The 4 Types of Editing Every Book Needs

Hats off to you, you’ve finished writing your book! Or have you? Now that the initial draft is ready, there’s almost as much (if not more) work to be done. Do not despair, my friend. With a bit of an effort on your side and the help of a couple of professionals, you will have the best version of your book.

In this article I focus on the four main types of editing every book needs. All four types are essential for creating a complete, well-thought, final product. (I know you probably hate calling your book “a product”, but if you want to make any sales, you need to be able to think this way. We’ll talk about marketing in another article.)

Self Editing

Most creative writing teachers recommend that once you are done with the first draft of your manuscript, you have to put it away for at least a couple of weeks. And it makes sense. You’ve been so emerged in the story, in the world you’ve built, you probably feel like the characters are in the room with you having tea. That’s why it’s important that you step away for a while. 

When you return to your manuscript, you’ll be able to get a fresh perspective. You might even read some passages and say, “What was I thinking?” And that’s okay. It’s better than okay, that’s the purpose, and you have to trust the process. Now is the time to rewrite, revise, and revisit. There is a dialogue that doesn’t contribute to the storyline? Delete. A character too weak? Rewrite. Or delete. It’s your creation and you can do with it whatever you want. Fix the inconsistencies you see. Improve language whenever possible. Yes, you will have an editor (or maybe even more than one), but you still need to make sure you are giving them the best version of your manuscript. This might take you a couple of passes.

Developmental/Structural Editing

Once you decide you are done self editing, it’s time to get some professional eyes examine your manuscript. Developmental or structural editing focuses on the big picture: plot and subplots, characters arc, story pace, world building, setting, etc. The editor will give you their overall take-on of the manuscript. They will point the good and the bad stuff. And make no mistake, there will be bad stuff. And, again, that is okay! Don’t take it personally, don’t get offended. Thank them for doing their job diligently. Editors don’t enjoy criticising authors, we want to help them succeed and show them how to improve and utilise the great potential of their story.

The developmental editing usually results in an editorial letter offering general feedback as well as commenting on the points mentioned above (structure, plot, characters, etc.). Sometimes the editor can leave additional comments in the actual manuscript to highlight examples from the editorial letter. At this point, the editor is not making any changes to the manuscript. They can make improvement suggestions, highlight inconsistencies, throw ideas or try to get you in a specific mindset.

After you receive the editorial letter, it’s time to roll up your sleeves again. But don’t rush into anything. Read it and give it a few days to sync in. Read it again. Reflect on it. Meditate, if that’s your thing. Don’t push yourself to fix a plot hole if you don’t see a way out. The solution will surprise you when you expect it the least. 

When this step is completed, move on to the micro-level editing, called copy or line editing.

Copy & Line Editing

Some editors and literary professionals say copy and line editing are the same. Others say they are two different types of editing. I’m somewhere in the middle. Let me explain what I mean. Even though there’s a difference between these two (I’ll clarify in a bit), I just can’t imagine doing one without the other. That’s why, in my services, copy and line editing are combined in one service.

Let’s see what is the main difference. With line editing, the editor focuses on making sure the writing is clear and tight and also improves the flow of the manuscript. It is also called stylistic editing. With copy editing, the editor focuses on a detailed, technical improvements to make sure the writing is as tight and complete as possible (see any similarities?). The copyeditor will also check grammar, spelling, punctuation and correct usage of words and phrases. Since both focus on improving the language, the words and the sentences, I just can’t bring myself to separate them - simply because both have the same purpose in my view.

Proofreading

Proofreading should be the last step of your path to publishing. Although, correcting grammar, spelling and punctuation is a part of the copyediting, it is often advised you have at least one last round of proofreading by a fresh pair of eyes. This is to ensure no errors are left undiscovered. Don’t skip this step. It’s just as crucial as any of the other three. You’ll thank me later ;) I’m sure you don’t want to see poor reviews because of a few typos, when you have nailed the perfect story.

Honorable mentions

Beta Readers

This is not technically editing, but it’s equally important part of the process. Even though beta readers are not mandatory, most of the times it’s extremely beneficial to have them.

Beta readers are a group of people that read your manuscript and give you feedback. They are not professionals, but it helps if they are avid readers and have read at least a few books in your genre.

My advice is to not have your friends and family beta read for you. You can still share your manuscript and ask for their opinion, but they might feel awkward criticising or giving their honest opinion if they think they might hurt your feelings.

The time to utilise beta readers is after you’re done with the developmental editing cycle (this means you’ve addressed all the notes from your editor, regardless if you decided to make changes or ignore them).

It’s a good idea to prepare a questionnaire with open questions. They might be general, like “What did you think of the story?” or more specific when there’s a particular part that bothers you, but you are not sure why. You can also ask or instruct your beta readers to leave comments in your manuscript about things they did or did not enjoy, parts that confused them or didn’t make sense, the way certain scenes or dialogues make them feel, etc. 

These were the four types of editing every manuscript needs. I hope you find this article useful and it helped clarify the editing process. If you are in need of copy/line editing or proofreading, feel free to get in touch. I offer free 1,000-words sample, low costs and sincere dedication to your manuscript.