Which Editor Do You Need?
Do you know the difference between a developmental editor, content editor, structural editor, line editor, copy editor, and proofreader? I bet you didn't realize there were so many different types of editing, right?
To make it easier for you to decide which type of editor you need, view the different types and stages of editing below. You can choose your editor based on your needs and the editing stage you are currently at in your book-writing journey.
Developmental Editing:
What is it:
- The first stage in the editing process is concerned with the actual meat of your story. It looks at big-picture elements like plot, characterization, POV, structure, scene vs. summary, tension, character arcs—you name it—and how you can make your story as strong and engaging as possible.
What they do:
- Developmental editing involves looking at the overall organization and strength of your draft.
- What a developmental editor does is read through your entire piece and suggest changes that your entire short story, article, or book needs.
- If your piece under scrutiny is a fiction piece, the editor evaluates your story’s themes, plot points, tension, and other important things.
- So, if you are a developmental editor, your job is to scan the manuscript for plot holes and determine whether the tension in the story is good enough to make it exciting or whether a character or a set of characters is boring. of characters are boring.
- If you are a new writer and you give your manuscript to a developmental editor to critique your story, chances are high that he’s going to say a few hurtful things but offer you some great insights.
Outcome:
Developmental, structural, or story editing is the shaping stage where these plot, character, narration, and pacing decisions are made such that the reader is driven to turn the page and complete their experience.
Stage 1 of the Editing Process
Focus: Content - big picture edit.
Looks at:
- Content & coherence
- Structure & organization
- Writing style & tone
- Focus & clarity
- What needs further work
- What is weak & can be built up
- What are the strengths
- Consistency - that language, tone & style matches your target audience.
- If the work is well-written, engaging &effective in communicating your message to your readers.
- How to enhance the content.
- Provides suggestions & feedback on the content & overall structure, pacing, voice, and perspective.
- How to shape & improve the overall content, structure & style.
- The book's market potential.
Developmental Editing is:
- More collaborative than the other types of edits.
- Costs more than a copy edit or proofread.
- Can include the services of a line & copy editor, manuscript evaluator, and writing coach.
STRUCTURAL EDITING?
- The name structural editing is self-explanatory: this is the type of editing that involves looking at the story’s structure., performing tasks like improving clarity, sorting out grammatical issues, improving the overall flow and structure, etc
- Most developmental editors also do structural editing, but they’re not the same thing.
- Structural editors read your manuscript and try to give it the kind of structure that might best suit the kind of story you’re telling.
- Structural editors consider a lot of factors before editing your manuscript. They look at your target audience, your career goals, book promotion, et cetera.
- After looking at these factors, a structural editor restructures your entire piece to fit your goals. The restructuring process involves a lot of things; for example, the editor might remove some content from your draft and offer some recommendations about the type of content that needs to be added to the book.
- To do this, the editor needs to engage you on your goals for the book and then review the overall structure of your book based on the goals you outline.
- After that, they start working on the manuscript—performing tasks like improving clarity, sorting out grammatical issues, improving the overall flow and structure, et cetera.
Line Editing
What Is It?
Line editing is concerned with language side of your story, and usually occurs during or after content editing. It focuses on elevating your craft through a combination of grammar and style, with attention to tone, syntax, word choice, rhythm, and flow.
What They Do:
- Line and copy editing, although often confused, are not the same thing.
- If you’re doing line editing, you usually focus on prose from a style perspective, hence the term stylistic editing.
- A line editor looks at content and flow and considers issues like word choice, sentence structure, the tense used, among other ‘stylistic aspects’ of your prose.
- They often give you feedback about how your and sounds and how effective your word choice is in making that prose a sweet read.
Stage 2 of the Editing Process
Focus: Content
Looks at:
- Individual paragraphs & sentences.
- Where to cut & rearrange sentences.
- How to hone the writing to make it stronger.
- Ensuring the intended meaning is communicated effectively & accurately.
- Tightening up wordy passages.
- Enhancing word choices.
- Improving the pace & flow of writing.
Outcome: Line editing is the smoothing stage where sense is checked and flow mastered such that the reader is driven to stay on the page and immerse themselves in the story’s world.
Copyediting
What Is It?
Copyediting focuses on the grammatical and technical aspects of your writing. It aims to catch inconsistencies and errors while using a style guide—typically the Chicago Manual of Style for fiction works—to ensure that spelling and other elements remain the same throughout your manuscript. It is usually the final stage of editing before layout, typesetting, and proofreading.
What They Do:
- Unlike line editing, it doesn’t focus on your prose from a style perspective; rather, it looks at it from a mechanical perspective.
- A copy editor checks your work for grammatical errors, capitalization, spelling, inconsistencies, and other error-finding tasks, i.e., fact-checking.
- A line edit improves the coherency, readability, consistency, clarity, and correctness of your book. By looking at minute details, a copy editor ensures that there’s no chaff in your work.
Stage 3 of the Editing Process
Focus: Mechanical consistency
Looks at:
- syntax
- grammar
- spelling
- punctuation
- continuity
- word choice
- elimination of repetition
- proper use of citations
- if the work abides by relevant style guides.
Outcome: Copyediting is the correcting stage where inconsistent or incorrect spelling, grammar, and punctuation are attended to
Proofreading
What Is It?
Proofreading is the last step in your manuscript before publication, intended to catch any lingering errors or typos that slip through the cracks during edits and revisions. It can be done before or after layout and typesetting, but if done after, it can also catch formatting errors like missing page numbers or incorrect fonts.
What They Do:
- What they basically do is search for typos and misplaced punctuation, point or sort out some layout issues, look at formatting issues (i.e., headings, tables of figures, page breaks, etc.).
- Sometimes, the printing process exposes differences between the soft and hard copy versions of your book, so most proofreaders work with the printed version to identify issues that may have been introduced during the design of the book.
Stage 5 of the Editing Process
Focus: Mechanical element
- Looks at: Polishing up the m/s before printing or publishing.
- Checks:
- punctuation
- grammar
- spelling
- typos
- formatting
Outcome: Proofreading is the quality-control stage where any final literal errors and layout problems are flagged up such that the book is fit for publication.
The order of play
There’s a logical order of play when it comes to editing. Think of it like building a house.
- Developmental editing is like laying the foundations and building the structure.
- Line editing and copyediting are like plastering the brickwork, painting the walls, and sanding the floorboards.
- Proofreading is where you move in the furniture and fill in any tiny cracks that have appeared.
Swap the order around and you’ll end up in a pickle. At best you’ll waste time; at worst you’ll waste money.
*I provide line editing, copyediting, and proofreading services.*