Silent Signals Copyedit

Title Copyedit for completed 30,000-word nonfiction book (firefighter resilience) — style sheet provided, AI-assisted drafting disclosed Description I'm a captain with Toronto Fire Services with 25 years on the job, and I've completed a 30,000-word nonfiction manuscript: Silent Signals: A Firefighter's Guide to Self-Knowledge, Resilience, and a Life Well Lived. It helps firefighters recognize the ordinary behavioural signals of stress before they become crises — built from my own career and interviews with fellow firefighters. The manuscript is developmentally complete. I'm hiring for a copyedit only: grammar, punctuation, spelling, consistency, and light syntax — not restructuring, not rewriting. What makes this job straightforward: A prepared style sheet documents the intentional stylistic choices (deliberate sentence fragments, standalone landing lines, a "further reading" reference format rather than academic citations, and specific pronoun conventions). Your job is to enforce consistency around these choices, not to correct them. Clean Word document, 17 chapters plus introduction and conclusion. One decision-maker (me), fast turnaround on queries. Read before applying — AI disclosure: I used AI extensively as a developmental editing tool during drafting. The experiences, voice, interviews, and every editorial decision are mine; the drafting process was AI-assisted. I'm disclosing this up front because I know some editors decline such projects on principle, and I'd rather neither of us waste time. If that's a dealbreaker for you, no hard feelings — please don't apply. If you judge a manuscript on its quality and the professionalism of the engagement, I'd love to hear from you. Requirements: Professional copyediting experience on published nonfiction books (memoir, self-help, or narrative nonfiction preferred) Chicago Manual of Style fluency Comfortable working in Canadian English (or willing to follow the style sheet's Canadian conventions) Tracked changes in Microsoft Word Experience with military, first responder, or emergency services material is a genuine plus, but not required Deliverables: Full copyedit of the manuscript in tracked changes Queries flagged in comments where author decision is needed An updated style sheet reflecting any conventions you establish during the edit Timeline: Flexible on start date; targeting completion within 4–6 weeks of kickoff. To apply, please include: Two or three published nonfiction books you've copyedited (title and your role) Confirmation you've read the AI disclosure above and are comfortable proceeding Your approach when a style sheet conflicts with your instincts Fixed-price quote for the full manuscript I'll ask my shortlist to complete a short paid sample edit (approximately 1,000 words) before final selection.