Developmental Editing
Fine-tuning the Story
A major part of the book making process—often overlooked when taking on the process alone—is the two levels of editing that are necessary for every project. Sometimes, as writers, we become distracted with how wonderful our concept is and don’t see the missteps or places for improvement in the small details. This can damage the entire book! It is so important to never skip the step of editing—both developmental and copy-editing. And while self-editing is very appealing, seeking professional help at this stage is key to the success of your story. So, let’s look at the different types of editing and how they can make a great impact on your book.
Read up more below! And to go more in-depth on the editing side of things and kickstart your research, check out the The Editorial Process section of the site.
Editing
The relationship between an author and an editor is a critical part of any author’s journey. Once your manuscript is complete or close to finished, hiring an editor should be the next step as a self-published author. An editor helps to shape and mold your story. They focus more on character development, world-building, symbolism, and specific word choice. So, they’ll ask the important questions and make suggestions about the plot, characters, pacing, and overall structure and content to ensure your book flows in an engaging, understandable, and cohesive manner for readers. Some may offer to cover grammatical and spelling errors, researching, and fact-checking, but these tasks are usually covered by a copy editor. Editors can also help with writing other forms of written materials to help market your book, like jacket flap copy, back cover copy, and the book’s summary. The editing process can take quite a bit of time to make sure the text is ready for the next step, so it’s important to be patient and trust your editor’s expertise.
On the traditional side of things, in-house editors at publishing companies are usually responsible for acquiring (or buying) manuscripts, managing contracts, and working closely with designers to determine the size and format of a book and hire illustrators. In addition, they serve as a point person throughout the entire process, sharing developmental aspects like cover concepts and copyediting notes for review and approval.
Copyediting
Once the overall story and structure of your book is set, a copy editor will dive in and look at the finer details to address grammatical errors, repetition, timeline consistency, continuity, logic, sentence structure, and any plot inconsistencies, if they arise. Copyeditors also specialize in fact-checking for historical accuracy, if necessary for the story. We expand more on the role and importance of a copyeditor on the Copyediting page.
Proofreading
Having a proofreader look over your text after a copyeditor is recommended as they generally double-check and correct any inconsistencies in formatting, spelling, and punctuation. Based on the content of your book, it could also be worth considering hiring a separate sensitivity reader to flag potential bias, stereotypes, and offensive content.
If you’re in need of an editor, copyeditor, or proofreader, we have some amazing freelancers on our directory ready to help!