Proofreading, copyediting or ghostwriting?

Ever wondered whether you need proofreading, copyediting or ghostwriting?   It can be hard to tell which of these services you need for your current project. Firstly, I’ll break down what each means and why you might need it. Putting your work on display without seeking the below services is like preparing for the party of the year but neglecting to put on a fabulous outfit.    It’s also important to note that editors and proofreaders are not always copywriters (unless you are multifaceted like I happen to be). ​   Proofreading Proofreading is the detailed talent of going through each and every word and piece of syntax in your written work. It identifies spelling errors and incorrect or missing grammatical marks.   One of the most common things I see when I am proofreading is misspelling words by writing their American counterpart. UK and Australian English use different spelling for the same words a lot of the time. If you are an avid consumer of American culture, you might not even realise [realize] that you’re spelling things differently. ​Proofreading adds a more professional layer and content to your work, which is important if it is public facing.  You need proofreading if you are a writer or have lots of experience writing and just need that final polish to your work before it is published or shared.  Copyediting   Copyediting is the rigorous reviewing of written work. However, copyediting is not just spellchecking. It goes beyond that and it requires skills in knowing how to structure work, how readers think and how to order topics. ​Often, copyediting also involves fact checking of names, dates and titles. I generally recommend what is known as a “hard edit” when it comes to copyediting.    Hard editThe hard edit includes sentence and paragraph structure, thorough proofreading as well as consistency for style, topic order (how the entire manuscript is structured) and correct grammar. This type of copyediting will include improved word choice and readability, consistent tone, eliminate repetitive, redundant and awkward phrasing, consistent language to appeal to your demographic (readers and potential publishers). It will also include suggestions for weak story points and additional points that are suggested to write. An overall structural edit will also be supplied, meaning the order of topics, the flow of the writing and manuscript, chapters and time structure may be changed or suggested differently (where appropriate). This hard edit is also known as a stylistic, line edit or developmental edit and does not include significant rewriting or ghostwriting. Great for: books, manuscripts, larger documents, annual reports, magazines, lengthy writing, essays/academic papers. Who should get copyediting: if you’re a subject matter expert but not a professional writer or editor and have written a long piece of work, then copyediting will refine that piece for you. Also, great for anyone that expects their project to be viewed by the world! Warning: this is a really thorough (and, some may say, tough) editing process and could be quite upsetting when I ‘kill your darlings’ but if your objective is to have your work published or viewed publically, this is something you will have to endure. If you just want someone to tell you whether your writing is good or not, you need a manuscript assessment (for books) or a mentor (for professional writing).   This is an actual example of some of my client copyediting work.   Ghostwriter   Hiring a ghostwriter means that a professional writer creates your work from scratch. It’s often in the form of a memoir or business book but can also be articles or speeches. Quite often, celebrities and well known people hire a ghostwriter to write their books. In fact, around 60 per cent of celebrity books are ghost written.   The ghostwriter conducts extensive interviews, research and data collecting. As well as writing the complete work, emulating the tone of the focal person. Ghostwriting is a lot of work, so is a significant investment- both financially and in time. It’s not just about writing about someone. But working very closely with the person to get to know them, coaching them through the process and the tough bits and eeking out the right information. This is an artform. A ghostwriter service is for someone who has the money to invest. Plus has had an interesting life and wants a professional memoir or business book written. but does not have the time to write it. It’s a terrific service for people who don’t have any writing training or inclination. A ghost written book is a great promotional tool for your business or personal profile. And is an incredible legacy for your future generations of family or mentees.​Most professional writers can take about 100 hours to write a non fiction book, not including research. And it can take years for most people to complete their book.

Seven ways to fix your business writing

Copywriting and business writing is markedly different to writing a poem or writing something sweet in your grandmother’s birthday card. It has a specific focus and uses a particular set of skills to increase sales, draw in new customers or clients or set you apart from your competition by demonstrating that you really know what you’re talking about. We’ve already looked at why content writing and blogging is excruciatingly important for your marketing plan, so now we’re going to discuss how you can write really well in all your professional marketing communications (such as your website, blog posts, enewsletters, social media posts etc, because you’re doing these all regularly… right?) Writing well to promote your business is crucial to its success. In a digital era of fast paced communications, you need to get your message “bang on” immediately or clients will drift elsewhere along the fast paced current of the online communications river. Below are some starter guidelines for both online and off line writing. Keep these in mind the next time you write something that the public will see. 1. Use persuasive words Ideally, you want your readers to do be doing something. To take action. Even clicking on a link is taking action. Use words as your triggers and cues. According to Copyblogger, the top five most persuasive words in the English language are: Read this comprehensive list of influential words you can use in your communications. 2. Proofread Correct grammar and spelling enhances your credibility and affords trust in what you are saying, ensuring a smooth read that will not distract readers from absorbing your message. If you neglect to take care of your proofreading, potential and current clients may wonder where else you neglect attention to detail. 3. Let it breathe Put your business writing aside for at least twenty four hours. Even a week if you can afford the time. Putting distance between you and your writing only improves its quality. You may learn something new that is pertinent to the topic at hand in that time- especially since it will be the forefront of the mind. And you will easily identify errors and poor structure once you’ve had a chance to have some distance from it. 4. Write in the second person Write as if you are directly speaking to one person/client, rather than a group of people or nobody. Direct what you’re saying by using terms such as ‘you’, ‘your’ etc, which will not only personalise your message but give the reader the ability to “try on” what you are saying to them and they will be more readily willing to absorb your message. Particularly if you are persuading them to invest in your product or service. 5. Confidence Use confidence in your language. Replace terms such as ‘you may’ with ‘you will’ or ‘why not try’ with ‘invest now’. Refer to the list of persuasive words above if you get stuck. If you’re not completely (three hundred and twenty per cent) sold on your product or service and the results that it will deliver, how can you expect a potential customer to be? 6. Brevity People have super short attention spans. Particularly when consuming information on the web. you absolutely NEED to keep a lot of your key messages short and absorbable. Twitter is a charming tool for this as it forces you to convey a message in less than 280 characters. To enhance your brevity in your business writing, pretend that you have to turn any message you are writing into a tweet for that forced brevity. 7. Clarity Be clear, get to the point immediately and ensure you cap off your business writing with a short summary of what you have written. What’s more is that you need to be clear with yourself throughout the process. From the start (or before) of writing until releasing it into the world. What is the exact purpose of what you are writing? Be excruciatingly frank with yourself. Is it to attract another ten clients? Is it to be recognised in your field of expertise? Perhaps it’s to voice your opinion on a current issue? Write this purpose at the top of your page or on a sticky note where you can see it and keep referring back to it as you write. Clarity = better results. If you incorporate all these tips into your business writing and copywriting, you’ll soon see more success than you thought possible! Need a professional to help with your business writing?