Levels of editing, defined

Each stage requires its own level of editing.

My specialities, line editing and copyediting, occur later in the publishing process.

Developmental editing

Also known as content, substantive or structural editing

Developmental editing should be done early in the writing process. It has a very broad approach and is the type of editing that requires the most subjective recommendations.

Developmental editing can result in significant rewriting. 

Developmental editors look at a variety of areas: 

• Is the story thoroughly developed and paced well?
• Are the voice and style appropriate for the intended audience?
• Are there elements that will pull the reader out of the story or turn them off completely?
• Do the timelines work?
• Do sub-plots contribute to or distract from the main story line?
• Are back stories, descriptions and names consistent from beginning to end?
• Are the characters described well and are their speech patterns, abilities and behaviors believable?

Line editing

One of my specialities

Line editing happens after developmental editors, beta readers and critique partners weigh in and their recommendations have been incorporated into the latest draft of the manuscript.

The line editor makes sure the story is easy to follow and recommends solutions where it’s not, like rearranging sentences or paragraphs and rewriting small passages. They will also pay close attention to consistency in the details.

The editor recommends alternative words when the original is not quite accurate, and suggests solutions for elements that seem out of order or incomplete. They also flag trademarked terms and items that may require fact-checking or copyright permissions.

Line editing can easily tip over into developmental editing.

Copyediting

One of my specialities​

Copyediting is for very clean manuscripts, on the last draft before they're formatted for publishing. 

At this stage, copyediting focuses on smaller, more mechanical elements like punctuation, spelling, capitalization, grammar, word usage, and missing or repeated words.

The editor also flags anything that seems unclear or likely to pull the reader out of the narrative. The copyeditor uses dictionaries, style manuals and other reference materials to guide decision-making.

Copyediting and line editing are often done simultaneously.

Proofreading

The last reading of page proofs before publishing​​

Proofreading is a separate task that’s done after all edits are incorporated and the book has been formatted for publishing.

Changes made in proofreading should be very small and infrequent. It’s intended to catch typos or punctuation errors that were missed, or the occasional artifact that can result from transferring text into the layout program.

A proofreader will identify and fix formatting issues in the table of contents, running heads, page numbers, line breaks, page breaks, spacing between words and between lines, and more.

Changes to the manuscript at this stage can significantly alter the layout and affect publishing timelines and costs, so the manuscript should be thoroughly edited before this point in the process.