Written by Megan Ryan

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If you are a writer planning to self-publish your book, you probably know you need an editor to help. But do you know what kind of editing your book needs and in what order? It can be confusing if you are new to the publishing world. Knowing the types of editing and the ideal sequence will help you feel more confident about this stage of your publication journey.

What kinds of editing for self-publishing are there?

Developmental, content, or substantive editing

This is the big-picture editing that focuses on the structure and content of your story or book. Developmental editors for fiction (or narrative nonfiction) will give you feedback and suggestions throughout your manuscript on your plot, point of view, characters, conflict, setting, description, and dialogue. They can help with things like showing instead of telling and creating strong hooks.

If you are writing an informational nonfiction book, the developmental editor could provide insight on the organization, sources, pacing, tone, and examples throughout your book and show you how to improve them. They could point out errors in fact or logic and let you know if you get too far off your main topic or don’t uphold your promise to readers.

You might be tempted to skip this step, but it really is important if you are a newer writer. In How to Edit Your Novel, Karin Beery recommends hiring a developmental editor if this is one of your first three novels (or your first three in a new genre). It’s a good idea for your first few nonfiction books as well. Another option to help with these kinds of issues is a manuscript critique. A critique is a document that includes the editor’s feedback on your book’s strengths and weaknesses in the areas mentioned above. It will provide you with suggestions, but it would be up to you to apply the insights to your book with further self-edits. It’s best for more experienced writers, but if you are on a tight budget and willing to learn, you could ask about this option.

Line editing

Line editors will examine each line of your book—but not just to find mistakes. They can suggest ways to improve clarity, sharpen your voice, and keep a consistent tone. Sometimes, a line edit can be included in either a developmental edit or a heavier copyedit. So you might not need this kind of edit as a separate step.

Copyediting

In a copyedit, your editor will focus on fixing errors in your book’s punctuation, grammar, usage, spelling, and style. For most books, the editor will recommend following Chicago Style, which has guidelines on things like handling numbers, citations, and capitalization.

The copyeditor can also point out inconsistencies or factual errors, possible permission issues with quoted content, or problems with point of view or use of tenses. Creating or correcting citations can also be part of the copyedit. If you want feedback on word choice, clarity, and tone, your copyeditor may be able to help with that.

Since a copyedit can cover many aspects, it’s especially important to discuss with your editor what you are looking for so you are on the same page for this step.

Proofreading

The final editing step is proofreading. This can be done in Word or on PDFs of the final formatted book. Corrections are easier to make in Word, but having your final PDFs proofread allows your editor to find issues with the layout as well as with the text.

In a proofread, the editor will be looking for final typos, spelling, grammar, or punctuation issues that slipped through earlier edits (or were added in the correction process). Fixes are minor at this stage, but the focus on small details is valuable to a polished final product.

Cover and description

While your book’s cover and back cover copy (also known as the book description or blurb) may not be finished when you begin the editing process, don’t forget to have these checked by an editor. Readers may not choose to read your wonderful and well-edited book if your description is unclear or full of errors.

For more information on the various types of editing, check out the Christian PEN’s Definitions of Editing Services.

What is the proper order for the self-publishing editing process?

1. Developmental edit (or manuscript critique and self-edits)
2. Line edit (optional)
3. Copyedit
4. Proofread

If you start with a copyedit (or proofread) and then discover your book would benefit from a developmental edit or major revisions, it would be advisable to get another copyedit to ensure the changes and additions to your manuscript are thoroughly edited. If you start with a developmental edit or critique and work your way down the list, you won’t end up paying for the same service twice.

Now that you know the basics about the different levels of editing and the proper order for the editing process, I hope you will feel more confident searching for and working with an editor or editors to help you reach your goal of self-publishing.

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