Christian Fiction Copyeditor Services
Copyediting services for
Christian fiction authors
Share your story with excellence.
Looking for a Christian fiction copyeditor?
My name is Jayna Baas, and I’m here to help you!
I offer multiple types of editing, but Christian fiction copyediting and proofreading are my specialties—especially Christian historical fiction copyediting, along with a few other genres like Christian adventure or suspense fiction and clean Christian romance.
As a Christian fiction copyeditor, I’ve studied with The PEN Institute and am the director of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network.
And as an award-winning independent author, I have a special passion for helping Christian authors share their stories with confidence.
What can a Christian fiction copyeditor do for your book?
Copyediting (also called line editing) comes after developmental editing (“big picture” editing) and is a “deep clean” of stylistic and narrative elements. Copyediting strengthens these areas of your writing:
- Grammar, spelling, and punctuation
- Clarity and consistency
- Sentence structure and word choice
- Tone and voice
- Compliance with style and usage guidelines
Fiction copyediting also involves strengthening story elements so the reader experience is as smooth as possible. This may include these areas:
- Minor point-of-view (POV) inconsistencies
- Word choice for atmosphere and mood
- Consistency in character voice
- Dialogue and action beats
- Pacing and rhythm
- Minor structural elements
- Narrative techniques like showing vs. telling
Plus, for historical fiction, I’ll flag any anachronisms I notice, whether that’s an idiom that didn’t arise until a hundred years after your story or an object that wasn’t yet in use.
A Christian fiction copyeditor is uniquely positioned to help Christian authors convey their intended message along with a great story. As a Christian copyeditor, I also check authors’ work for these elements:
- Biblical accuracy
- Clarity of message
- Natural interweaving of Scripture and story
- Consistent character voice when discussing faith topics
Fiction copyediting comes in levels ranging from light to heavy, depending on your needs.
Am I the right Christian fiction copyeditor for you?
That depends. My goal as a Christian fiction copyeditor is to provide my full support for your project. If I can’t do that, you’ll be better served by a different editor. (For Christian books, check out Christian Editor Connection or the member listings at The Christian PEN. For secular books, try Editorial Freelancers Association or Reedsy.)
I copyedit multiple genres of Christian fiction. Here are my specialties:
- Historical fiction (my favorite!)
- Light suspense or adventure fiction
- Clean, sweet romance
- Contemporary fiction
I’m not the right copyeditor for most speculative fiction genres, suspense or thrillers with graphic violence, horror genres, or anything rated higher than PG-13. I also reserve the right to decline any project that promotes beliefs opposite my own for the simple reason that I can’t give such projects my best work.
Fiction genres I do work with:
- Historical fiction
- Contemporary fiction
- Light suspense or adventure fiction (no graphic violence)
- Clean or sweet romance (some exceptions)
Fiction genres I don’t work with:
- Speculative fiction (fantasy, sci-fi, dystopian, etc.)
- Suspense or thrillers with significant or graphic violence
- Horror
- Anything that’s not PG-13 or cleaner
My standard rate for Christian fiction copyediting is $0.03 per word. This includes all the corrections and recommendations listed above. For a budget option, light copyediting at $0.02 per word will correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, and usage along with minor stylistic issues, but it won’t address the full reader experience the way my standard copyedit does. A heavy copyedit is available at $0.04 per word to delve deeper into structural elements, extensive revision guidance, or complex character or narrative development.
These are my standard rates, but I estimate rates on a per-client basis and love to help writers at all stages of their journeys. Please don’t hesitate to contact me even if you’re on a tight budget.
I offer free samples of my Christian fiction copyeditor services. If you’re ready to get started, or if you have any questions, please contact me here and I’ll be in touch as soon as I can!
Jayna was precisely the editor I needed. Not only is she well versed in the intricacies of language and storytelling but she’s also thoughtful and easy to work with.
—D. J. Speckhals, author of The Lord of Luserna
✎ Pro Tip
More about Jayna Baas
Jayna Baas (pronounced as in “baa, baa, black sheep”) is the award-winning author of the For Liberty & Conscience series and serves as director of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network. She writes and edits from beautiful northern Michigan, where she strives to give readers faith-filled adventures bursting with courageous characters and biblical truth.
In between writing her own books and editing other people’s books, Jayna seeks out new adventures on the screen, on the page, and in the kitchen. She also loves to spend time with her great family of real people and the family of pretend people who live in her head. (Yes, she does know her characters are not real. No, she does not want you to tell them she said so.)
Although her love of words extends to multiple genres, Jayna’s favorite story is this: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
Jayna is a Christian copyeditor and proofreader who specializes in Christian fiction genres, particularly Christian historical fiction, clean romance, and light suspense fiction or adventure fiction (no graphic violence or explicit language or content, please). Her copyediting focuses on creating a smooth reading experience through clarity and accuracy, vivid word choice, consistent style, and attention to narrative technique like point of view and character voice. Her proofreading focuses on presenting a polished product through correction of typos, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and word usage, along with checks for formatting consistency if your book has already been typeset. For both copyediting and proofreading, Jayna pays special attention to the faith elements of authors’ books to ensure their beliefs are accurately stated in a way readers will understand.
Her services are best suited to books that have already undergone developmental editing, or “big picture” editing to assess structure, character development, etc. Jayna doesn’t offer developmental editing, but she does offer a project guidance service to help you figure out what your book needs and where to start. This is a great fit for independent authors who would like a little extra advice on the editing and publishing process. She also offers evaluations or critiques for a select number of manuscripts, assessing the story’s strengths and weaknesses and providing suggestions for improvement.
Jayna’s editing work on her own Christian historical fiction series in conjunction with another professional proofreader resulted in the 2025 Editors’ Choice Award for her novel Patriot at the River, which was also a 2025 Carol Award finalist. Testimonials from clients describe her editing as thoughtful, knowledgeable, professional, and easy to work with. Her proofreading and copyediting rates range from $0.01–0.04 per word depending on the service you request, and she offers project guidance for $30–50 per project. Evaluation/critique rates are based on project length, typically $200–$500 per project. These rates are comparable to industry standards, but Jayna is always willing to discuss rates based on individual budgets.
If you have a Christian fiction book in need of copyediting or proofreading, Jayna would be happy to hear from you. Contact her by filling out her editing services request form.
