Think editor, think detective

Being a copy editor is much more than just looking for spelling mistakes or rephrasing an awkward sentence. Copy-editing is about being a detective and tracking down mistakes and inconsistencies and flights of pure fantasy (in a non-fantastical genre).

I confess, it's an element of the job I rather enjoy: getting to page 67 and declaring Ah-ha, why is this character casually eating peanuts when on page 22 we're told he's allergic, or Hang on, how can she be admiring the sunset when she's just finished lunch?

Such detective work is a key element of an expert copy-editing service - your words may be beautifully crafted and free from typos, but a reader will be frustrated by inconsistencies and factual errors (such as setting a book in the Peak District but describing flat-as-a-pancake vistas throughout).

Professional copy-editing demands high levels of concentration, an enquiring mind, the ability to retain snippets of information from many pages ago and cross-reference against the current page, and having and building upon general knowledge so factual inaccuracies jump out.

It's all in a day's work for a freelance copy editor.