Yes, You DO Need a Professional Editor for Your Manuscript

How to Choose the Correct Type of Editing for Your Book

How to Choose the Correct Type of Editing for Your Book

I have been editing and publishing print books and eBooks for independent writers since 2012; over 250 titles to date. If there is only one recommendation I give my clients, it is to have their manuscript professionally edited. I always do a mandatory manuscript assessment for new clients, and then I know which level of editing to recommend for them.

Although many clients can do a rough self-edit of their books, it is almost impossible for most authors to professionally and completely edit their own manuscripts. You are too close to your own work to look at it objectively, and the first thing an editor provides is a “second set of eyes” for your book.

What Does a Professional Book Editor Do?

Once you have finished your manuscript, your work is actually just beginning, You have a great first draft that you probably worked on for months or even years, but that is all it is: the first draft. Now it is time for you to work with a professional editor to turn your prized manuscript into the highest-quality, most polished work it can be. That’s where your professional editor comes in.

A professional editor is just that, a professional. She is not just one of your friends who got all “A”s in high school English class, although your editor most probably aced high school English, too. A professional editor has the education, expertise, and experience to improve your book and make suggestions on elements such as sentence flow, pacing, character development plot, and several kinds of errors.

A professional editor is not a proofreader. It is a common misperception that editing and proofreading are the same. They are not. There are three different levels of editing, and usually, a book editor will specialize in just one kind of editing. There are professional proofreaders, too, but proofreading is actually the last step after the book has been printed and before the official publication.

Although copyediting is listed here first because it is the most common and the least expensive if you hire more than one type of editor for your manuscript the copy editor would be the last person to edit your book before the proofreading stage.

Ten Great Ways to Proofread Your Own Manuscript
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Level One: Copyediting

Your copyeditor will concentrate on the mechanics of your manuscript, such as spelling, grammar, punctuation, inconsistencies, and shifts in tense and time. Different copy editors are also specialists in one of the several style guides, such as APA, Chicago, MLA, AP, and others. Copy editors will help your manuscript by ensuring consistency in punctuation, capitalization, and so on.

Level Two: Line Editing

Although many copy editors can also do line editing and vice versa, line editing focuses on the style versus the mechanics. Line editing is more subjective and time-consuming than copy editing. Line editors polish your prose by making decisions about word choice, ensuring there are no clichés, eliminating repetitious and unwieldy sentences, and that your language is intentional and specific. Line editors also look for inconsistencies in the plot and the characters, as well as correcting the mood and tone of the narrative.

Level Three: Developmental or Substantive Editing

A developmental editor works closely with the author to look at the big picture of the manuscript. Many writers work with their developmental editor as they are completing their manuscript. Often, during the developmental editing stage, entire parts of the manuscript are reworked or rewritten. The developmental editor considers the manuscripts concept, intended use, content, organization, and overall style. The developmental editor helps the author review and revise the manuscript for sentence complexity, conciseness, logical idea development and flow, and appropriate or inappropriate use of jargon or technical terms.

Proofreading

In publishing, whether through a traditional publisher or as part of the self-publishing process, proofreading is done after the manuscript has been printed. The final copy of the manuscript, or the “proof,” is examined by a professional proofreader. That is how proofreading got its name; the final proof is read.

The job of the proofreader is to do a final quality check before the book goes into mass printing and publishing. The proofreader compares the original fully edited manuscript and compares it to the printed proof to ensure there are no omissions, missing pages, or incorrect page breaks, etc.

Traditional publishers require professional proofreading of books before they do a large printing job. Self-published authors sometimes feel they can skip the proofreading stage, but it is just as important for self-published authors to have their books proofed before their book goes live or before they order a large number of books. Again, another, last set of eyes just may pick up something that was missed.

As you are finishing up your manuscript, take the time to research and hire a professional editor if you are self-publishing your book. If you have a contract with a traditional publisher, understand that the proofreading component will be completed before your book is mass-produced.

About Detroit Ink Publishing
In 2008, right in the middle of the Great Recession, I started my first company, Writing It Right For You (WIRFY), an…medium.com

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