Tailoring Copy Editing to the Nuances of Different Genres
Copy editing is the backbone of the publishing industry. No matter how well written your book is, there are almost certainly going to be ways to improve it. There are always going to be minor adjustments. This is not an indictment on your writing; it is a natural part of the process.
Instead of focusing on the thematic content of your book, copy editing focuses on how your book is written. Grammar and clarity are two core components of copy editing. Good copy editors’ work is rarely noticed because the final text will read smoothly. Bad copy editing, on the other hand, is immediately noticeable—typos, poor grammar, confusing structure, etc.
Within the world of copy editing, there are additional nuances. Copy editors often tailor their work to the genre they are editing, sometimes split between fiction and non-fiction. Even within these categories there are considerations to take into account.
As an author, you will likely have an outside copy editor review your writing. While the author’s writing style can take precedence over formal copy editing, it is important that they work together. This article will detail some considerations your copy editor will consider when reviewing your manuscript.
Tone
Every book has a tone that makes it unique and appropriate to its genre. When copy editing, an editor will always take the work’s tone into account in order to assess the content.
Fiction books can cover a wide range of genres. However, in general, the goal of a fiction book is to be readable and not overly complicated. After all, the intention of most fiction books is to entertain. While some fiction books are more formal, most modern fictions are less formal. This leaves more flexibility with the language, structure, and content. Not every detail must be completely neutral. There is room for experimentation and defying conventions. More lyrical subsets of fiction (for example, poetry) have even more leniency and artistic freedom.
Non-fiction books, on the other hand, tend to have a more serious tone. The intention of non-fiction is often to educate or share facts. There are exceptions, of course, but there is usually less freedom for defying conventions. Copy editors will make sure non-fiction books clearly convey the information they are presenting.
Dialogue and Characters
While some may associate “characters” only with fiction books, non-fiction books also can follow people who are the story’s “characters.” These characters are just real people. Copy editors tailor their work to this difference.
When writing about fictional characters, there is more room for imagination. A copy editor could be less strict about quoted material versus inferred content or thoughts. Fiction provides both the author and copy editor to fine-tune the material to focus on readability.
Non-fiction characters are often real people whose story is being told. Therefore, there is less room for creative liberties in most non-fiction books. The author always guides the characterizations in their book, but the copy editor polishes it.
What’s the Same?
Despite there being differences in copy editing styles for different books, there are also plenty of industry standards. The main aspects of copy editing that are nearly universal for all books are grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. These are the backbones of basic copy editing.
Some authors may specifically write with a looser style of writing with intentional grammatically incorrect prose. As long as that is discussed with the copy editor, that is fine. The crucial element a copy editor looks for in that case is consistency. They always want the author’s unique “rules” to be applied the same throughout the text. It is more likely that a fiction author would have a unique style than a non-fiction writer.
By ensuring consistency across your book, a good copy editor makes your book as readable as possible. For generally correct grammar, readers should be able to read a text with no issues. For special cases, once a reader understands the rules of the book, they should be able to follow along. Inconsistencies and errors along the way confuse readers and distract from the story.
At Cloverly Publishing, we offer full-service copy editing services for your book using the Chicago Manual of Style. Our team of professional copy editors will review your text to make sure it is ready for publication. All suggestions our editors make are that: suggestions. You always have the final approval over any changes to your text. We always use real humans—not artificial intelligence—to make sure your book has the human touch.
