Copyedit Sample

Introduction

Here is a copyedit of the first chapter of my own novel. Having a full year between writing and editing allowed me to approach it with fresh perspective—something that's invaluable when polishing your work. My novel Rebirth: Phoenix Rising is entirely my copyright, and I ask that my samples remain for reference purposes only.

Below you'll find both the working draft with tracked changes and the final polished version after copyediting and a quick grammar check. While track changes can occasionally add spacing quirks that need attention in the final pass, let's focus on the copyediting process. That's where the real magic happens.

My Editorial Approach

When I work on your novel, I always read through the entire manuscript first. It lets me catch the vibes: early foreshadowing, those perfect verbs that fit the mood, how your characters talk and think, and all their quirky personalities. My goal is ensuring consistency and correctness throughout your story while preserving what makes it uniquely yours.

It’ll also help me find sooner if a character’s eye color changes halfway through the manuscript or if they somehow now have fire magic when they were originally ice wielders.

I focus on grammar, tightening prose, and eliminating wordiness—which can be especially helpful if you're planning to query agents, as they do consider word count. However, I'm careful to maintain the emotional texture of your writing. I never strip away the heart. Those "extra" adjectives that paint the emotion or nail a character's inner world? They stay if they fit. Your creative voice is sacred, and protecting it is what sets human editing apart from automated alternatives (Generative AI).

I want to be upfront: I do not use AI for copyediting or proofreading your manuscript. Every suggestion I make comes from careful human attention (and a genuine love for the craft!). On a technical note, I favor the em dash, semicolons, and the Oxford comma—they help bring clarity and style to writing. Thinking proper punctuation is "just an AI thing" is kinda wild; it's about respecting the language and your readers. As a writer and editor myself, I'm here to hype up and refine your vision, not dumb it down or let anti-intellectual vibes win. Your story deserves care and sophistication!