Experienced CMOS Copy Editor Needed for 27,000-Word Philosophical Manuscript

I am a former magazine staff writer and editor and the author of several published books, including two Amazon No. 1 category bestsellers. Two of my titles are held by the Library of Congress. I am seeking an experienced book copy editor for "The Bear and Cat Chronicles", an approximately 25,000-word collection of linked philosophical stories for adult readers. Through the friendship of a large brown bear and a very senior yellow-orange cat, the book explores principles drawn from Zen and Taoism with warmth, humor, and accessibility. The manuscript has already undergone substantial developmental editing. I am not seeking a rewrite or another developmental evaluation. I need a careful, professional copy edit addressing: * Grammar, punctuation, spelling, and usage * Syntax and sentence-level clarity * Internal consistency and continuity * Capitalization, quotation marks, ellipses, and other style conventions * Awkward or unintentionally repetitive language * Obvious factual, attribution, or terminology concerns The editor must be thoroughly comfortable with "The Chicago Manual of Style." Familiarity with Zen, Taoism, philosophical fiction, or literary fables would be helpful. Preserving the authorial voice is essential. I want the prose corrected and sharpened, not flattened, modernized indiscriminately, or rewritten into the editor’s voice. Requested deliverables: * Edited Microsoft Word manuscript using Track Changes * Clean manuscript with all accepted corrections incorporated * Brief style sheet documenting editorial decisions and recurring conventions * Separate comments for questions or issues requiring author judgment Approximately 50 pages of the manuscript are attached to this posting so applicants can evaluate the writing and the level of work involved. When applying, please describe your book-copy editing experience, familiarity with CMOS, proposed fee, estimated turnaround time, and experience with comparable literary or philosophical manuscripts. These days, I'm a retired writer, so my budget is tight. Thanks for your consideration.