Book editing is often a big part of the book publication process. However, many authors are unsure about whether or not they actually need it. So you just finished writing your book. Maybe it’s your first. Maybe you have done this a few times before. Whatever the case may be, I’m pretty sure you have some anxiety about whether or not you should go ahead and submit that book to a publisher before editing.
In this article, I discuss what the different types of book editing are. I also discuss the benefits of hiring a book editor and when to know if you actually need a book editor. Read on to learn about all the ins and outs of book editing.
What is book editing?
Book editing also known as manuscript editing is the process of having a professional editor review and correct the content of your manuscript at various stages. The type of editing is determined by the stage of the manuscript. Developmental editing has a rather complicated meaning.
However, for our purposes, we can think of it as being among the earliest stages of manuscript editing. It is a more drastic form of editing that involves written work being completely reorganized or rewritten. It can also mean your manuscript being edited at the concept stage. So this means the developmental editing stage is the furthest away from publication.
Let’s quickly list the various stages of editing before we look further into each one by one:
Developmental editing
Substantive editing
Proofreading
Developmental editing of your book can be described as existing one level above manuscript editing. It means that the work you have written thus far needs to be drastically revised, reorganized, and rewritten after editor feedback.
Substantive editing refers to editing on the sentence level. This means revising sentences to ensure that syntax, style, and rhythm are all correct. Nothing goes untouched. I mean except the pats of your manuscript that don’t need correcting. But this is decided only after a thorough review.
Proofreading is the last stage of editing. It refers to the stage of correction where the manuscript is transformed into the format in which it will be published but before publication. For example, PDF for journal manuscripts.
What are the different types of book editing?
Editing can be described as existing in stages or a process, with the first stage being developmental editing and the last stage being proofreading. In all, the three stages of editing are 1. Developmental editing; 2. Substantive editing; and 3. Proofreading.
Let’s take a look at what each stage entails. You are free to hire the help of a professional editor at any stage of the process of writing your manuscript.
1. Developmental editing
Developmental editing refers to the extensive revising and organizing of content in a manuscript. In the publishing industry, developmental editing is not seen as manuscript editing per se. Proper manuscript editing only occurs after the developmental editing has been executed.
The development editor may come into play before, during, or after the author writes and completes their manuscript. Developmental editors tackle matters having to do with content, organization, and genre.
They ensure that your content is up to standard and that your writing style matches with that of the genre in which you are writing. A big part of the developmental editing process is the “revision letter.” This is also known as the “editorial letter” or the “edit letter.”
The revision letter deals with the big picture of your manuscript. It clearly points out the major issues of your manuscript in terms of overall content, plot, and consistency in storytelling. Besides this, the editor may provide edits in your text as a model for you to follow.
This means you need to carry out the majority of the corrections on your own using the editor’s edits as the example. As you can see, developmental editing is not that clear-cut. There are various approaches to the process.
For instance, consider the “manuscript evaluation.” This describes a type of general critique of the content in your manuscript that is geared more toward delineating the problems as opposed to directly solving them. You may have to pay a separate service for direct editing of your content.
Then there are the “book doctors.” Book doctors do two things. They 1. Provide editorial feedback and 2. Make direct changes by rewriting and reorganizing the content in your book. They come quite close to being ghostwriters. Are they? Well, the key difference is that they edit text that has already been written. Ghostwriters begin with a blank page.
Here is a quick list of some of the tasks that a developmental editor may take on:
Shifting content from one chapter to another
Requesting additional material or content when deemed necessary from you the author
Fixing big-picture issues
Making the plot or characterization more sold or consistent
Sometimes, a developmental editor may have to step in close to the proofing stage. This may be because a publisher deems it necessary to carry out radical revisions to an author’s manuscript.
2. Substantive editing
Substantive book editing means content in a completed manuscript in the early stages when substantial revisions or changes are required. This means that the focus is on organizing and presenting content that you have already written. It normally includes the following:
Rewriting to repair style
Rewriting to remove ambiguity
Reorganizing parts of the manuscript that are incoherent
Adjusting or recasting tables
As can be seen, substantive editing involves major changes to your book. This means close communication with your editor is key. You need to make sure that your editor is on the same page as you.
Only after agreement and consensus between you the author and the editor, should the editor be allowed to go ahead with substantive editing.
3. Proofreading
Proofreading is when your book manuscript is edited for minor punctuation and grammar errors in the format in which it is going to be published but just before publication. Proofreading has two meanings: a general one and a publishing one.
In general, proofreading describes carefully reviewing every component of a manuscript to find and correct errors. A competent editor does this at every stage of editing. It has a much more specific meaning in the publishing industry. It means looking carefully for even the smallest errors in the final version of the manuscript.
The final version of the manuscript is the format in which your book will be published. This means the penultimate stage before publication. This may mean a PDF version of the manuscript for many book publishers.
The author typically has to carry out this level of editing. This is the stage after substantive editing. The editor will mark what should be corrected and the author will make the changes.
Here is a list of what you should expect at the proofreading stage:
Correction of spelling errors
Correction of word breaks
Correction of errors in typeface and font
Checking page numbers and running heads
Checking illustrations and tables
Proofreading for coherence in meaning and sense
This stage of editing means you go over your manuscript with a fine-tooth comb to catch even the smallest errors.
EminentEdit's book editing services
EminentEdit provides premium book editing services to ensure you publish a book that meets industry standards. Besides, someone more than just your mom and her book club friends should be interested in buying your book.
EminentEdit provides book editing and proofreading services that are:
We help you publish a book to take pride in. | Get in touch for help in editing your manuscript We know what you want to say. We help you say it better. |
Our services are comprehensive and focus on making sure you end up with a book that meets the highest publishing standards. Our editing services include:
Proofreading just before the final stage of publication
Substantive line editing and copyediting
Developmental editing for big-picture improvement
Extensive commentary and recommendations to improve your writing
Get in touch through our contact page here: CONTACT US AT EMINENT EDIT.
Cite this EminentEdit article |
Antoine, M. (2025, January 06). Book Editing | What You Need to Know. EminentEdit. https://www.eminentediting.com/post/book-editing-what-you-need-to-know |
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