Do You Know What Type of Editing You Need?

Here's What You Need to Know

Developmental Editing

A developmental editor focuses on the big picture of a story, such as plot, characters, setting, point-of-view, and more. Every manuscript has different needs, so a developmental editor may point out ways to strengthen your plot points, deepen character backstories, or suggest ways to ground the setting further for your readers.

Developmental edits can come in a variety of formats, such as feedback in a lengthy letter or as direct manuscript editing and comments. Some developmental editors may even provide consultations or outline editing to help you plan your story and concept for a smoother first draft!

When looking for the right developmental editor, don’t just compare price. Understand the value of what you’re getting and the compatibility between you and an editor. You could send your manuscript to two editors and get different thoughts and answers back from them. Choose the editor who seems like the best fit for your book and shares your goals.

Line/Substantive Editing

A line editor goes through a manuscript line by line to improve overall flow, readability, and clarity. This includes smoothing awkward sentences, tightening wordiness, suggesting transitions, and improving word choices. Because every word has its own personality, it’s important to use the right one for the right purpose (screaming vs. shouting).

A good line editor can improve writing rhythm, elegance, and emphasis without changing your voice. That off-key sounding orchestra is now a harmonious symphony of words.

Copyediting

A copyeditor follows the rules of grammar and style. Sometimes copyediting can have different levels:

Light – Corrects errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and word usage (their/they’re/there). And ensures consistency of spelling, punctuation, style, and numbers (spelled vs. numeral).

Medium – All the tasks for light copyediting, and: ensures consistency of tone, changes headings to achieve consistent structure, and flags inappropriate figures of speech and conflicting statements.

Heavy – All the tasks for medium copyediting, and: removes wordiness, smooths transitions, moves sentences to improve readability, and suggests additions and deletions. The line between heavy copyediting and line editing is often blurred, and can mean the same thing to some people.

Proofreading

A proofreader checks a manuscript, word for word, against typeset copy or in e-book format to correct any last surface errors. This includes word spacing, format consistency, stray punctuation and grammar errors that were missed before, and more. This is a final check before publishing, so no significant changes can be made to the manuscript at this level.