A copy edit looks at the mechanics of your manuscript line by line, with emphasis entirely on grammar, spelling, and punctuation. A line edit also moves through the piece line by line, but in addition to basic rules of grammar, the editor will check style and usage.
Example:The two types of edits will result in these suggested changes:
The police dutifully took fingerprints, found both men's prints on the latch, declared mechanical failure due to wear and tear and deemed it accidental death.
COPY EDIT: The police dutifully took fingerprints, found both men's prints on the latch, declared mechanical failure due to wear and tear, and deemed it accidental death. (If using the Chicago Style Manual)
LINE EDIT: The police dutifully took fingerprints and found both men's prints on the latch. They declared mechanical failure due to wear and tear and deemed it accidental death.
I can work faster with a PDF manuscript and an apple pencil, set to the traditional publishing blue color. Upon the return of the manuscript, the author will be responsible for incorporating the suggested changes into their primary electronic copy. I offer this option for both line and copy edits at a substantial savings.
Word or Pages document
copy edit: .021 per word
line edit: .23 per word
PDF blue pencil edits
copy edit: .15 per word
line edit: .19 per word