IMITATION WORKED FOR BEN FRANKLIN. IT WILL WORK FOR YOU.

Ol’ Ben taught himself to write effectively by reading Spectator articles, then setting them aside and trying to rewrite them verbatim from memory.

Unsurprisingly, that was a great idea. So is imitating a professional editor who sets the pace, intensity, and focus of your edit.

Many writers understandably freeze when attempting to edit their own work. That’s natural—but surmountable! Have you stumbled on any of these questions?

• What should stay and what should go?

• How aggressively should I edit?

• Does the structure work?

• Is this making sense to anyone else?

• What style guide should I follow for this piece of writing?

• How intensely should I scrutinize my grammar and punctuation?

• I’ve put my heart and soul into this. But everyone has blind spots. Have I checked mine?

If so, it’s time to concede what all great writers before you have conceded: You need an editor.

Franklin took cues from seasoned writers to learn “the eloquence of expression.” Take cues from Good Comma’s seasoned editors to learn the essence of editing!

WHAT WILL YOU DO TO MY DOCUMENT?

Nothing it won’t like:

• Read your whole document through three lenses: your target audience’s, your potential audience’s, and your intended meaning’s (as best we can infer it).

• Provide a sampling of Good Comma Editing’s 1ST DEGREE OF EDITING:

  • Mechanics check: eliminates confusing and/or embarrassing punctuation, spelling, and grammatical errors

  • Sense test: catches awkward phrasing that worked fine at the office but may confuse readers unfamiliar with your subject

  • Format standardization: ensures uniformity of font sizes, styles, and variants

• Provide a sampling of Good Comma Editing’s 2ND DEGREE OF EDITING:

  • Includes the 1ST DEGREE

  • Simplifies wordiness

  • Eliminates redundancy

  • Fortifies transitions

  • Reorganizes where necessary

• Provide a sampling of Good Comma Editing’s EDITOR’S CUT and GOOD COMMA SUITE:

  • An edit-by-edit ledger contrasting every suggested edit with your original, with notes explaining why we recommended our changes.

  • A concise audio-recorded explanation of how each edit enhances your message

Limit: One ‘START MY EDIT’ per customer. For more information, explore Good Comma Editing’s services.

PRAISE FOR GOOD COMMA EDITING

“When it was time to perform a final edit on my book Sharing the Burden: The Samaritan Ministries Story, I turned naturally to Good Comma Editing. At Samaritan, we knew of GCE’s devotion to detail and high standards and wanted that for the book. GCE delivered the goods promptly. I would turn to no other service for my editing needs.”

— Michael M., Author, Sharing the Burden: The Samaritan Ministries Story (2020), Samaritan Ministries International

“As a first-time author, one of the greatest concerns is the quality of the content. A dream poorly executed will quickly derail an author's expectations, however low or high these expectations may be. When GCE stepped into the conversation, this grave concern turned into growing confidence. GCE’s best-in-class team lays to rest any concern surrounding grammar, vocabulary, and logic through their thorough editing process. Bellwether Blues has been an outstanding success largely because the contents of the book allow the reader to engage the big ideas without the noise of poor logic or faulty grammar. GCE deserves tremendous credit for making that possible.”

— Jonathan J., Author, Bellwether Blues: A Conservative Awakening in the Millennial Soul (2020) and board chairman of the Forge Leadership Network

“I don’t know what Good Comma could have done better. I am often telling people fun stories about the editing process.”

— Matt K., Author, What Church Can Be: An Optimistic Vision (2020), Pastor at Seven Mile Road Church in Boston

For additional testimonials, visit Good Comma Editing’s praise page.

MEET YOUR GOOD COMMA EDITOR

To learn more, visit Good Comma Editing’s website and meet the team.