Editing Services
Know you need an editor, but not sure what your book needs? There are three levels of editing, and they come at different stages in a book's life. Read a bit about them below, then get in touch to talk about how I can help your book.
Developmental Editing
All manuscripts can benefit from developmental editing. If you're going the traditional publishing route, submitting a highly polished manuscript helps put your best foot forward when pitching to an agent or publishing house. If you're going to independently publish, going through a professional developmental edit helps ensure your book flows well, has internal consistency, and is generally the best version of itself.
Developmental editing looks at big-picture concerns like structure, pacing, narrative, language, and characters. An editor diagnoses issues with a manuscript such as plot holes, unnatural dialogue, and under- or over-described settings.
There are usually two or more rounds of developmental edits, depending on what the manuscript needs. Developmental editing takes place before copy editing; it often involves significant rewriting, so if you copy edit before the developmental rounds are complete, that work can be largely wasted.
Developmental editing looks at big-picture concerns like structure, pacing, narrative, language, and characters. An editor diagnoses issues with a manuscript such as plot holes, unnatural dialogue, and under- or over-described settings.
There are usually two or more rounds of developmental edits, depending on what the manuscript needs. Developmental editing takes place before copy editing; it often involves significant rewriting, so if you copy edit before the developmental rounds are complete, that work can be largely wasted.
Copy Editing
In copyediting, the focus is on fixing mechanical errors such as spelling and grammar, ensuring consistent formatting, and checking correlating parts and factual correctness. Depending on factors including the manuscript's level of readiness, the publication timeline, and the budget, it may be best to choose a light, medium, or heavy copyedit.
Proofreading
Proofreading is the final stage of editing and takes place after a book has been laid out by the designer. At this stage, any change requires significant amounts of work to implement, so only egregious errors are corrected. Proofreading is mainly intended to catch errors introduced during design, make sure all formatting made it into the file, check page numbers, and the like.