What You Get

Established in 2007, our copy editing service ensures your manuscript is polished and error-free, ready for publication.

We guarantee precision, exceptional customer service, and affordability.

Your privacy remains paramount; we promise 100% anonymity and will never discuss your book with anyone without your written permission.

Our testimonials from satisfied authors highlight the transformative impact of our copy editing on their manuscripts.

Here’s what you’ll get when you work with Gary Smailes at BubbleCow:

• Free Sample Edit
• Comprehensive Copy Editing
• Tracked Changes
• Style Manual Usage
• Qualified and Experienced Copy Editor
• Human, Not AI, Copy Editing
• Uncompromising Support

You can also learn more about the process from start to finish.

Free Sample Developmental Edit

Experience the quality of our service firsthand with a free edit of the first 1,000 words of your manuscript. This sample not only shows you our thorough editing process but also highlights the value and expertise we bring to every project.

Comprehensive Copy Editing

Copy editing is the process of thoroughly reviewing a manuscript to correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors while ensuring coherence and clarity. Unlike general proofreading—which typically focuses on catching surface-level mistakes—copy editing goes deeper by addressing sentence structure, style consistency, and tone, helping elevate your writing to a professional standard.

Strong copy editing not only enhances the readability of your work but also reinforces its credibility. By refining language and removing distracting errors, copy editing helps you present clear, consistent messaging that resonates with readers and leaves a lasting impact.

Polishing Your Content

Well-crafted grammar and accurate punctuation can make a world of difference in how your work is perceived. By removing typos and inconsistencies, you project a level of professionalism that immediately builds trust with your audience. Clean, precise language not only enhances readability but also underscores your authority and expertise in your subject matter.

Ensuring Readability

Our copy editing service prioritizes clear, concise syntax to guide readers seamlessly from one point to the next. By refining each sentence, we make your text more engaging and easier to digest. This focus on clarity immerses your audience in your message, amplifying the impact of your ideas.

Style and Voice

Consistent style application—whether it’s APA, Chicago, or your brand’s own guidelines—is key to delivering a cohesive reading experience. Our editors ensure these conventions are meticulously followed, preventing distracting shifts and reinforcing a professional tone. This consistency underscores credibility and helps every piece of your content align with your overall message.

Ensuring Clarity Across All Platforms

From web pages and marketing collateral to corporate communications, clarity is crucial for keeping audiences engaged. Our service streamlines language across various mediums, removing ambiguity and ensuring your content is immediately understandable. By maintaining a uniform style, you build trust, making it simpler for readers to connect with your brand wherever they encounter it.

Understanding Your Audience

Every audience has unique preferences and expectations. We tailor your writing style to resonate with readers—whether you’re producing formal reports, conversational blog posts, or something in between. By aligning tone with audience needs, you create a sense of authenticity that fosters genuine rapport.

Reflecting Your Brand Identity

Your brand’s identity shines through in its tone and voice. By maintaining a consistent, recognizable style across all materials, you strengthen brand recognition and encourage loyalty. A unified voice humanizes your brand, making it more relatable and memorable for your readers and potential clients.

Verifying Information

Accuracy is the bedrock of credibility. Our team rigorously checks facts, statistics, and references, ensuring each claim in your manuscript stands up to scrutiny. This diligence not only bolsters your authority but also safeguards your reputation against the pitfalls of misinformation.

Maintaining Integrity

Trust hinges on integrity, and ensuring every detail is accurate fosters a secure bond with your audience. Our thorough reviews eliminate errors and inconsistencies, providing reliable content that readers can depend on. Whether you’re writing a novel, academic paper, or business materials, our commitment to precision sets your work apart.

Improving Structure

A logical, organized structure makes content easier to follow and more enjoyable to read. We refine paragraph transitions, employ clear subheadings, and enhance the overall flow of your text. This thoughtful approach increases engagement, enabling readers to absorb and retain information more effectively.

Enhancing Engagement

When your writing flows naturally, audiences are more likely to stay immersed. Our careful attention to pacing and layout ensures your content holds reader interest from start to finish. By enhancing readability, you deliver an impactful message that resonates long after the final word.

Tracked Changes

All of our copy editing takes place in Microsoft Word, utilizing its “Track Changes” feature. This tool highlights every edit made to your manuscript—whether it’s a grammatical correction, rephrasing, or formatting adjustment. As the author, you can easily review and accept or reject each modification, ensuring that you remain in control of your content.

Once editing is complete, you will receive two versions of your manuscript: one with tracked changes visible, and another with all edits already accepted. This approach keeps the process transparent and user-friendly, allowing you to see precisely what has been altered and why, while also providing a clean, finalized copy that’s ready for publication or further review.

Style Manual Usage

A style manual is a set of guidelines that standardize writing conventions, including spelling, punctuation, and citation formats. These guides ensure consistency in tone and presentation, making your text look professional and easy to navigate. Whether you’re writing in American or British English, following a recognized style manual helps readers focus on your message rather than editorial inconsistencies.

Different forms of English, such as American and British, can have variations in spelling (e.g., “color” vs. “colour”), punctuation, and usage. Adhering to the correct style manual for your project helps avoid confusion, maintains credibility, and aligns with the expectations of your target audience.

Below are some of the style manuals we support for both American and British English:

• American English Style Manuals:
  • Chicago Manual of Style
  • APA (American Psychological Association)
  • MLA (Modern Language Association)
  • AP (Associated Press)
• British English Style Manuals:
  • Oxford Style Manual
  • Guardian and Observer Style Guide
  • Harvard (commonly used in British academia)

Qualified and Experienced Copy Editor

Our copy editors undergo rigorous training and hold recognized credentials in the field. They typically possess at least a bachelor’s degree and often pursue postgraduate qualifications focused on editing, writing, or publishing. This academic foundation ensures a thorough understanding of language mechanics, style conventions, and editorial best practices.

Beyond formal qualifications, our editors have hands-on experience within the publishing industry, giving them valuable insight into current market standards and reader expectations. Their background spans various genres—ranging from fiction and nonfiction to academic and technical writing—so they can adapt their expertise to suit your project’s unique needs.

Human, Not AI, Copy Editing

Our editorial process is conducted entirely by real, experienced humans, ensuring every nuance of your writing is carefully considered. While we may use tools like Grammarly to assist in detecting surface-level errors or inconsistencies, we never rely on artificial intelligence to perform the core editing work. Each manuscript is refined by a skilled editor, preserving your unique voice and intent.

Your text is never fed into an AI system to generate automated edits. We believe that genuine expertise and personalized attention are paramount for high-quality copy editing. By maintaining a human touch throughout the entire process, we deliver a meticulously polished manuscript that truly reflects your vision.

Uncompromising Support

We view the editorial process as the start of a long-term partnership with our authors. Before work begins, Gary Smailes will arrange a meeting to discuss your book in detail—covering everything from your vision and goals to any specific challenges you anticipate.

After the editing process, you’ll receive comprehensive feedback on your manuscript and have ongoing email support for any follow-up questions or clarifications. If needed, an additional meeting can be arranged to delve deeper into the feedback. Beyond a single project, you’re always welcome to reach out to BubbleCow for help and guidance on current or future writing endeavors. Our commitment to your success doesn’t end with the final edit—it’s an ongoing relationship built on trust, collaboration, and shared passion for your work.

The Process

Our process is designed to be straightforward and supportive from start to finish. Here’s how it works:

Initial Contact:

You can reach out to us via a simple form on our website, email or through a WhatsApp chat, providing your name and a brief description of your book.

Follow-Up Email:

After the initial contact, you'll receive an email from Gary. After a discussion about your book, the first best step is a free sample edit.

Sample Developmental Edit:

If you request it, our copy editor will complete and return a sample edit. Following this, you can opt for a meeting to discuss the sample edit or decide to proceed with a full edit.

Submission

Once you are happy, you can submit your manuscript in Word format. Payment is split into two, the first invoice will be sent. Upon payment, we will begin the editing process. You'll receive an email outlining what to expect and a delivery date for the completed edit.

Progress Updates:

Throughout the editing process, we provide regular updates via email or WhatsApp to keep you informed of the progress.

Completion:

Once the edit has been completed it will be returned and the second invoice will be issued. After payment, if needed, Gary will arrange the second post-edit meeting to discuss the feedback and help cement the way forward.

Ongoing Support:

In addition to the post-edit meeting, we offer ongoing support and follow-up tasks to assist you over the next year, ensuring you have the guidance you need even after the edit is complete.