Understanding the Different Types of Book Editing

If the word “editing” makes you think of dictionaries and red pens, you’re not exactly wrong. It’s a profession that can have quite a bit to do with correcting grammar. But you might not have known that editors take on a wide range of roles and responsibilities at different stages in the publishing process.

To help explain the different phases of editing, I like to think of creating a book as building a house. For many writers, the process starts with an outline or mind map, much like a builder would develop a blueprint before starting construction. The actual writing — often the hardest part — is a lot like standing up the walls, laying the bricks and installing the roof. And then comes the editing: All of the work that goes into making sure the house is livable, functional and inviting, from testing the electrical system to putting in the crown molding.

In today’s post, we’re taking a tour of your literary house to break down the four traditional types of book editing: Developmental editing, line editing, copy editing and proofreading. Now, the definitions for these terms aren’t set in stone, and every editor has a slightly different take. That’s why it’s important to clarify what an editor offers and how their services fit with your needs.

The graphic below shows how I’d personally map out the process:

Some manuscripts will go through all of these phases, and others only a few. Regardless, it’s important to know what they are so you can decide what you do — and don’t — need. So without further ado, let’s dig into what each type of editing entails.

Developmental Editing

Once your manuscript is complete and has gone through a few rounds of self-editing, it’s primed for a developmental edit. The goal of this type of editing is to make a big picture assessment of the book’s content to address any overarching storytelling issues. So in terms of our analogy, the developmental editing phase is about making sure the frame and foundation of your house are strong. (Luckily, manuscripts are much easier to rework and rearrange than rooms and walls are.)

Here are some of the things a good developmental editor focuses on when working through a manuscript:

• Plot: The sequence of events that make up your story. A developmental editor might comment on plot holes, issues with believability or the quality of the driving conflict in your plot.

• Structure: How the events in your plot are arranged. Structure is especially important if you’re dealing with multiple perspectives, more than one time period or pieces of information that must be strategically revealed to the reader.

• Character Development: How the people in your story are portrayed. Do the characters have clearly defined personalities and motivations? Are their decisions consistent with what we know about them? How have they grown or changed by the end of the book?

• Point of View: The perspective from which the story is told. Most books are written in either third person (he/she/they) or first person (I), but some are also written in second person (you). The key is making sure your reader understands who the narrator is at any given point in the book, especially if you’re switching between perspectives.

• Pacing: How quickly or slowly the story unfolds. If your reader feels bored or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, disoriented at any point in the book, the issue could be with your pacing.

• Scene Dynamics: How your scenes are structured and how characters interact within them. It can apply to dialogue, conflict, action, setting — basically all of the things that make a scene interesting or not-so-interesting. A developmental editor can help you pinpoint why a scene isn’t working and how to fix it.

• Narrative Arc: The overall path of your story. You might recognize the archetypes of “rags to riches” or “the hero’s quest.” These are examples of narrative arcs that create the skeleton for your story’s beginning, middle and end.

These concepts apply mostly to fiction books, but developmental editing can be incredibly helpful for nonfiction authors, too. A nonfiction developmental editor can help evaluate whether your book has a clearly defined goal and target audience, whether the text is organized in a way that’s easy to follow and understand, and how effectively you’ve made your argument.

You might have noticed that my cute little graphic (above) also lists manuscript evaluation. I’m not breaking this out as a separate section because the manuscript evaluation is essentially a pared down developmental edit. This can be a great tool to help authors decide if their project needs more editing, or to gauge their prospects of selling the manuscript traditionally. Some writers do this at the beginning of the process, while others wait until the book is publication ready. Another type of editorial work that could fall under developmental editing is sensitivity reading, which focuses on addressing bias, offensive content and misrepresentation in your text.

It’s important to remember that developmental editors usually won’t provide detailed feedback on language and grammar — that happens in the next phase.

Line Editing

Now that your house is standing strong and any cracks in the foundation have been filled, you can start thinking about details like paint colors, window dressings and lighting fixtures. In literary terms, you’re ready for line editing. This editing phase concentrates on the flow and style of your writing, paying attention to how your phrasing, word choice and description affect the story and the reader’s experience. A good line editor combs through your text sentence by sentence to address concerns around syntax, repetition, tenses and dialogue, and identifies sections that are overwritten and could be cut down.

Line editing can be a controversial topic. Some editors would define it as an aspect of copy editing rather than its own category. It can also straddle the line (pun intended) between editing content and editing language, because issues with the cadence of your writing can contribute to issues with big picture elements like structure and point of view. My personal approach is to perform line editing and copy editing in tandem, but I still view them as separate tasks.

Copy Editing

If you’re new to the world of publishing, copy editing is the type of editing you’re likely most familiar with. Copy editors fix spelling and grammar mistakes, yes, but they also make sure elements like names, dates and locations are treated consistently throughout the text. They perform basic fact checking (to confirm your plot doesn’t hinge on a type of technology that wasn’t yet invented in the year in which your book is set, for example) and flag any passages that are confusing or need clarification.

In the literary house we’re building, I think of copy editing as perfecting your curb appeal. Are any stones missing from the front path? Have all of your shutters been painted the same color? These are some pretty silly examples, but you get the idea. Copy editing is the phase that ensures your manuscript is clear, consistent and accurate.

Proofreading

Using our analogy, proofreading would be akin to the final home inspection before you’re ready to hand over the keys or set out the for sale sign. This phase typically happens after the manuscript has been typeset (formatted for publication) and ensures that the text is as error- and typo-free as possible. A proofreader checks for spelling, grammar and punctuation, but they’re also looking at things like indentation, line spacing and page numbers.

Virtually every manuscript should go through a proofread. Yes, even if it’s already been copy edited. Why? Because we are all human and (sadly) all humans make mistakes, including us editors. Errant punctuation marks and extra spaces will likely be more visible to a trained set of eyes than to a pair of eyes that have been reading and re-reading the text for months. Proofreading acts as your final line of defense.

Once the proofread is finished, you’re ready to put your house — er, manuscript on the market.

Which type of editing do I need?

In an ideal world, every manuscript would go through each of these four phases of editing. But I know that’s not feasible for all writers, especially if you’re footing the bill for self-publication. Still, it’s important to get as many outside perspectives as you can before the book is finalized.

If there’s only room in your budget for one type of editing, spend the money on the area where you need the most help. There’s a wealth of resources online to help you with what you can’t pay for, including partner critique and beta reading groups, self-paced courses and how-to books.

Before hiring a professional editor, make sure to clarify exactly what services they provide, and definitely take advantage of a sample edit when it’s on offer. (I personally offer prospective clients a choice between a free consultation or a free sample edit.) This is especially important if you’re not sure what you need, because the sample edit allows the editor to gauge your needs and how they can help, while you get a sense of their approach. You might think you need “just a copy edit,” but an editor may advise that significant developmental editing is necessary.

It’s better to find this out sooner rather than later, for both your sakes.