What's a copy editor?A copy editor is a publishing professional who reads through the author's typed manuscript before it is set into page proofs, checking for grammar, syntax, usage, spelling, punctuation, style, consistency, and general readability, as well as checking cross references. Ordinarily the author already has worked with a developmental editor on organization of the manuscript before the copy editor becomes involved. The copy editor marks corrections and edits in the manuscript, and also usually creates style codes for later use by the desktop-publishing professional and proofreader. Formerly, the copy editor marked changes directly on hard-copy pages; however, in contemporary times the copy editor usually tracks changes and makes queries to the author directly in the computer file. The copy editor serves as the last pair of eyes to read through the manuscript before it goes to the desktop-publishing professional to be set into page proofs.What's a proofreader?A proofreader is a publishing professional who reads through a book once it has been set into pages by the desktop-publishing professional. A proofreader usually compares page proofs against a clean copy of the manuscript to ensure that all copy and images correctly transferred onto pages. The proofreader provides a word-for-word read-through of the book's page proofs to catch any potential newly introduced typos before the file is sent to the printer.What's a developmental editor?A developmental editor is a publishing professional consulted early in the production process, often before the writing begins, who works closely with the author on the overall organization of the manuscript. The developmental editor ensures that the author abides by the publisher's format and identifies the need for any additional content. |