r/Copyediting

I had hired an editor on the bundle editing service and in 7 weeks had 20k words edited, two batches of 10k. There were issues with the editing of the first 10k that had upset me, my voice was changed and edit made no sense but by the time I received thr edit I had sent the next 10k already. Between the first 10k edit until the second was nearly 4 weeks gap and from the edit of the second batch it was very clear that editor forgot the contents and story of the 1st 10k. I missed the comma and they edited the whole lot proposing nonsense. One of the main characters was a woman , whom has a clear woman's name yet they edit for my missed comma made her into a man. My original listed people in the found photograph: Women's name (lets say Lisa) a boy and a baby by the house. Edited read Lisa was a boy and stood holding a baby by the house. There were lots and lots more of edits that were useless... I had made a decision that i wont be using this editor again and hadnt sent any more for editing as firstly they take absolute forever and secondly their edits "suck" but i hadnt yet discussed it with either the head of the company or dedicated editor for mh book, I am due to pay the invoice for that second 10k editing but I dont feel its right as I will be scrapping all of their edits all together. How would it be best to approach this? Tell them in the email, list everything that gone wrong, email the editor or better just go straight to the owner of the editing company and tell them the editor they put on the project is useless and that am not going to pay for it. Or pay it and just forget and start over. I do not want them to give me another editor as I feel they model of work is such that it would take them months to edit full novel. And I have lost enough time already.

I want to share this with r/Copyediting because it's an excellent guide for how to detect AI-generated writing, and also covers the ethical and quality issues involved with it. Not just "it's bad," but why it's problematic. I know we've all been grappling with how to work with this prose. Solomon Nelson also did an excellent critique of Mike Israetel's doctoral thesis that I have watched numerous times, as it's so well-argued and thorough.

I've been copy editing/proofreading/developmental editing for way too long for free (4-5 years). At first it was just for fun and passion of it, but when I realized I enjoyed it as a job, I thought I could try to build a portfolio and start charging. The problem is: nobody ever published. Most of the people who seek this kind of work for free have little to no commitment to actually publishing. I'd eventually get ghosted, or the author would just say they lost the passion in the project.

I then switched my strategy to try my luck charging for it. I thought I'd start very very low, to compensate for my lack of portfolio. This brought on my second problem: companies won't hire me without a portfolio, and freelance jobs either are AI scams or think I am an AI scam.

I am exhausted of trying to get my foot in the door in this industry. I actually enjoy the work and have time and experience doing it. I love building relationships with authors and helping them publish. How do I do it??

Hello I’ve started looking for a line/copy edit for my manuscript. Can anyone point me in the right direction on where to find one?
I’ve tried Reedsy but they are asking 2k USD which is roughly 3k AUD. So a bit expensive for a debut indie author.
Is that just the going rate nowadays?
My manuscript is fantasy at 113k complete.

I may be interested in a career change from law to copyediting (preferably publishing but I’m really open to any editing)
I’m an attorney but I’m not practicing right now as I am a SAHM. I have a BA in English, too. I don’t have the most time on my hands, but I feel like I can definitely finagle at least 2 hours a day for studying or work?
I was interested in the following copyediting programs: University of Chicago, UCSD, NYU, and Emerson. If anyone can share their experience, that would be great. Sorry if this is a repeat post!
My main reason for the transition is flexibility and being able to work remotely.
I’m most interested in the flexibility of the programs and whether you were able to receive work upon completion (and how long it took for you to do so).
Thank you so much!

Are major book publishers overwhelmed with the number of freelancers, or just comfortable sticking with their regulars, or maybe moving away from using freelancers as much? I've passed tests and landed first assignments, but it's been several months, and I'm still holding my breath for repeat work. I've received positive feedback from one, so I'm optimistic there. Otherwise, it's been crickets in response to F/U. I'm returning to freelancing for several Big 5 after a long hiatus, so I'm not new to the game, but maybe the game has changed?

One thing I've struggled with when using AI is that I can usually tell when I've let it do too much of the writing.

Even when the information is correct, the voice starts drifting away from how I normally communicate. Everything becomes strangely polished and every paragraph seems to have the same rhythm.

I've tried fixing this manually by shortening sentences, changing words, moving paragraphs around, and adding some of my own examples. That definitely helps, but I'm wondering if there's a better workflow.

I've been experimenting with HumanizeAIText.io for the first editing pass. What I find useful is that it focuses more on making the wording and flow feel natural instead of changing the whole message, so I can still go through afterward and add my own style and examples.

Do people here use any tools specifically for making AI-assisted drafts sound more natural before they do their final personal edits?

I'm not looking for a way to disguise AI writing or anything like that. I mainly want to avoid losing my own voice when AI is helping with the first draft.

If you've found something that works consistently, what tool do you recommend and what do you like about it?

Hola, buenas tardes. Me encuentro en búsqueda de un editor; ¿tendrán la recomendación de alguno que me puedan compartir?»

I have signed a contract for a package of editing with line, proofreading and formatting etc

Have had video call discussed everything and when was told to send manuscript in parts not full. The editing plan schedule was agreed with editor as 2weeks for 10k words editing as they busy, for 2 parts and when the rest 15k per week. The first 10k were returned edited after 3 weeks and was told its because it takes longer for the beginning, whe next 10k words not returned edited for nearly 4 weeks.

The 80k manuscript at such speed seems like would take 18weeks at least. Is this normal?

To me seems crazy and not that I had expected so I am starting to wonder it'll should scrap and start looking for a different editor although I liked their sample.

Thoughts and experiences?

Thanks!

Hi! I want to ask here since they usually give good advice.

I recently graduated in Modern Languages, and I already had a degree in Legal Translation (Spanish - English) before. I have also worked privately with clients on two books they published on their own. In these projects, I’ve done everything from developmental editing to correcting the smallest pre-print errors; both authors wanted a bilingual edition, so I translated them as well. Even though it has been a great experience, I know I still have a lot to learn, and I’m not really sure what path to take to work as an editor in Spanish; I’ve found more resources in English so far.

Any recommendations? I'm looking for books, courses, mentorships, subreddits, or Discord channels, etc.

Thanks in advance

Hi everyone, I’m looking for a quick sanity check from native English speakers regarding the natural flow and idiomatic rhythm of these three short passages.

I don't need grammar corrections or full rewrites. I just want to know: Do they sound like natural, fluent, native English, or do any parts sound awkwardly translated or "off" in terms of phrasing?

Here are the passages:

Passage 1 (FP-02):

>"I know you’re saying you don’t care, but… I think this one hurt. You don’t have to talk about it."

Passage 2 (FP-04):

>"Allah already knows what you need. Du'a isn't about telling Him something He doesn't know. It's you turning to Allah and asking Him—because asking Him is itself an act of worship. So Allah knowing your need doesn't make du'a pointless. You aren't giving Him information; you're bringing your need to Him."

Passage 3 (FP-05):

Sometimes, a brief question can give a child a chance to pause, reconsider what they said, and correct it themselves. That can be useful when there’s room for them to think it through—but it isn’t a rule. If the situation calls for clarity or a direct correction, simply give it.

Questions for reviewers:

1. Does Passage 3's use of a "brief question" (or the overall phrasing) feel completely natural in conversational/instructional prose?
2. Do Passages 1 and 2 read with a genuine native conversational and explanatory rhythm?

Any quick feedback (e.g., "All pass" or "Passage X feels a bit stiff because of...") would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!