There's a pervasive myth that writing is solitary, but that's just not true. Every traditionally published book (and most of the self-published ones) has been read by several people who gave the author feedback before it got to you! How incredible is that?

So how does editing fit it in? The editor plays a key role in giving the author feedback and providing them tools to enrich their book. Let's take a closer look!

A manuscript generally goes through three kinds of editing.

The three most common types of editing a manuscript will go through are developmental editing, line editing, and copyediting. This ensures the book has been reviewed during different phases of publishing.

Let’s take a look at how each kind of editing fits into the process.

Developmental Editing

Developmental editing (also called substantive editing) focuses on a novel’s structure, logic, and story-level elements. At this point, an editor will give you feedback about the plot, pacing, character arcs, and themes. The goal of a developmental edit is to make sure the bones of your story are solid. A reader will forgive a few typos but they won’t keep reading if they don’t find your characters believable.

Line Editing

Line editing is all about the language. Your editor will look at your writing at the sentence and paragraph levels to ensure your words aren’t only telling the story but enhancing it. They’ll focus on the mood, flow, and tone of the writing in each paragraph. Make sure you’re happy with all your story elements before doing line edit, or you may find yourself cutting words you worked hard on.

Copyediting

Copyediting is the nit-picky grammar editing. At this stage, your editor is checking the manuscript for grammatical correctness, consistency, and language clarity. Grammar is important here, but it’s actually not everything. Your copy editor is the person who makes sure every single name is spelled correctly, that there’s no confusion about who “she” is in any given sentence, and that December 10, 1983 was actually a Saturday.

Each kind of editing serves a specific purpose and is done at a different stage in a book’s journey.

If you’re curious to know more about editing and what kinds of problems an editor can help you solve, book a discovery call with me. We’ll discuss your novel and how I can help you specifically!

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