Each and Every Letter

Probably when most people think of editing, they think of punctuation and typos. What most people want an editor to do is give their manuscript a quick read and catch any spelling errors or missing commas. And if that’s all an editor does, why not just use Grammarly or the spelling and grammar check on your word processor?

Of course, spelling and punctuation are huge parts of editing.

But editing a book is a much more nuanced process than catching typos.

Copyediting

This is what most people think of when they think of editing. Copyediting is a thorough, line-by-line inspection of your manuscript to eliminate errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, tense, etc. At this stage, an editor will also clean up any sentences that might read awkwardly. If you’re a Christian author and have used Scripture in your manuscript, a copy editor should check your Scripture against your chosen Bible translation to ensure verses are quoted accurately.

A good copyeditor will also look at word usage and remove repeated or unnecessary words and redundancy in your writing. For example, “The manager made the very unique choice to decide to manage the situation closely himself rather than delegate to his assistant.” If something is unique, it is already unique. It can’t be “very” unique or “extremely” unique. If the manager made a choice, then he decided. He doesn’t need to decide to make a choice or make a choice to decide. These are the same actions. Since the word “manager” appears at the beginning of the sentence, the second appearance of the word “manage” could be switched to watch, handle, oversee, etc.

Developmental Editing

This is the kind of editing that many people aren’t familiar with and skip. However, this is where your editor can become your partner in putting together a polished book that will communicate your message clearly and effectively.

Developmental editing is a big-picture edit that looks at the flow and readability of your overall manuscript. It takes into consideration your target audience and how that audience will receive your message. It looks at how ideas flow throughout the manuscript. It looks at content that might be repeated in multiple places in the book. For example, you make an important point in chapter 3, and later, in chapter 9, you unintentionally make a similar point. A developmental edit will look at continuity and consistency in your writing.

Sometimes, developmental editing involves rearranging content, and sometimes, developmental editing involves rewriting or writing new content. An editor may do this directly or point the author to places where the writing could be clearer.

Does developmental editing change your book? Yes and no. A good developmental editor will edit and write with the author’s voice in mind at all times. The goal is not to change the message but to enhance it—to bring out the message so that there is nothing hindering the reader’s experience.

A good developmental editor will become a partner with you in moving your book along to be the best it can be. Developmental editing won’t—and shouldn’t—weed out the grammar and punctuation errors. It will elevate your book to be more cohesive, concise, and marketable so that you can connect with more readers.

Editorial Assessment

Now, in some cases, if an author has not done their due diligence in writing, a book may need a major overhaul. If you’ve written a book and you’re not sure what kind of editing it needs, an Editorial Assessment might be a good first step. This is a high-level look at your manuscript to determine any major work that needs to be done. The assessment will provide the strengths and weaknesses of your book, as well as next steps. It is not a full developmental edit but an opportunity for a professional to examine the manuscript before paying for editing. If you have an incomplete manuscript or are still working from an outline, an editorial assessment can put you on the right track to finishing. The editorial assessment is a much more affordable option and can help you refine your manuscript to save money on future editing services.

Proofreading

Finally, finally, finally, there is proofreading. Proofreading only happens after your book has had a professional edit and is formatted and ready for print. I get quite a few requests for proofreading and turn most of them down before the book isn’t ready to head out the door into the world. Proofreading is a final final (yes, excuse my redundancy) step. Your manuscript should be scrutinized and polished and in its final state, ready to launch into the world. If you haven’t had any other editing done to your work, then it probably isn’t ready for proofreading. If your book has been edited and formatted, and you are ready to upload it on Amazon, then proofreading is the right step for you. A proofreader will inspect your book for any lingering typos or punctuation errors. A proofreader will also look at the final formatting and make sure the spacing looks correct, and you don’t have stranded single lines at the top of pages or odd subheading placement. The proofreading stage is not a time for rewriting. It is only a final overview of the content to eliminate errors. Final. There, I said it one more time.

If you have finished your manuscript and are ready for editing, congratulations! It’s an exciting step toward publishing. You’ve done the hard work of brainstorming, researching, outlining, writing, and rewriting to complete your manuscript. Editing is the next step on your publishing journey. Whatever type of editing you choose, I promise it is worth the price tag. In the long run, you will have a more professional, more marketable book, which means your important message or your inspiring story will be read by more people. Isn’t that the goal?