Editors must love words to be fantastic at their jobs. Our editors at Speedy Paperz have a strong, unrestrained passion for the written word in any form. According to Leslie T. Sharpe and Irene Gunther, the editing craft “requires diligent attention to the rules of grammar and the conventions of usage and style. To master the art, however, rules are not enough; this mastery requires a special sensibility, a finely tuned ear, and an instinct that comes only with years of experience.”

Line Editing the English Language

Formatting and Style

Writing can take many forms, as well as the style required for each writing project. We can help you ensure that your writing meets or exceeds professional writing standards, as well as follows the particular style guide of your choice. The most common style guides are AP, APA, MLA, and the Chicago Manual of Style.

Content or Substantive Editing

Developmental Editing Goes Beyond Grammar and Mechanics

Copyediting the Mechanics of Style

Writing is a craft; some writers are better than others. Professional editing helps even the playing field for those who have great ideas, but may be a little grammar or English challenged. Even the best writers need their work edited by editors because a fresh outlook or perspective from someone other than the writer can catch little typos or errors that the writer may have missed because the writer was too close to the work, from writing, rewriting, and writing again before completion.

Editing is an art that requires an invisible, objective, third “eye,” which may notice a misplaced comma or badly structured sentence. Editors don’t change the writer’s meaning; editors enhance the best qualities by suggesting areas where the author can “weed out” or prune bad or unclear writing. The editor’s job is to tell the writer what needs to be rewritten; not rewrite the work themselves.

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Einsohn, Amy. The Copyeditor’s Handbook. University of California Press: California, 2000. Pgs.

Sharpe, Leslie T. and Irene Gunther. Editing Fact and Fiction: A Concise Guide to Book Editing. Cambridge: New York, 1994. Pgs.