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Copyedit Your Novel or Nonfiction Book

Copyediting a novel course

You’re an aspiring author, and you’ve written a fabulous novel. The plot’s fantastic, your characters are well developed, and you know you’re destined for success.

A minute later, it’s horrible. Childish. Stupid. Why doesn’t it sound like the bestsellers you read?

Maybe this is your second or third attempt, but after a few rejections or dismal Amazon sales, you’re ready to give up.

If you’re a non-fiction writer, you go through the same process. Your book is fab—the outline’s perfect, and the research is solid. The professional formatting couldn’t be better, and the cover is almost done.

But you have a problem.

Friends say it needs a bit of polish. Beta readers have pointed out problems, too, or they say it’s too long and hard to read. Or maybe your writers roundtable or mastermind group are shaking their heads, trying to be tactful.

You finally face it.

You have to copyedit your own writing.

But it’s frustrating, and you’re not sure if the changes you make are an improvement or not. And you just want to quit.

If only you knew what to do, you’d do it. And if you had some kind of system, you’d follow it.

I’m Leah McClellan, a writer and editor with almost 20 years experience. And I know exactly what you have to do.

What does it mean to copyedit your own writing?

Copyediting is not as difficult as you might think, but it can feel overwhelming. And that’s why you need a system that’s similar to what professional copyeditors use.

It’s one thing for me to edit and copyedit for clients. I actually enjoy the process, and I love massaging sentences and paragraphs into works of art. Errors and problems stand out and beg for improvement, and they’re easy to see because I didn’t write them. I don’t know what the writer has in mind, and anything that doesn’t fit the picture calls out for attention.

Copyediting my own manuscript is a different story—and far more challenging. And I know it’s the same for you. That’s why I created a course that will get you started on self-copyediting with a system.

It’s the Simple Writing Copyediting Course 1: Correcting Useless and Overused Words.

I’ve developed this course with you in mind because I know how it goes. With my freelance writing and editing experience plus my own novels and a non-fiction ebook, I know how important copyediting your own writing is.

Problems in someone else’s writing just pop out, right?

But our own errors slip by because we have an image in our minds. We know what the words, sentences, and paragraphs mean, so they make perfect sense and sound fine.

If we have a system that ensures objectivity, though, as if we’re editing someone else’s manuscript, we can copyedit our own work more effectively.

Dealing with objective facts is what this course is all about.

Sure, your rephrasing and sentence-level revisions require creativity. But knowing exactly what to look for means skipping the agonizing guesswork and focusing on what needs to be fixed.

You’ll learn how to quickly find and correct the seven most common types of overused words and phrases that every writer struggles with. Take them one by one as you work through your manuscript and simply delete or rephrase the sentence. No guesswork and no wondering what the problem is.

Copyediting your own writing means work, yes. You’ll put in some time. But you’ll see big improvements right away, from the first few sentences to the final paragraph.

You’ll learn

  • tips for copyediting and line editing (and the difference between them)
  • a system for managing the task in separate steps
  • shortcuts that editors use all the time
  • common errors all writers make and how to find them
  • how to identify your own unique errors
  • how to recognize awkward, wordy, and confusing sentences that make your writing look amateurish
  • a method to reduce word count significantly
  • ways to turn dull, overused words into sharp action and crisp description
  • transform your manuscript into polished, professional prose

When you’ve completed the course and applied what you’ve learned to your manuscript

  • your writing will be sharper and more vivid with less fluff
  • you’ll reduce word count by 10% or more
  • you’ll feel confident querying agents or excited about self-publishing
  • and even if you hire a professional copyeditor to catch what you’ve missed, you’ll pay far less than you would otherwise

Even better: the lessons you learn now will improve your writing forever. And you can’t beat that!

Sign up now and get a low introductory price that won’t last long.

And if you’re not completely satisfied with the course, your payment with be refunded immediately. Of course. No fuss, no bother.

You’ve heard the advice: you can’t copyedit your own writing because you’re too close to it or you know what it’s about. And you know the tricks like working from the end to the beginning, changing the font or color, or printing your entire manuscript.

But what if you know exactly what you’re looking for? What if you know what professional copyeditors know? Could you copyedit your own writing?

Take the Course