The Missing Ingredient – How Does Copy Editing Pertain To The Kingdom?
Are you a business owner, minister, author or perspective author? If so, I have a few questions for you.
What do you want out of your writing?
How would you feel if you got what you wanted?
What’s stopping you from getting what you want?
An effective strategy always begins with an achievable goal. Maybe your response to the first question is, ‘I don’t want to write.’ In that case, hiring a copywriter alleviates that qualm, but the responsibility is still on you to establish a goal for what will be written. You may desire to tell a story, inform and educate an audience, or gain credibility within your field. Outstanding copy can achieve all of those things.
Now take a minute to visualize the actualization of your goal.
Your story has been told and it’s serving as a hope and inspiration to millions. Congratulations on using your gift to serve others and the kingdom!
You’ve educated and informed your audience on your products or services and it’s led, not only to more qualified leads and revenue, but a fulfillment of your God-given purpose. Praise God!
You now possess the influence to go along with your business or ministry and are making the kind of impact you’ve envisioned. You’re viewed as a premier authority in your field. All that’s left for you to do is pray the Lord will help you filter through all the noise and shine a light on the right opportunities.
How do you get from your goal to one of the realities listed above? What’s standing in your way? Whatever it is, allow me to provide you with a solution.
Copy editing is a lot more than making sure your spelling, grammar, and punctuation are correct, although it does that, too. A good copy editor seeks to understand the goal you’re trying to achieve with your writing and elevates your writing to a level capable of meeting your goal. Whether a piece of writing needs enhanced organization, better transitions, or more elegant phrasing, it’s a copy editor’s job to assess what’s standing in between where you are and where you want to be and present you with a version of your writing that will empower you to achieve your goals.
Copy editing is the perfect solution for someone who is passionate about their ideas and wants to put their passion on the page, but may not know where to start or how to communicate their passion in a way that translates to readers. Maybe you’re a fantastic speaker, but staring at the flashing cursor on a blank page makes you cringe. The peace of mind that comes with knowing you can get all your ideas on the page and hand it over to someone who will make those ideas sing is valuable!
Intrigued? I thought you might be. Let’s take a deep, albeit, brief dive into the world of copy editing and get you well on your way to achieving those writing goals.
What Is Copy Editing?
If you’re thinking of writing a book, creating a website or starting a blog you’ve probably heard of copy editing, but do you need it? A quick Google search will yield various definitions of the term. So how can you, the person who’s written or will write a piece of copy or even an entire manuscript, decide if you need a copy editor?
Let’s start with a straight-forward definition. Copy editing is an essential step in the publishing process that helps improve the clarity, consistency, and overall quality of written content. Sounds blissful, dare I say luxurious? Maybe even a luxury that you can’t afford at the present moment, but it’s on your list for the future. Here’s why that’s the wrong mindset.
First, and most importantly, as believers and kingdom citizens, we should all possess a spirit of excellence in everything we do. The Bible says in Matthew 25:40,
“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”
What would you do differently if your analytics showed that Jesus was reading your blog, visiting your website, viewing your social media posts, or downloading your ebook? I hope you would allocate the necessary time, effort and resources towards making sure everything you wrote was of the utmost quality. Since we can’t do earthly things for Jesus, we should do it for His children on Earth as unto Him.
“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men”
Now that we’ve covered the spiritual reason for utilizing a copy editor, the second reason is functional. Copywriting touches every aspect of your content; your website, social media posts and captions, blog posts, and any other piece of written content you release to the public. Most readers are willing to overlook one typo, two is pushing it. Three? You’ve just lost any credibility and authority the reader has so graciously bestowed upon you. Why go through the trouble of conducting research, writing or hiring someone to write stellar copy, and then drop the ball on editing? Talk about a waste of time and money!
If you’re reading this and wondering what copywriting is, allow me! Simply put, copywriting is writing that informs or educates and compels a reader to take a specific action. Simply done? Not so much. Good copywriting includes research, SEO strategy, and the artful and tactful use of persuasion. When done well, it takes a lot of work. Truthfully, even when done poorly it probably took someone a great deal of time and effort, but when copywriting lacks copy editing, that effort is often in vain. A good copy editor not only catches errors, they make sure your writing aligns with your goals and maximizes the effectiveness of your copy.
Are you with me so far? If you are, maybe your question has shifted from, ‘Do I need a copy editor?’ to ‘What type of copy editing do I need?’
Here’s where it gets a little more intricate. There are several types of editing and quite often the term copy editing is used as an umbrella term for the various types of editing. However, each level of editing comes with a specific focus and unique benefits. You probably didn’t expect to spend your time taking a deep dive into the various levels of editing, so I’ll give you a brief overview of each, highlight the benefits, and hopefully help you decide which one is best for you.
Proofreading
Proofreading is reading typeset copy to correct errors introduced during the typesetting, formatting, or file conversion of the final document. Proofreading identifies any serious errors not caught during copy editing.
Many people use proofreading and copy editing interchangeably, but the two terms sit at opposite ends of the editing spectrum. Although many copy editors make good proofreaders, the two processes serve different functions. Copy editors work on an author’s raw copy or manuscript while proofreaders review a final, formatted version of a document. Proofreading is the final revision stage and it comes after all other levels of editing have been completed.
Proofreading serves as your last line of defense against typos and embarrassing mistakes in grammar, syntax, and punctuation. It improves the readability of your text, but it does not revise content.
Basic Copy Editing
Basic Copyediting safeguards your unformatted copy against errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. It will also maintain consistency in style and tone and ensure your writing adheres to industry standards.
Basic copy editing also fact checks your writing. No, not in the 2020, ‘fake news’ type of way. For example, if you quote a scripture somewhere in your copy, a copy editor will make sure the scripture quoted corresponds to the correct chapter and verse. A copy editor will use a fine-toothed comb to check for any errors in basic math and historical facts as well.
Basic copy editing functions as proofreading for your unformatted copy, confirms any and all facts, and improves overall readability and flow. Depending on your publication process, software and the length of your copy, it’s possible to lessen the need for proofreading with a good basic copy edit.
Substantive Copy Editing (a.k.a. Line Editing or Stylistic Editing)
Ah, the nitty gritty! Substantive copy editing puts your writing under a microscope. It examines the overall organization, clarity, flow and elegance of your writing. In a substantive edit, copy editors often make suggestions that include rewriting of text and the reorganization of sentences or paragraphs.
I know, it can sound scary. You worked hard on what you’ve written. The thought of someone taking a proverbial red pen to your copy can be intimidating, but it’s also freeing. If you’ve taken on the responsibility or pleasure of writing, there’s a freedom that comes with knowing you can get all your ideas on the page and worry about the formalities later, in the editing process.
A copy editor’s job is to edit, not to write. A good copy editor will make suggestions that don’t sacrifice your author voice. Remember, all copy editors can do is suggest. It’s completely up to you whether you decide to adopt their suggestions into your writing. You’re always in control and any writer/editor relationship should be a partnership, in which making the writing the best it can be for the readers is the ultimate goal.
A substantive copy edit will elevate your writing, making it more engaging, cohesive and compelling for readers. After all, what’s writing without readers?
Developmental Editing (a.k.a. Content Editing)
This level of editing addresses the ‘big picture’ of your writing. It’s the first crack at your writing– it reviews the structure, content and message. It’s typically utilized for either nonfiction or fiction manuscripts with an ultimate goal of publication.
When it comes to fiction writing, a developmental edit will scrutinize the plot, character development, pacing, and overall structure. For nonfiction, a developmental edit will do things like assist in the organization and outline of your manuscript, identify your audience and ensure your writing speaks to them, and optimize chapter titles, subheadings, and visuals.
This type of editing is integral for authors, especially authors attempting to self-publish for the first time, or those hoping to catch the attention of a big publisher.
I hope this has given you a better understanding of why copy editing is important and what level of copy editing is right for you. Whatever your goal in writing, a copy editor will maximize your writings effectiveness in meeting that goal.
In a digital world full of content, it’s quality content that stands head and shoulders above the rest and a spirit of excellence prioritizes quality. When you’re driven by a spirit of excellence utilizing a copy editor is not a question of ‘Should I?’ but rather ‘What level of editing does my writing require?’ I hope you now have the answer to that question.
If there’s any other questions I can answer about the copy editing process, it would make my day to answer them. Please feel free to contact me at kristen@thekingdomcopy.com.
If you’d like more information on copy editing packages, visit Kingdom Copy Publishing.
God Bless!
