Editing
“You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what’s burning inside you, and we edit to let the fire show through the smoke.” —Arthur Plotnik
Every manuscript requires editing. The question is what level of editing will be necessary?
You’ll find various descriptions on the Internet and in books on the various types of editorial functions. When it comes to my services, below are my general descriptions of the tasks I perform. Editorial tasks often overlap, and when I sit down to a new project, my intention is always to do the most comprehensive level of editing possible as agreed upon with my client. If you aren’t sure what level of editing will be necessary, you will probably want to start with an editorial evaluation, which offers suggestions for your next editorial step.
Developmental/Substantive Editing
If you have a completed unedited manuscript and wish to prepare it for eventual submission to an agent or publisher or even if you are thinking about publishing your book independently and want it to be professionally edited, then this the first category to focus on. During this phase, I work on the overall structure of a manuscript, the organization of individual chapters, the hierarchy of subheads, and the flow of text at the paragraph and sentence level, while correcting grammatical issues, spelling errors, word choice, and inconsistencies. Requests for clarification and suggestions for further modification are also made at this time.
Creative Line Editing
If you have poured everything you have into your manuscript but feel it needs enhancement, refinement, and a little more spunk, then a creative line edit might be what you’re looking for. At this stage, I am more heavy-handed at the sentence level to improve the flow and meaning of the writing while insuring that the content is engaging and evenly paced. I always work within the framework of the author’s voice (as I do at all stages of editing).
Line Editing
If you have worked your manuscript over many times and you feel confident that it is “nearly perfect,” but you want to cover all your bases with a professional edit, you might be a candidate for a line edit. A line edit can be likened to a copyedit in that mechanical errors are corrected. Line editing, however, is more comprehensive and includes organizational suggestions and/or modifications if necessary, as well as reworking content at the sentence and paragraph level for clear expression of concepts.
“Book Doctoring”
Oftentimes, an agent or publisher who is interested in your work may suggest that you hire a “book doctor” (which they might just refer to as an editor) to give your manuscript an overhaul to make it more marketable and bring it more in line with publishing standards.This stage includes an Editorial Evaluation to determine the level of editorial work necessary to bring the manuscript up to par with the agent’s and/or publisher’s expectations and will likely include a significant level of Developmental and Substantive Editing.
Copyediting
Copyediting is the editorial phase that generally follows an editor and author’s work on a manuscript. At this stage, it is generally accepted that all organizational and larger content issues have been resolved, and the manuscript is close to final as a whole. A basic copyedit corrects for grammatical issues, spelling errors, word choice, and inconsistencies. If I detect any lingering content issues, I will either work to correct them or bring them to an author’s attention. A heavier-handed copyedit will also involve a certain level of line editing.