Editing. It’s the part of writing that some dread and others live for due to its detailed and regimented nature. However, it’s an essential step in every stage of the writing process from your first draft to your final manuscript.
There are several different types of editing, but today we’re going to go through copyediting, proofreading, developmental editing, and line editing. Each one shares considerable overlap with the others, but they all ultimately serve a different purpose.
Once you understand how each type works, you’ll be able to use them to your advantage and make your book the best it can be. Plus, I personally learn a lot from editing (or even from having others do the editing), which improves my writing skills in the long run.
Copyediting
Copyediting tends to happen toward the end of your writing process. In fact, if you publish traditionally, your book will go through a copyeditor before it’s published. At a glance, the goal of copyediting is to clear your manuscript of typos, unintentional grammar and spelling errors, and to tighten the language up to make sure everything is clear. However, copyediting isn’t just line-by-line, a copyeditor will also check to make sure your plot is solid and that no sections repeat (and that there are no plot holes).
Copyediting is not the same as proofreading—though there is some overlap. Proofreading happens around the same time, as you’re finishing up your manuscript, but it is only a line-by-line check for clear errors. Copyediting does that and more, checking for things like awkward phrasing, sentence structure, and even fact-checking. A copyeditor is what stands in between you and publishing a book with a major mistake that readers will catch (no pressure!).
Some copyediting tasks include:
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grammar and punctuation errors
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spelling, style, and terminology
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making sure sentences are clear and concise
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removing unnecessary words and phrases
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checking facts and references
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Checking voice, tone, and style
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Ensuring that your work is compliant with the style guide (most of the publishing world uses the Chicago Manual of Style)
I can feel your fear already. It’s scary to hand over a manuscript you’ve spent hours laboring over and perfecting just so someone can go in and start changing things. But a good copyeditor will always maintain the integrity of your work. Everything that’s great about your book will stay. Their goal is just to fix unintentional mistakes and other aspects that make it more difficult for readers to get to your book’s best aspects. Not to mention, your copyeditor will always work with you if something needs any major reworks. Their goal is not to tear your book apart—it’s to make it into something amazing!
So, what happens if you self-publish?
If you’re self-publishing, I’d strongly recommend that you still hire a copyeditor or other author service (like us!) to copyedit your manuscript. One of the freedoms of self-publishing is that you get the final say on everything involving your book (including edits made by a copyeditor), but, if you want a quality book that you know is free of errors, you should still have it done. Again, I know it’s scary to submit your manuscript to another person for editing, but it will only make your book better!
Proofreading
Unlike copyediting, proofreading can be done at really any point in the writing process (though most people wait until the end). Proofreading is also done throughout the publishing process to double-check the manuscript and all other written materials once they’re in print. Proofreading involves checking writing for grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors. Like copyediting, the goal of proofreading is to ensure that the manuscript is free of errors and ready for publication.
“Most writers spend so long outlining, writing, revising, etc. that they can no longer remember where their book’s sections are or which ones still need help.”
You can do this kind of line-by-line editing on your own throughout the writing process (especially any time you’d like to take a break from your creative work). But it’s best to have someone with fresh eyes—who hasn’t seen your work before—to do the job for you. If you’re mid-manuscript or self-publishing, you can have a trusted friend (with good grammar skills!) do this for you. Or you can hire out a proofreader as well.
If you’re publishing traditionally, this step (or steps, rather) will be taken care of by the press that takes on your book. That’s what a press does! Since they’re publishing your book (i.e., their name is on it, too), they’ll want to make sure your book is free of errors as well.
By the time your book is ready to publish, your publisher (or you) and yourself will go through a series of “proofs” for your cover and how your book will appear in print. These are used just as much to go through the typographical errors of your work as they are for checking that the text, margins, and styles are all uniform throughout your book.
Developmental editing
Developmental editing is the most large-scale type of editing. This type of editing focuses on the big-picture elements of your manuscript to make sure that your book’s content and structure are as good as they can be.
A developmental edit is essentially a manuscript analysis. Your editor will make sure that your book progresses in a way that makes sense, that there are no plot holes, and that the overall style and feel of the book is consistent throughout. They make note which sections are repetitive and which sections need further explanation. They will also make sure that the pacing is consistent (your reader doesn’t want to feel like your book is going too fast or too slow).
The scope of a developmental edit can vary widely, depending on the needs of the author and the complexity of the manuscript. An editor may provide feedback on the overall tone of the book, its target audience, the structure of chapters, and the character development. They can also offer suggestions on how to tighten up your writing and eliminate any fluff or unnecessary information.
A developmental edit is a great way to make sure your book is on the right track, especially if you’re at the beginning of your writing career. Though every author can have trouble sorting through their ideas as they go. Most writers spend so long outlining, writing, revising, etc. that they can no longer remember where their book’s sections are or which ones still need help. And you can only re-read an entire manuscript so many times.
This type of editing occurs right after you’ve completed your manuscript, but before it’s copyedited (or submitted).
Again, it’s scary to hand your book over to someone whose job it is to find everything that needs improvement. But it will only make your book better. Any editing, whether it’s done by you or a hired editor, has nothing to do with who you are or your skills as a writer. As I said, you can only stare at the same set of pages for so long before it becomes difficult to sort through in your mind. Remember that your editor is only trying to sort through your book through the eyes of your future readers.
Line editing
Line editing isn’t necessarily in a formal category like copyediting, proofreading, and developmental editing, but I wanted to point out the difference between it and something like a developmental edit.
Line editing can happen at essentially any time in the writing process before you’re ready to submit it for publishing. So it can be something you do chapter by chapter, through each round of revising, or once your manuscript is finished (though that is a monstrous task).
Line editing is usually done by the author of the book, but if you’re continually working with a writing coach or editor, or you have a nice friend from your writer group, they can also help you out with line editing. This type of editing involves analyzing your manuscript sentence by sentence for grammar, typographical errors, and structure. For the most part, you’ll be analyzing each line to make sure it’s written the way you want it to.
“Their goal is just to fix unintentional mistakes and other aspects that make it more difficult for readers to get to your book’s best aspects.”
This can look like varying sentence structure, revising descriptions and word choice, refining the voice of the manuscript (and finding places where it deviates), or even revising content at the sentence level. This is a very intensive process that tends to take quite a long time, but, for most writers, it’s just a normal part of drafting and revising (which is why you probably don’t want to wait until the end of your manuscript to do so). You can do this more than once, especially once you finish each chapter of your book.
Which editing type is right for you?
At the end of the day (or, perhaps, the end of the manuscript), you’ll likely interact with several or all of these editing types throughout your writing and publishing process. Each one is vital to publishing your manuscript in the best form it can possibly take.
It can feel very nerve-wracking to lend your manuscript to someone after you’ve spent endless hours honing it and crafting it into something you’re proud of. But a good editor will always have your best interests in mind. Plus, having a different set of eyes on your manuscript may even give you a boost—you can always ask about the things that went well when someone looked over your manuscript (though a few editors may let you know themselves).
If you’re on the hunt for a manuscript review, coaching, editing, or even publishing, DAS Author Services is a great place to go! We’re a small business providing quality work to writers from all walks of life so that you can get your story out there. You can book a free consult here, or even take our free Book Strategy Quiz to get started.
