Joanne Taylor • Ajatar Editing

A line edit examines every sentence, highlighting strengths and opportunities for improvement in the way you present your story. It’s to fine-tune your sentences into their most clear and compelling form for readers, in a way that matches your style and tone. You choose how hands on or off I am with making changes or providing suggestions in the margin. With a focus on precision and attention to detail, I offer feedback that goes beyond grammatical corrections, seeking to point out slips you’re too close to your own work to see.

From rough-edged to refined

I’m proud to be a Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) and I passed their rigorous editorial test. I’ll ensure common writing slips, as well as spelling, punctuation, and grammar, are consistent. But I’m a lover of flexible and ever-changing language, not a pedant, so you can be sure I won’t overcorrect your characters’ dialogue. I’ll help you say what you meant to say, without the ambiguity of rough edges.

Would your story benefit from line editing?

A line edit is for you if …

• You have a finished manuscript that has either had developmental editing already or incorporated feedback from multiple constructive critique partners or beta readers.
• You want to improve your writing at the sentence-level, and all broader story-level work has been completed. You’re past deciding which scenes could be cut.
• You’ve rewritten and self-edited several times, but you know a skilled outside opinion will help you progress.
• You want more thorough input than a copyedit. With a line edit, feedback goes beyond corrections to include insights and suggestions to achieve your vision.

But not a good fit if …

• You’re still refining the broader elements of your story. If your manuscript requires structural changes or if you’re in the early stages of shaping your narrative, a developmental edit might be more suitable.
• You’re primarily concerned with grammar and technical accuracy. If your focus is on ensuring correct punctuation, grammar, and adherence to style guides without much emphasis on the artistic expression of language, a copyedit might better suit your needs.
• You’re uncomfortable with feedback that requires your input. If you prefer a more objective editing process without detailed discussions or collaborative decision-making, a proofread may better match your preferences.
• You’re on a tight schedule and seeking a quicker turnaround. If time is a critical factor and you require a faster editing process, a line edit might not be the most time-efficient option compared to a quicker copyedit.

What a line edit includes

• Your choice of global English (such as UK/US/Canadian/Indian/Australian).
• Two read throughs: a cold read and a close read.
• Checks for clarity, consistency, and readability.
• Word Styles for chapter numbers/titles, paragraph indentation and special features such as letters or text messages.
• Removal of extra lines or spaces.
• Cliché and repetition, overwriting, filter words, redundancy, and adverb over-reliance.
• Point of view slips (head-hopping). Tense in flashback transitions. Balance of showing and telling.
• Balance of dialogue and narration. Dialogue tags, action beats, and paragraph breaks.
• Conscious language checks for unintended, potentially harmful language.
• Final checks with professional editing software for extra peace of mind.
• Weekly email updates. These are short and casual to keep you up to date or ask quick questions.
• Introductory and feedback call. Or email if you prefer, though I do like an intro call to hear your voice – it helps me more quickly understand your unique authorial voice!
• Annotated manuscript, personalized style sheet, and custom editorial report.

What happens to your manuscript

After having a look at a sample of your work, and giving you some example comments to see if my feedback style is a good fit for you, you send me your full manuscript. Your work and our communications remain confidential (unless you specifically ask me to shout about it!).

First, I do a cold read, where I read your full manuscript to get a sense of your unique voice and your overall story. I make very minimal notes at this stage. I record my impressions when I finish reading. This helps me see the shape of your story and what you are trying to achieve, as well as genre considerations.

Then I do what copyeditors often call clean-up tasks. Any formatting or tidying up tasks that I can apply throughout the manuscript with editing tools such as PerfectIt or specialized macros happen before the close read. This means I can read with fewer distractions, such as commas after speech marks when you want them before. It allows me to focus on your words during the close read.

In the close read, I carefully consider each sentence for clarity and author voice, alongside spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Prose must support your vision for the characters, stakes, and plot. I always ask authors what their main concerns, questions or difficulties are so I can consider those carefully too. Usually authors sense which elements of their writing aren’t serving the story exactly how they want, and often have great solutions in mind. But it can help to get an outside opinion.

I make notes in the margin to flag changes and offer suggestions. You choose how hands on you want me to be with your text. Recurring themes will be explained in more detail in the editorial report.

During the close read I also record style decisions on your style sheet, such as spelling choices, whether commas are used after short introductory clauses, and how numbers are treated.

After the close read, I collate the main themes into my editorial report (depending on the needs of the manuscript) and any other specific questions you have provided me with. A line edit includes more in-depth stylistic support than a copyedit. You can see examples below. After delivering your editorial report, style sheet, and annotated manuscript, we have a feedback call to discuss your writing together.

What line editing looks like

Here’s an example manuscript page, editorial report page, and style sheet page from a line edit. (Shared with kind permission from the author, though identifying details have been disguised for confidentiality.)

A line edit is the most in-depth sentence-level service I offer

Choose the service that works best for you. Line editing, copyediting and proofreading all consider the individual sentences of your story. The different tiers are based on the amount of time I spend with your manuscript and the level of detail I consider.

Curious about how line editing can enhance the flow and style of your writing? Try a 1,000-word sample edit for for US$50 to experience the difference professional editing can make.

Details	Line edit	Copyedit	Proofread
Number of read throughs.	2	1	1
Correct literal errors and offer suggestions: typos, spelling, punctuation, grammar and syntax.	✓	✓	✓
Additional clarity, consistency, and readability.	✓	✓	x
Word Styles checked for chapter numbers/titles and paragraph indentation.	✓	✓	✓
Removing extra lines and spaces.	✓	✓	✓
Cliché and repetition, overwriting, filter words, redundancy, and adverb over-reliance.	✓	x	x
Point of view slips (head-hopping). Tense in flashback transitions. Balance of showing and telling.	✓	x	x
Balance of dialogue and narration.	✓	x	x
Dialogue tags and action beats.	✓	✓	x
Conscious language checks for unintended, potentially harmful language.	✓	✓	✓
Final checks with professional editing software for extra peace of mind.	✓	✓	✓
Weekly email updates.	✓	✓	✓
Introductory call (optional).	✓	✓	✓
Feedback call (optional).	✓	✓	x
Annotated manuscript and personalized style sheet.	✓	✓	✓
Service-specific editorial report.	✓	✓	x
Approximate duration in weeks.	6	4	2
Approximate price for 80,000 words.	$1,950–$2,400	$1,480–$1,950	$960–$1,600
10K mini-edit of 10,000 words.	$305–$350	$235–$315	$180–$255

Feel free to reach out with questions or specific requirements and we can discuss how to best give your book the boost it deserves.

Looking for something else?

If you need a less in-depth sentence-level option, see my copyedit service. If you’re looking for big-picture story-level support, you might be looking for a story-level edit like developmental feedback.

Not ready for a professional edit yet? My post about self-editing is here to help.