I just finished working on a book on a budget, and that project reminded me of a valuable lesson – don’t take shortcuts on having your book edited. Sometimes you get what you don’t pay for. There’s nothing more frustrating to an author than spending a couple thousand dollars on printing a book only to learn from early readers that the story isn’t right and/or the book is riddled with errors.
So here’s a refresher on the types of editing that every author needs, especially when starting out or writing in a new genre:
- Developmental Editing
- Copyediting
- Proofreading
Developmental Editing
Developmental editing (a.k.a. substantive editing, content editing) starts with a macro view of the manuscript and then takes a deep dive into improving it. That includes examining structure and plot, theme, characters, setting, motivations, voice, genre tropes, etc.
I use the term “pass” (or “round” of editing) to describe how the process works:
- The editor reviews the manuscript and provides edits and a memo with extensive editorial notes for how to improve the manuscript at the macro level.
- The author works from those notes to revise the manuscript.
A good developmental edit should include a minimum of two passes, with the author returning the manuscript to the editor for feedback in a second pass.
A developmental edit ain’t cheap, folks, but it may be one of the best investments you can ever make to give your book its best shot at getting readers.
Why this is important: You want readers to LOVE your book, right?
Cost: $45-$70+/hour or 3-7 cents per word
Who can benefit?
- First-time or relatively new authors
- Authors writing in a new genre
- Authors switching from fiction to nonfiction or vice versa.
Copyediting and Line Editing
Some professionals make a distinction between line editing and copyediting, which are the micro phases of editing:
- Line editing is a line-by-line (duh!) examination of syntax, continuity, “clunky” phrasing or word choice (yes, “clunky” is an official editing term!), transitions, voice, tone, etc.
- Copyediting is sometimes considered to be more technical, examining grammar, punctuation, spelling, usage, tense, continuity, and even some fact-checking.
I tend to conflate the two under the umbrella of “copyediting,” because that’s how I learned to edit from the get-go. I’ve always likened copyediting to running a comb (pencil) through tangled hair (manuscript) to get it all smooth and shiny.
Why this is important: There’s nothing like typos or eyes being “blue” on one page and then “brown” on the next to make a reader quit reading and then take you to task by writing a bad review.
Cost: $45-$50/hour or 3-5 cents per word
Who can benefit? Any author! Copyediting should always be a part of revising a manuscript for publication.
Proofreading
Before your book is printed, proofreading is a must. It’s a nod back to the early days of printing when proofs were printed and then reviewed by an eagle-eyed editor before printing. A good proofreader will look your manuscript or page proofs over one final time to catch errors in spelling, punctuation, continuity, etc. For a book that has been formatted for print or as an e-book, the proofreader can also look out for breaks between pages to ensure a word hasn’t been dropped; chapter numbers, pagination, cross-checking a table of contents, the placement of images or graphics, etc.
With tracking changes being so common in editing, I’d strongly recommend having a proofreader review your manuscript before your book is formatted. Tracking changes can create annoying little mistakes, such as punctuation errors or incorrect spacing between words. Then I’d recommend a second proofread after the book is formatted just in case anything slipped through. And it might be a good idea to use two different proofreaders – the more eyes, the better, I say!
If your book has an index, an extra round of proofreading to cross-check the index page numbers once the book is paginated can be well worth the extra cost.
Why this is important: Again, mistakes can drag your book down and frustrate readers.
Cost: $30-$40/hour or 2-3 cents per word
Who can benefit? Again, any author! Proofreading be the final step in preparing a manuscript for submission or publication.
But Cyndi, What If I’m on Budget?
I know, I know — that money thing. Keep in mind that the three most important things to budget for, especially if you’re self-publishing, are:
- Editing
- A book cover that fits your genre and is legible as a thumbnail
- A strong book description (sometimes called a “blurb”)
If you get those three things right, you are giving your book its best chance to find its perfect readers.
That being said, here are some ideas for cost savings:
- Look for an editor who offers manuscript critiques (also called evaluations or assessments). Here at we offer manuscript critiques for either partial (up to 40,000 words) or full (up to 80,000 words) manuscripts. In a critique, we take a developmental look at the manuscript and give the author extensive editorial notes that can be used as a road map for revision. A critique does not include some of the hallmarks of developmental editing, such as detailed edits and perhaps some rewriting or moving scenes or paragraphs around. But you can often get valuable feedback through a critique.
- Join a reputable writing organization that offers courses, critiques, and networking with other authors. You can learn a LOT from the writers you meet there, and it’s a great way to meet other writers who would like to trade critiques for feedback on their work.
- Start or join a writing group with serious authors working in your genre and trade your work with them. (Note: From personal experience, I don’t recommend that novelists join a group with poets and short-story writers. Short-form and long-form writers can be friendly, but that combo is not very productive for either one!) If you can find writers who have been published, that’s even better. That’s not impossible – many authors are quite generous and supportive of beginning writers.
- Learn about self-editing. Self-editing is hard thing to do, especially when you’re first starting out as writer, but you can learn it. Check out the self-editing presentation I did for the Global Business Journalism Program at Tsinghua University for some tips at how to start (Note: I’m planning to turn that into a webinar later this year!). I also recommend Intuitive Editing, by Tiffany Yates Martin – it’s a gem for learning more about the editing process. Tiffany also offers some stellar webinars, such as “How to Train Your Editing Brain.”
Where to Find Editors
When shopping for any type of editor, please be aware that every editor has a different take on things, and inexperienced editors can sometimes lead you astray. Among the places where you can find reputable editors are:
- The Editorial Freelancers Association: You can create a job posting about your book, and editors will vie for your attention!
- Reedsy is another source for finding editors.
- Referrals from experienced authors
Over time, an author writing in a particular genre, like romance or thrillers, will gain enough experience to bypass the developmental edit. But they should never bypass copyediting or proofreading. When in doubt, find a good editor in each specialty — you (and your readers) will be glad you did.
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