What Editors Do for Your Novel

Originally published in the Central Colorado Writers Monthly Edition

Image Credit: Central Colorado Writers

---

The term “editing” gets thrown around as a catch-all term for what happens to your novel after you finish it, but there are different levels of editing, and different types of editors. So how do you know which one(s) you need?

You can think of the types of editing like a funnel with the broadest scope on top.

The first, and broadest, form of editing is developmental editing. Developmental editors take a bird’s eye view of your novel to identify overarching issues in plot structure, character development, pacing, and voice. Generally, developmental editors will read the novel once straight through to get a feel for the story, and then they will read it again to leave comments and suggestions. They might suggest rearranging sections that feel out of place, cutting sections that drag, or giving more depth to a character. Their comments will help you identify the issues present within the manuscript and provide suggestions for how to resolve them.

Sometimes you have already addressed developmental issues in your own revision process. If so, you can probably skip to line or copy editing.

Line editors enhance the flow between sentences and paragraphs. They make sure your voice and style are consistent throughout the novel. They may catch errors in grammar and syntax, but they’re not concerned with individual words so much as how the lines hang together and move the story along. Line editors will identify clunky or confusing phrases and offer suggestions for how to revise.

Copy editors do concern themselves with individual words, catching errors in grammar and syntax. They fix grammatical errors that were unintentional by the author (i.e., not related to stylistic choices). They also track details of consistency. They will catch if the love interest’s eyes changed from gray to black, or if the protagonist had three brothers in chapter one and four brothers in chapter six, or if the murder happened in the fall but everyone went to a baseball game (a spring sport).

The final layer of editing is proofreading. Proofreaders catch typos​ and remaining errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, and formatting.

As an independent author, you may wonder if paying for an editor is worth the money. A potential agent or publisher will expect your manuscript to be polished, but many will also have in-house editors who will review your manuscript. So, what is an author to do?

You can complete all these levels of editing yourself, but because you are so close to the manuscript, it will be difficult for you to catch everything (and it’s impossible to bring an outside perspective to your own work). If you find yourself struggling with an aspect of story, character, voice, or flow, editors are a valuable resource that can help you not only improve this manuscript but also grow as a writer.