Copy Editor

The Job of a Copyeditor

A copy editor is responsible in organizing original documents before they are submitted to the final publication. Copyediting is normally done before proofreading.  The process ensures that the texts written should be sensible and should not be open to legal problems of the any publishing company. They improve the accuracy, style, layout and formatting of the article or manuscript. The job of the copy editors is similar to that of the author since they also need to make sure that what is written is precise and truthful. In fact, most of the time they are the only persons who also need to read and reread the whole copy of the manuscript. 

Skills and Traits 

Just like copywriters, copy editors should have a good command of the English language. On top of that, copy editors should be exposed to a wide range of topics and a broad range of general knowledge since they are responsible in dealing with factual errors. They also need to spot inconsistencies in the write-up and must balance information using their critical thinking.

Copy editors, in the professional sense must desire for ultimate perfection. They should be able to practice diplomacy between other copy editors especially if pressure fails their character.

Today, there is an increase of freelance copyeditors in the writing industry. Their job has been made quick and easy with the use of computer technology, programming and display. There are softwares and tools that are available now which dramatically replaced the manual way of marking and manual correcting of the authors' texts. Because of a tight competition in the market, copy editors have expanded their skills in doing layout and design work as well. This responsibility is usually done by the layout design artists in print publications. But this technical part has now become comparable trait to the editors' writing abilities.

Career Opportunities 

An aspiring copyeditor can start as an intern in a publication company. They will be tested and evaluated by how they deal with ambiguous acronyms, confusing punctuations, simple mathematical facts or historical information. Once he has gained ample experience in the industry he can opt to work or take freelance editing jobs from other different companies. Copyediting is important for business magazines, brochures, newspapers and books.