Being an author is not an easy job; you don’t only write a book, but you also have to ensure that your book is a refined literary piece, and editing is one of the important steps in this process. Everyone knows that it is crucial to choose the right editor for your book, but it is also important for authors to know some important details about book editing so they can make an informed decision.

If you are an author, especially a new one, having trouble editing, we will guide you about four of the most prominent types of editing (in our opinion) and what a book editor does to make things easier for you. So, let’s begin:

1. Developmental Editing

Developmental editing is usually the first step in editing a novel. You might know it as substantive editing or content editing. In this type of editing, a developmental editor analyzes the whole first manuscript and provides a report on it, which takes a broad look into the overall structure of the manuscript. Writers use that report as a guide to develop the content as it focuses on what works and what does not.

This type of editing gives you an insight into plot holes, issues related to characters and confusing narratives. In other words, it helps refine the plot, subplots, structure, and characters in the book.

However, if you are confident about your book plot, you do not need this high level of book editing. But if you are doubtful about the clarity of your plot or you are a new author, a developmental editor can help you significantly.

2. Line Editing

Also known as stylistic editing, line editing deals with the style of your script. Your editor focuses on everything from the flow of your writing to sentence formation to tense, description and other stylistic aspects that are vital for an enjoyable reading experience. Simply put, line editing helps provide the much-needed flow to your content by editing your stylistic choices.

Now, when should you go for line editing? If you are not happy with your stylistic choices in the initial writing or you think some paragraphs or even sentences do not convey what you want them to or don’t offer any value, a line editor can help.

3. Copy Editing

Copy-editing focuses on your book’s mechanics and aims at providing a more polished version of the content. It is not like line editing; where line editing deals with the stylistic aspect of the manuscript, this one focuses on grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes. But that is not all copy editing is limited to; a copy editor also checks for dialogue tags, proper capitalization, subject-verb agreement and consistency.

For example, if you write a character’s name wrong, copy editor will fix it. Your editor will also suggest better word choices to refine your content. In our opinion, copy editing is a must for every book because no matter how many drafts you go through, there can still be mistakes. So, it is best to let the specialist do the job.

4. Proofreading

Proofreading can be considered the final step in the editing process. It makes sure your manuscript is ready to publish with no mistakes remaining.  It is like copy editing but goes even further as a proofreader looks at every little thing like words, periods, commas, page numbers, captions and even scene breaks. A proofreader will also look at formatting; your inconsistent use of italics will be under their radar.

Proofreading is a must for all types of books. There are very few people who can write, edit and proofread their work. Also, your attachment to your material makes it difficult for you to be objective. So, for best results, you should let the professional proofreader do the job.

Bottom Line

As an author, your journey does not end with the last sentence typed; rather, it is the beginning of the editing journey. Selecting the right editor for your book is crucial, but understanding the various types of editing and their roles in refining your manuscript is equally important. There are several types of book editing; here, we have mentioned the four most common ones that would help an author of any genre. We hope our little guide on book editing was helpful to you.