Are you ready for an editor?

The advantage as well as the challenge for self-publishers is that you are in charge of the entire publication process, including aspects with which you may or may not be familiar. It’s all up to you. Including editorial work.

Which is great, if stressful.

Below, please find an extremely abbreviated guide to the three main types of editing which I introduce all my clients to, and what you need for each type of editing to apply. I’ve included tips on when each scenario is or is not for you. These topics are much deeper than this, and in future posts, I’ll be looking at them more closely. For now, you may use this as a shorthand to find out where you are in the process. For a more detailed description of services, visit my Services page.

Types of editing: The three buckets

Editorial help can enter the picture at any point during the writing process, beginning with the initial outline and brainstorming, through various drafts, to print/e-publication. Whether you are ready for an editor depends in large part on what you want or need.

Editing lives on a spectrum. For simplicity and ease of understanding, you should be familiar with the following basic categories (my “three buckets”):

• Developmental/Content Editing; Ghostwriting
• Line and Copyediting
• Proofreading

Developmental/Content Editing

The developmental edit takes place before any other editing, because it cares about the most fundamental question of all: Is this a story worth telling?

Developmental work of any kind is arguably the most critical part of your editing process. If your sentences are pretty but your story doesn’t make sense, your book is not a success.

In this edit, we deal with the big picture: the manuscript’s (mms) overall structure and content, and its appropriateness and appeal to your chosen audience. Very few authors have an mms ready to skip this process.

This type of editing is mostly about: structure.
The primary work is: conceptual, writing revision.
The goal: a good, and complete, first (or second) draft.

What you need: a complete draft with a beginning, middle, and end, and an idea of your audience. For nonfiction: a clear topic, your goal or takeaway, and the main points you want to address. For fiction and memoir: your overall plot structure, and the main character’s main challenge. Be open open to discuss what you hope to achieve with your work.

You are not ready if: you are considering a variety of themes or big-picture topics, and are undecided which you want to pursue. You’re also not ready if you don’t yet have a main character or plot conflict, or are not sure what audience you want to address. If this is you, you may wish to look into book coaching, peer writing groups, and/or networking organizations in the area(s) of your interest first.

Line and Copyediting

Line and copyediting is where form meets function. The big picture is set, and you want to make sure the content does the job you want it to do.

This type of editing is mostly about: elegant sentences, consistency, and clarity.
The primary work is: editing at the paragraph and chapter level, fact-checking, transitions.
The goal: a tight, convincing manuscript ready for proofread.

What you need: an mms that has completed at least one full draft, and which you are not planning to change in any dramatic way. Line and copyediting is like working with Jell-O: the structure is malleable, but it needs to set first. You are ready for this step if you are happy with the overall flow of the mms, and want to make sure the paragraphs, sentences, and style choices play nice together. Line and copyediting helps with flow, and consistent tone, word choice, character details, and formatting.

You are not ready if: you are still playing with narrative structure. If you think it likely you will write entire new sections of the mms, move big pieces around, change character names, choose a different audience or reorient your topic focus, you are not ready for a line and copyedit. If this is you, you may wish to spend more time with your draft, or, if you want outside feedback, consider peer writing groups, a developmental/content edit, or manuscript critique.

Proofreading

Proofreading focuses on presentation and accuracy. It does not care about the literary merits of any content. Proofreading wants to know, “Is this correct?”

This type of editing is mostly about: accuracy.
The primary work is: verification of content; elimination of errors or glitches.
The goal: a clean and accurate mms ready to publish.

What you need: an mms whose content is complete and set in stone. You want to verify spelling, grammar, punctuation, the accuracy of any links or references, and ensure your formatting hasn’t made a mess. After the proofread, you are ready for layout and publication.

You are not ready if: you are still considering the best way to phrase certain paragraphs or sentences, or big pieces of the mms are still up for consideration. If you are unhappy with transitions or debating stylistic choices such as headings, layout of any images, or names of chapters, you are not ready for the proofread. You may wish to consider a line and copyedit or developmental edit first.

The bottom line

Every single manuscript you publish deserves a second set of eyes. You’ve worked hard to create the book. Don’t torpedo your efforts by skipping an editorial review. When in doubt about what you need, ask a professional. Your book will thank you!

As always, contact me with questions at any time!

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Not sure what kind of work you need? Drop me a line and we can figure it out.

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