Congratulations! You’ve made it to the editing phase. That’s huge! But now you’re not sure what’s next or what type of editing is needed. Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered!
If you’ve never had an editor look at your work, you probably need developmental editing. This is a big-picture, birds-eye-view look at your manuscript. This type of editor will evaluate if things are in a logical order, if the current structure and flow are working, if scenes can be improved upon, and if there are any plot holes, among other things. Be prepared to do some rewriting at this stage. This is the first time someone is reading your book like your audience will, and their feedback will be invaluable.
Line editing is next and focuses on the way language is used and whether it’s working well or not. A line editor will point out words that are overused, redundancies in the text, paragraphs that can be tightened up, places where the pacing isn’t quite right, and passages or phrases that might be confusing to the reader. Line editing isn’t always needed. But if your developmental editor suggests that your manuscript could benefit from it, they’re probably right.
Copy editing is a more technical look at your writing and looks for things like inconsistent details (Sally had a red car in chapter one, but it’s blue in chapter five with no mention of her getting a new one); inconsistencies in spelling, numerals, hyphenations, numbering, etc.; and spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes. A copy editor will also fact-check to make sure there are no factually incorrect statements. Copy editing is always needed after a developmental edit and/or a line edit.
Proofreading is the final editing phase before your project is ready to be published. The proofreader is the last set of eyes that will check for any errors in spelling, grammar, or punctuation, that were missed by the copy editor. They will also check for things like inconsistent numbering or formatting. Proofreading is always needed after a copy edit.
I offer the final two stages of editing—copy editing and proofreading. While I offer both, I shouldn’t do them both for the same manuscript. Why? It’s the same reason as why you need editors. Once we work on something for a while, we are too close to it to see all the errors and inconsistencies. So if I copy edit your manuscript, I’m not a good candidate to proofread it unless some time has passed. However, if you’d like, I’ll be happy to find you someone who is.
Remember that all of these people are on your side and want your manuscript to be the best it can be. Yes, the editing process can be long and frustrating, but it’s absolutely necessary to ensure your audience has a smooth reading experience. The irony of all of this is that when readers read a well-edited book, the thought of editors never even comes to mind! It’s when they read a book that hasn’t been edited well, or at all, that the need for editors crosses their minds. You don’t want that to happen with your book!
