How to Self-Edit a Book: A Beginner's Guide to Copyediting

So you’ve finished writing your manuscript, thinking that the hard work is behind you, but then it comes creeping up from the shadows like a hungry trash-panda at night: editing.

If you’ve followed me along for this series of articles, you’ll know by now that editing isn’t a one-and-done process but a series of revisions and polishing work your book needs before it is ready to be viewed by the naked eye.

This series of revisions consists of:

1. Developmental Editing

2. Line Editing

3. Copyediting

4. Proof reading

Each of those would be best done with the help of a professional editor. But what if you don’t have the budget for that?

In this series of articles, I’m walking you through how to self-edit your book on a tight budget (meaning you only have the funds to hire yourself and maybe some friends who are willing to work for free), this time focusing on how to approach copyediting on your own.

Let’s dive in.

What is Copy Editing

Copyediting is a deeply misunderstood art, oftentimes confused with proofreading or considered part of line editing. It is similar to line editing in the sense that you go line by line and make sure it’s readable. It is also similar to proofreading in that it focuses on finding typos, spelling, and punctuation errors.

But it also differs from these two editing phases, and comes when they are complete.

Where line editing focuses on style, copyediting is more technical and focuses on grammar, styling rules, and guidelines. And while it may sound like the same thing as proofreading, it takes place before proofreading (and typesetting) is done and dives deeper than the former.

How to Copyedit on Your Own

While it is not an easy task, you can be your own copyeditor. It will take time and dedication, but you can learn the art. Of course, you’ll not reach the level of a veteran copyeditor in a few days, weeks or even months, but you can get to a much more polished version of your manuscript if you learn to train your eyes and attention on the following things:

• Ensuring apostrophe’s are in the right place (this its vs it’s).

• Differentiating the hyphen, En dash, and Em dash (and no, the long Em dash wasn’t invented by ChatGPT and isn’t a telltale sign of AI writing).

• Learning the rules governing commas and periods (particularly useful when writing dialogue).

• Identifying unnecessary    spaces (like I didn’t bother doing here).

• Checking grammar and spelling. The human eye doesn't really read full words but rather looks at the first and last letters and completes what’s contained within. Read slowly and check if the letters inside are out of order, missing, or found unnecessary friends. You should pick on each word in turn to clear those types of mistakes.

Since all of the checks mentioned above take time and dedication, a lot of editors will advise to focus on just a thing or two at each pass. Going through the entire manuscript while focusing on just one aspect of the editorial process at a time can be helpful, as it allows you to be efficient, withouthaving to switch your focus between all the types of errors you’re looking for.

Alternatively, you could make a list of the different things you’re looking for while editing and go through your manuscript chapter by chapter, focusing on a different element each time.

This way, there’s more variety (you’re looking at sentence structure during one round, then punctuation on another, and spelling on the third), but once you’re done with all levels of revisions, you know that copyediting is complete for that chapter. Additionally, you get a sense of progressing through the manuscript. This can feel relieving as you come closer to the finish line, and could be mentally easier than knowing you’ll have to start editing the entire thing from the top on the next revision.

Beta Reader Feedback for Copyediting

When talking about developmental or line (stylistic) editing—which focuses on readability, clarity, pacing, and overall story arc and characters—I would say that there’s nothing more valuable than reader input. Beta readers and friends represent your target audience, the people you’re hoping would buy, read, and tell their friends about your book.

But it all changes when we’re getting to copyediting territory.

Consulting your inner circle about how interesting the story was to read and whether they found the characters relatable is not the same thing as asking them to go line by line and look for the mess that you overlooked. It is just too big a favor to ask.

What you could do instead is ask your beta readers to highlight any issues they encounter if they pop up as they’re reading. This way, there is no pressure on the reader, but if a mistake is caught, they have the option to highlight it and know that you welcome it. Some people are afraid of creating the impression that they’re over-criticizing your work, in which case letting them know that you see it as something positive might encourage them to be more nitpicky.

Tools for Copyediting

When it comes to the human brain’s ability to catch small details like spelling, spaces, or punctuation, it can be as efficient as a child during a sugar crash. This editing process is long, meticulous, and tiring, and we are creatures who get distracted easily and often don’t pay attention to details.

For this type of work, AI or software like Grammarly might prove to be your most reliable source. While they can’t give you opinions like whether your book is enjoyable, they can definitely perform well when it comes to well-defined, systematic work. And editing has its own set of rules, like grammar, punctuation and styling guides.

You might still want to consider incorporating multiple rounds of editing, but this time you’ll cover more ground with each one, as AI or grammar checking software can catch all the small details that you won’t.

If using AI, use prompts wisely or even set up separate bots for each task, focusing in turn on sentence readability and flow, grammar and punctuation. You can even reference the styling guide you want your digital editor to use.

Final Thoughts

Copy editing is one of the hardest tasks when it comes to the different levels of editing of your soon to be book. It might not be as complex and creative as developmental editing, and not as technical as proofreading. But it requires a lot of knowledge (of linguistics or styling best practices) and ability.

But don’t get discouraged, since if you entered this treacherous territory, it means you’ve come a long way, and can already see the light at the end of the editing tunnel!

In the next post, we’ll wrap up the series with a deep dive into proofreading. And if you’re reading this as a way to procrastinate while you’re still in the midst of writing, I created a free tool for stuck writers that can help you get back into it. You can find it here.