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8 copyediting essentials
Writing and editing tools Episode 1514th February 2026 • The Editing Podcast • Louise Harnby (fiction editor) and Denise Cowle (non-fiction editor)
00:00:00 00:16:41

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Learn about 8 tips that will make your copyediting life easier.

Listen to find out more about

  1. Understanding the power of Microsoft Word’s Styles pane
  2. Knowing how to use consistency-checking software
  3. Being able to use macros
  4. Using Word’s Navigation pane.
  5. Knowing how to find and use the pilcrow tool in Word
  6. Understanding how to use Word’s Find/Replace function
  7. Removing extraneous tabs and spaces
  8. Creating properly defined paragraphs

Resources

  1. Editing in Word: Using Styles: https://www.louiseharnbyproofreader.com/editing-in-word-using-styles.html
  2. PerfectIt: https://intelligentediting.com/home/
  3. Word Macro Tools: https://www.wordmacrotools.com/
  4. Wildcard Cookbook for Microsoft Word by Jack Lyon (via your regional Amazon store)

Book series: Notes from the Podcast

Want to hone your editorial business skills? Our actionable guides and workbooks help you plan and implement a programme for business growth and development.

Find out more here: https://www.louiseharnbyproofreader.com/notes.html

Support The Editing Podcast

Tip your hosts: Support Louise and Denise with a one-off tip of your choosing.

  1. theeditingpodcast.captivate.fm/support

Join our Patreon community: Our patrons benefit from access to PDF transcripts for episodes featuring just Louise and Denise, and for some of our guest episodes. Tier-2 patrons also receive bonus content for most episodes.

  1. patreon.com/editingpodcast

Denise and Louise

  1. Denise Cowle: denisecowleeditorial.com
  2. Louise Harnby: harnby.co/fiction-editing

Post-production

  1. Liv Cowle: livcowle.com

Music credit

'Vivacity’ by Kevin MacLeod

  1. Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4593-vivacity
  2. Licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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