Process & the Copyeditor's Role

Copyediting is a profession that, while humble, plays an extremely critical role in the overall editorial process. As a task, it is the last step in which a manuscript or piece of writing (especially in the book publishing industry) goes through before being proof-read, and also the last step after which all other edits have been made. It follows the process of checking for mistakes, inconsistencies, and repetition, essentially polishing the work and preparing it for publication. While it at first glance seems simple, it actually requires a set of highly-specialized skills, discipline, and patience.

The copyeditor plays a crucial role in the editing/publishing world because their primary goal or focus is to make sure that the manuscript is presented in the most accurate and engaging way possible. Copyeditors tackle both the small things as well as look at the bigger picture; they make sure that they provide meticulous attention to detail all the while maintaining a consideration for the overall themes and messages a work is trying to convey.

Specific roles of a copyeditor typically include:

• Checking for and correcting grammatical, spelling, syntax, and punctuation errors.
• Checking for technical consistency in spelling, capitalization, font usage, numerals, and hyphenation
• Checking for continuity errors, making sure all loose ends are tied.
• Checking for factually incorrect statements, especially in the context of editing historical pieces, memoirs, or news articles.  The copy editor must make sure all names, dates, events, and any details are correct and true.
• Checking for potential legal liability, and ensuring that a work does not libel others. Libel is a published false statement that is damaging to a person's reputation. 
• Checking for inconsistencies within a story, including character descriptions, plot points, and settings. For example, a character should stay true to how they are originally portrayed and be adjusted accordingly if they grow as a person (but their descriptions should remain realistic and convincing); there should be no conflicting descriptions of the environment or atmosphere unless they purposely change. 
• Having knowledge of and constantly consulting various style guides

The copyeditor's job is not to simply check for spelling, punctuation, and grammar. They make sure that every single element or aspect of the work is consistent, cohesive, and complete before it goes into print. Without a thorough copy-edit, any written work risks producing unwanted or overlooked errors.

Usually, traditional publishers only require two kinds of edits (Manuscript Critique & Comprehensive Edit) that come before the copyediting phase and skip the copyediting step altogether. However, just based on personal experience, I have come across several discrepancies within books, magazines, and news articles (all coming from notable and respected publishing houses/companies) that are extremely cringe-worthy and could have easily been avoided if they had a better copyeditor (or even included copyediting in the editing process to start with).

Also, if you are planning to self-publish, hiring a copyeditor or even asking a friend who is an expert at this stuff to look at your work for you is highly beneficial, because it allows the work to be assessed by a second pair of eyes, which will ultimately offer a different perspective and catch things the writer may miss.