Professional copy editing

Grammar perfected. Consistency locked. Your manuscript publisher-ready.

Word-by-word copy editing from a senior copy editor with Big-5 publishing experience — grammar, punctuation, spelling, internal consistency, and style guide compliance applied throughout. Delivered in Track Changes so you control every decision.

  • Delivered by a senior copy editor with Big-5 publishing experience
  • Grammar, punctuation, spelling & style guide compliance throughout
  • 1-3 week turnaround — custom style sheet delivered with every project
  • All edits in Track Changes — complete author control throughout
★★★★★ 4.9 / 5 from 870+ verified author reviews

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Submit your manuscript and get it publisher-ready

100% confidential. NDA on request. Reply within 1 business day.

Copy editing and proofreading are not the same thing.

Proofreading is the last pass for typos. Copy editing is the professional standard that makes a manuscript publisher-ready — applied at every level from individual word to full paragraph, before the proofread ever begins.

What spell-check gives you

  • Obvious spelling errors caught — contextual errors missed completely
  • Grammar inconsistencies left throughout — no standard enforced
  • Capitalisation and hyphenation inconsistent from chapter to chapter
  • No style guide applied — publisher or agent submission rejected on sight
  • Internal inconsistencies — names, dates, facts — left untouched throughout
  • Em dashes, en dashes, and ellipses used randomly with no standard

What our copy editing delivers

  • Grammar corrected to the standard of your target publisher or style guide
  • Spelling, capitalisation, and hyphenation consistent from page one to last
  • Em dashes, en dashes, ellipses, and quotation marks standardised throughout
  • Internal consistency audit — names, dates, facts, and references cross-checked
  • Style guide compliance — Chicago, AP, MLA, or custom house style applied
  • Publisher-ready manuscript with a complete style sheet for future editors
4,200+ Manuscripts copy edited
99.8% Style consistency rate on delivery
1-3 Week turnaround
4.9 Average author rating

What copy editing covers, word by word.

Every copy edit works through nine dimensions of editorial compliance. Here’s exactly what your copy editor checks on every page.

Grammar & syntax

Subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, dangling modifiers, and sentence structure corrected throughout to the standard required by your target publisher or platform.

Spelling & capitalisation

Consistent spelling, capitalisation, and hyphenation applied throughout — British or American English specified on intake and applied uniformly from first page to last.

Punctuation standardisation

Em dashes, en dashes, ellipses, commas, semicolons, and quotation marks standardised to your chosen style guide — no more random punctuation choices throughout.

Style guide compliance

Chicago Manual of Style, AP, MLA, house style, or a custom style sheet — every editorial decision applied consistently from the first page to the acknowledgements.

Internal consistency audit

Character names, place names, dates, chapter numbers, and factual references cross-referenced throughout — every inconsistency flagged with a query and suggested resolution.

Numbers & abbreviations

Number formatting, percentage styles, unit abbreviations, and acronym introduction standardised to your style guide — all applied uniformly from first mention to last.

Dialogue & attribution

Dialogue punctuation, speaker attribution style, and paragraph break conventions applied consistently throughout — no more mixed conventions across chapters.

Formatting & layout markers

Header levels, italic and bold usage, list formatting, and section breaks checked for consistency and publisher or KDP compliance throughout the full manuscript.

Style sheet creation

A custom project style sheet documenting every editorial decision made — delivered with the manuscript so your proofreader, designer, and future editors all work from the same standard.

From submission to publisher-ready in 3 weeks.

A transparent, five-step process. You always know where your manuscript is — and you control every correction made.

01

Submit

Manuscript + intake form: word count, genre, target publisher or platform, preferred style guide (or we recommend one), and any known consistency issues.

02

Style Sheet

Your copy editor creates a project style sheet before touching the manuscript — every name, term, and formatting choice documented before a single edit is made.

03

Copy Edit

Full word-by-word pass in Track Changes — grammar, punctuation, spelling, consistency, and style guide compliance applied throughout every page.

04

Consistency Check

A dedicated second pass for internal consistency — names, dates, timelines, and facts cross-referenced against the style sheet and flagged with queries.

05

Final Delivery

Edited manuscript + complete style sheet delivered to your inbox. A 20-min Q&A call with your copy editor is included in Full and Premium packages.

Publisher-ready standard
Publisher-ready standard

Copy editing is what separates a polished manuscript from a publishable one.

Traditional publishers copy edit every book before it goes to print — it’s non-negotiable. Our copy editors have applied this standard at Penguin Random House, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster. They know what agents flag when they open a manuscript, what KDP rejects on upload, and what makes a self-published book read like it came from a Big-5 house.

  • All edits in Track Changes — you control every single decision
  • Style sheet delivered with every project — keeps all future editors aligned
  • Genre-matched: fiction, nonfiction, academic, business, children’s, memoir
  • Every edited manuscript reviewed by a second copy editor before delivery
Submit your manuscript →

Our Copy Editing Packages

Standard Copy Edit

Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and basic consistency — your manuscript error-free and clean.

$749 one-time, all-inclusive
  • Full manuscript (up to 80k words)
  • Grammar, spelling & punctuation correction
  • Capitalisation & hyphenation consistency
  • Basic internal consistency (names & places)
  • Track Changes delivery
  • Custom style sheet
  • Delivered in 2-3 weeks
Most Popular
Full Copy Edit

Complete style guide compliance, full consistency audit, and a live Q&A call with your copy editor.

$1,299 one-time, all-inclusive
  • Everything in Standard Copy Edit
  • Full style guide compliance (Chicago, AP, MLA, or house style)
  • Complete internal consistency audit (names, dates, facts, timelines)
  • Numbers, abbreviations & acronym standardisation
  • Dialogue punctuation & attribution consistency
  • Formatting & layout marker check
  • 20-min Q&A call with your copy editor
  • Delivered in 1-2 weeks
Premium + Proofread

Full copy edit plus a second proofread pass and fact-check — publication-grade from cover to cover.

$1,999 starting from
  • Everything in Full Copy Edit
  • Second full proofread pass after copy edit
  • Fact-check of all verifiable claims (up to 50 facts)
  • Front matter & back matter review
  • KDP / IngramSpark compliance check
  • 30-min editorial debrief call
  • Priority 7-day turnaround

What every author is guaranteed.

These are standing commitments on every project — not aspirations. Confirmed before work begins.

Style Guide Guarantee

Every edit applied to a consistent, documented style guide. No decisions made arbitrarily — the style sheet shows every choice made and why.

Genre-Matched Copy Editor

Your manuscript goes to a copy editor with professional experience in your exact genre and publishing format. Never a generalist working outside their category.

On-Time Delivery

Edited manuscript delivered by the agreed date or your next service is free. We commit to a deadline before we accept your submission.

Track Changes — Always

Every correction is visible and reversible. You accept, reject, or query every single change. Complete editorial control stays with the author.

Full Confidentiality

NDA available on request. Your manuscript stays in our secure system and is never shared externally under any circumstances whatsoever.

Style Sheet Included

Every project delivers a complete custom style sheet — so your proofreader, interior designer, and any future editors all work from the same documented standard.

Trusted by business leaders, entrepreneurs & executives

From first-time authors to seasoned CEOs — our clients use their books to build authority, attract clients, and leave a lasting legacy.

I've been running my consulting firm for 14 years and always knew a book would elevate my positioning. Hawthorne made it real. The ghostwriter they matched me with understood my industry from day one. The final manuscript reads exactly like me — sharp, direct, and full of the frameworks I use with clients. Closed two six-figure engagements before the official launch.

MT
Marcus T.
Mar 2026
★★★★★

I came in with a half-finished manuscript and no clear direction. The developmental editing process was transformative — they helped me restructure the entire argument without losing my voice. The book is now the anchor of my thought leadership strategy and has been picked up by three business podcasts. Worth every dollar.

SK
Sarah K.
Jan 2026
★★★★★

Hawthorne handled my business memoir from outline to Amazon launch. The project manager kept everything on schedule and the ghostwriter captured 20 years of entrepreneurial lessons in a way that is genuinely engaging. It's already ranking in two categories on KDP and my speaking inquiries have tripled since launch.

DR
Daniel R.
Feb 2026
★★★★★

As a business coach, credibility is everything. Publishing my book with Hawthorne gave me a tangible asset I can put in front of every prospective client. The team handled the cover, interior layout, ISBN, and KDP submission flawlessly. I didn't have to touch a single technical detail. Professional from start to finish.

JW
Jennifer W.
Dec 2025
★★★★★

My executive team had been suggesting I write a strategy book for years. Hawthorne turned that idea into a polished, published reality in under five months. The ghostwriter conducted thorough interviews, the editor tightened every chapter, and the cover design looked better than books I've seen from major publishers.

RA
Robert A.
Nov 2025
★★★★★

I used Hawthorne's book marketing and Amazon Ads service post-launch. The team built a proper campaign strategy, ran the ads, and optimised the metadata. Within six weeks we hit bestseller status in two categories. The visibility it created for my startup brand was unlike anything I'd achieved through traditional PR.

MC
Michael C.
Oct 2025
★★★★★
Read more

Frequently Asked Questions

Straight answers to the questions authors ask most about this service.

Copy editing covers grammar, punctuation, spelling, syntax, and internal consistency (character names, dates, facts, timelines). The editor also checks for style guide compliance (Chicago, AP, or house style), ensures consistent hyphenation and capitalisation, and flags factual claims that appear incorrect.

We default to The Chicago Manual of Style for books and The AP Stylebook for journalism and business content. If you have an existing house style guide or prefer a specific standard, we work to that instead. Style preferences are confirmed at brief stage.

No. Copy editing is an active correction pass — the editor makes changes and flags issues. Proofreading is the final check after layout, comparing the formatted file against the edited manuscript to catch errors introduced in typesetting. Both are needed, in that order.

No. Copy editing corrects errors without altering your intended meaning or voice. If a sentence is ambiguous, the editor flags it for your clarification rather than making a judgement call.

A 70,000-word manuscript takes 10–14 business days for copy editing. We deliver the marked-up manuscript with tracked changes, a style sheet, and a query log for anything that required your input.

Yes. Spell-checkers catch misspellings but miss homophones, incorrect word choices, missing words, punctuation errors, and consistency issues. Automated tools also cannot assess sentence clarity, style guide compliance, or factual accuracy. A professional copy edit is not replaceable by software.

A 3-minute strategy call is the fastest way to find the right path. No obligation. NDA on request.

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