Differences in Editing
Working with an editor is life changing for a book project. Authors can only take their titles so far before they need an outside perspective to ask new questions and to help flush out plot lines. It can be confusing to figure out what type of editing you need, especially if this is your first book. Each genre is going to be slightly different on how editing works, so for this blog’s purpose we will be talking about fiction books.
Proofreading
This is the final stage of editing a book goes through before it’s sent off to the presses. A proofreader will check to make sure no errors have slipped past (but hey, there still might be some, even bestsellers can have errors in them) and that everything is readable. You’ll want to hire a professional proofreader instead of relying on spellcheck as that program won’t catch the difference between their, there, and they’re.
Writing Coach
While this type of editing is unusual for fiction books, this may be an avenue to explore for a book series and you have an established editor. For example, if you’re working with a traditional publisher, your editor for the first book may then guide you in the creation of the second book and review chapters as you write. If you’re independently publishing, the editor for you first book may be available for this model since they know the characters and your author voice and can help flush out the content at an early stage. Working with a writing coach can help cut down on the different types of editing as you’ll likely just need a copyedit and proofread once you’re done.
Structural Edit
A structural edit is getting into the nitty gritty of your book and reshaping the full storyline. The editor will usually work with you in different sections and will help you rewrite key scenes, and identify what parts of the book need to stay and what parts need to go. This is a complicated edit, which can get expensive if you’re paying for it yourself, so keep that in mind. This type of edit is really best for fantasy books or other novels that have many plot lines woven in or intricate world building.
Developmental/Content Edit
A developmental edit (also called a content edit in some cases) is looking at the overall book plot. The editor goes through the book chapter-by-chapter and asks questions regarding timeline, character arcs, and more. This is the type of edit most people will do and you’ll want an editor who has worked on similar genres. For example, I developmental edit young adult fiction and romance books as those are the two genres I read the most of. The best time to do this edit is after you’ve done at least two rounds of edits yourself and asked some Beta Readers to take a look. You’ll then want to hire the editor, then do another few Beta Readers before moving on to copyediting and proofreading. Most developmental editors do not handle the final copyediting and proofreading.
If you’re interested in working with me as an editor, check out my Upwork profile here and Fivver here. You can also email me at hello@thereadingchamber.com. I’ll be adding my editorial services to the website down the line!
Copyedit
Copyediting is line editing to check for grammar, sentence structure, and other errors. This is the type of editing you’ll do once your book is finalized so no major plot points are changing, chapters are where you want them, and character development is complete. It’s a great idea to have a few rounds of copyedits so that if you change any sentences, you can have another set of eyes on it to make sure the new sentence is correct.
Having a professional editor is incredibly important no matter which avenue of publishing you’re pursuing. If you have any questions, let me know if the comments and I’m happy to help!
