1. Structural Editing - The Foundation Of Your Story
Structural editing looks at the big picture of the novel. It focuses on areas such as; plot and character, dialogue, internal story consistency and character motivation, weak areas, plot holes and pacing. It asks the question ‘how can we make this a more compelling story?”
Once you have incorporated your beta feedback as is appropriate for your story, it is time to call in the professionals. You have done everything you can and now it time to get experienced eyes cast over your work. How you go about this is up to you. You don’t necessarily need to get a developmental edit done on your story. If you have received positive feedback from the majority of your beta readers and you yourself are happy with the story you can skip this stage. It really depends on your experience as a writer and your budget.
It is important point to remember that there is no board of accreditation to become an editor. Much like being an agent anyone can build a webpage and start charging for their services. The best way to find a good editor is by word of mouth and reviews. Make sure you do your due diligence. And remember, cost is no guarantee of quality. I know of writers who have paid between one and two thousand dollars for editing services and had their manuscripts come back riddled with typos and inconsistencies. When it comes to hiring professional editors it’s definitely a case of buyer beware.
Also keep in mind that if you sell your novel to a traditional publishing house, they will instigate another round of developmental editing as well as line and copy editing, so be prepared to edit your novel all over again.
2. Line Editing - The Way You Use Language
A line edit focuses on the prose and the way that you use language, rather than story structure. Do your sentences flow? Is the imagery fresh and vivid? Are your word choices in keeping with the tone of the novel? A line editor also looks for; redundant information, overused words, run-on sentences, action that is unclear, dialogue that can be tightened and clunky phrasing, to name a few things.
3. Copy Editing - Polishing Your Prose
Copy editing means that you have finished the developmental editing stage of your manuscript. You are making no more changes to either structure or the writing. It is time to polish that prose and make sure it adheres to industry-standard conventions for grammar, spelling, syntax, and punctuation.
Copy editors have a tough job. They need to have an eye for the overarching structure and elements of your book whilst also having meticulous attention to detail and a love for technical writing.
A good copyeditor is worth their weight in gold. Sometimes the titles copyeditor and proofreader are used interchangeably, but they really are two very different things. A copyeditor ensures that every element of your story is consistent, cohesive, and complete.
Copy editing includes fact checking, continuity checking, as well as checking the character descriptions, and setting remains consistent. A copyeditor will also point out problems with the plot and character arcs.
On the technical side a copyeditor also checks for errors in grammar, spelling, syntax, and punctuation, as well as ensuring consistency in spelling, capitalization, font usage, numerals, hyphenation. You don’t want to skip copy editing your book before publishing it or sending it to literary agents.
4. Proof Reading – A Final Check
Proof reading is the final stage of editing and should only be done after you are sure no other changes will be made to the copy. Proof reading is looking for superficial mistakes like typographical errors and punctuation errors. It is almost impossible to effectively proofread your own work. You will almost always see what should be there rather than what is there. It is best to hire a professional proofreader, someone who is experienced and has an eye for the job. Proofreading is the final check before your book is uploaded to platforms or sent to literary agents or publishing houses. A proofreader’s job is to check for little mistakes that have slipped through all the other rounds of editing.
If you send your book to a proofreader and it has too many mistakes or inconsistencies, they may send it back to you for more editing.
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