at the end of the day, it’s the editor’s responsibility to make copy that is readable and free of any major errors. Here are three tips to providing proofreading services that will make you a champion of the industry:
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Learn to Edit in Every Style. Keep every style guide available on hand in order to make sure that you’re always equipped to deliver what the client is after. Know all the little differences that exist between AP and Chicago Style, for example, because you would be surprised how many there are. Many companies have their own guides you will need to familiarize yourself with, as well.
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Hear the Writer’s Voice. The best way to develop an ear for an individual writer’s voice is to simply read a lot and do a lot of writing yourself. After awhile, you should be able to tell the difference between a weak writer and one who knows the rules and chooses to break them to create more compelling content.
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Never Stop Learning. Perfection is what happens when you find the limit of your own potential. If you’re a true copy editing ninja, then you’re never going to be perfect and will always be able to find ways to improve the text that you’re editing. What you can do instead is just push yourself to keep learning the art and craft of writing and editing. Read a lot, write a lot and work on related communications projects in your spare time to sharpen your skills.
Copy editors tend to get a lot of the attention for their ability to provide a cohesive voice and tone to a website or a publication, but their value simply cannot be overstated. If you have the skills and an eye for good writing, you can make an enormous difference for writers, publishers and webmasters.
Gilbert S is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.