What Kind of Editing is Right For You?
You’re going to be putting a lot of time and effort into your book, so it’s important that it’s as good as it can be. With all the different types of editing out there, which one should you choose?
Should I pay for an editor?
Editors come in all different shapes and sizes, and whether you decide to pay for an editor will depend a lot on what kind of writer you are or what publishing outcomes you’re looking for.
Short-form fiction writers and poets can often get away with just beta readers to help self-edit. But when it comes to long-form fiction, that’s when paying for editing services becomes a little more pressing and absolutely essential for those looking to self-publish.
The need to pay for an editor if you plan to publish traditionally is much debated. And to really determine that, you need to be incredibly self-aware.
If you know you have a great idea but worry that your editing chops might not be up to the task of landing an agent, then you should definitely pay for an editor. But if you’re realistically confident that your writing is good enough without professional editing to pique an agent or publisher’s interest, then you can get away with just working through feedback from beta readers.
The benefit of traditional publishing is that the publishers carry the editing costs, so if you’re confident that your writing can stand on its own, then publishers are aware they are not reading a fully polished manuscript. It’s something they will take into account when reviewing your pitch, provided they see some potential in you.
This does not hold true for self-published writers, however. The industry standard is based on the work of seasoned professionals who have gone through the publishing process and refined their craft over years of practice. That’s who your self-published work is competing with. Readers expect a certain level of professionalism and polish, which is why hiring an editor who works within those standards is essential.
What kinds of editing are there, and how do I know what is right for me?
Developmental (or “big picture”) editing
Developmental editing is sometimes called “big picture” editing. Your editor will go through your book with a fine-tooth comb and look for anything that might be confusing to readers or detract from the quality of their experience.
A developmental editor will help you identify any plot holes, inconsistencies, or confusing aspects of your story. They may also point out places where you’ve repeated yourself, suggest cuts, find areas that need further narrative or descriptive development, and even check the manuscript for poor dialogue, bad grammar, or punctuation errors. A developmental editor can help fix these issues so they don’t spoil your readers’ enjoyment of your book.
Developmental editors take a bird’s-eye view of your story (how everything works together as a whole), so they’ll have specific questions about plot points, character motivations, and other elements of storytelling that make up this kind of work. If there’s ever an inconsistency between two parts of your story, then structural and developmental editing have the highest chance of catching those kinds of errors. It focuses on how all elements work together rather than just checking individual sentences against each other.
Developmental editors are the most expensive of all the editors, as the time and effort they put into fine-tuning your story is higher. If you have a great idea but are struggling to bring it together and need some outside input, then a developmental editor is the right choice for you.
Content or structural editing
As the name suggests, content or structural editing goes beyond the word level. It’s a more in-depth look at your manuscript and helps you revise your story.
There’s certainly some overlap with developmental editors, but generally, a content editor will take on a project assuming that your manuscript is at a certain level of completion. Developmental editors, on the other hand, will help writers with only partially completed manuscripts.
Content editors can help you make your story more interesting by adding tension and conflict. They also ensure that all of your story’s elements work together to create a coherent, logical narrative flow. They will check for narrative consistency, plot pacing, and character development and make comments and suggestions on what needs further development or what to cut out if it doesn’t serve the narrative.
Because of the detail they go into with your manuscript, structural editors are not cheap. If you have a finished manuscript but feel like you still need to work on pacing and plot consistency, then a content editor is the right choice for you.
Line editing
A line editor is a person who goes over your manuscript and looks for grammatical errors and inconsistencies. They will also proofread your work to ensure it sounds right or help you check for consistency (especially useful if you’ve changed details of your narrative halfway through writing). They do basically everything that matters to readers when they’re looking for a professional reading experience. They clean up typos, make sure things are spelled correctly, and fix any other mistakes that might be present in the text.
Whether you need an extra set of eyes or an expert on grammar and punctuation to catch those pesky mistakes, line editing will ensure everything flows properly. While a line editor won’t go into as much detail as a content or structural editor, they will usually pick up on major inconsistencies in the plot and be happy to point out confusing language choices and suggest edits for clarity.
Line editors are the best choice for a writer who needs a professional to look at their work but is confident in the pace and flow of their narrative. They can range in price, but are among the cheaper options for receiving balanced editorial feedback that offers both suggestions and corrects copy.
Copy editing
Copy editing is one of those terms that writers often use when they mean something else. In my experience, when someone says they want a copy edit, what they mean is either a line edit or a proofreader, because people tend to use the term interchangeably depending on what they’re a) looking for, or b) willing to pay for.
A true copy edit is usually the last step before publication to look for basic things like typos, repeated words, formatting, and consistent spelling and grammar usage. And a copy edit is often just included as part of the line edit.
No writer has ever come to me genuinely looking for a copy edit. Almost always, they’re looking for a line edit. With that in mind, I’d say a copy editor is usually just part of the traditional publishing route, because it’s something that the publisher will commission, but not actually something that is useful for a writer looking to self-publish. For both writers and editors, I think it’s important to be clear about your expectations if you say you’re looking for a copy editor, because it really can vary widely.
Proofreading
Proofreading is the final stage of writing a book, and something you should do even if you haven’t hired an editor. This holds true for both self-published authors and those on the query track to finding a traditional publisher. It’s all about catching those lingering errors before putting your work into the world.
Like all other types of editing, proofreading can be done by an editor, who will read through the text and correct mistakes as they see them, but many authors choose to do this step themselves. I do recommend paying for a proofreader if you haven’t had any professional editing done because of how close you are to your work. Still, most editors will include a final proofread in their fee when looking over your manuscript. What’s important is ensuring that you’ve actioned all changes and got your manuscript to a finished state before you go ahead with any proofreading, or you’ll end up doubling up on work.
The aim of proofreading is to ensure that your content is clear and accurate, and that there are no glaring errors lurking within its pages. You want this to be the very last thing you do before you put your work out into the world. Even if you don’t pay someone to do it, make sure you have someone who is not you go over it on your behalf. You’ve spent so long with your words that it’s easy to miss something. A fresh pair of eyes is absolutely essential.
But what if I can’t afford an editor?
It’s all well and good to tell you that you need to hire an editor, and while it holds true as a general rule, the reality is that it’s simply not in every author’s budget. And just because it’s not in your budget, doesn’t mean that your words don’t deserve to be seen.
If you can save to pay for an editor as part of your writing and marketing budget, do. But if you genuinely can’t, then here are some tips to help you improve your manuscript on a shoestring:
Join writing groups
Joining a group where you can exchange suggestions and comments on each other’s work can help with the developmental editing stage. Hearing a range of opinions and direct reader feedback can be a great way to improve your manuscript. And this way, you pay other writers with your reciprocal time and effort. Just make sure you’re open and remain humble in the face of criticism.
With writing groups, criticism can be hard, but you get out what you put in.
Listen to your book
You’ve spent a long time sitting in front of your typed words, but changing the experience is sometimes all you need to pick up on inconsistencies and pacing issues. By listening to your book out loud (you can use any free text-to-speech browser extension for this if you’ve written in Novlr), you’ll usually be able to pick up overused words and clichés, especially.
If you have a friend or family member willing to read aloud to you, even better! That way, you get a natural-sounding voice, and a reader will often pick up spelling mistakes that are easy to miss if you’re simply reading in your head.
Use editing tools and apps
There are lots of free and paid proofreading apps and browser extensions out there that can help you with the proofreading stages of your novel, even if they can’t help with the deeper editing passes. You do need to be wary of false positives though, as all their suggestions are based on algorithms and will offer the most likely scenario that is not always correct.
Some also use generative AI for more in-depth editing, but I would advise against that. Naturally, ethical concerns fall into that advice, but just on a practical level, a lot of the AI features included in these editing tools do nothing but flatten your work and authorial voice into something generic. Proofreading is one thing (those algorithms are assistive, not generative), but you don’t want a generative AI to stifle your creativity or influence the way you write.
Join an online feedback community like Scribophile
Scribophile is a great way to get feedback, comments, and suggestions on your manuscript from other writers. You earn points by giving other writers feedback that you can then spend to upload your own work for feedback in exchange. It’s an entirely reciprocal program. I used it for my recently published short story, The Anatomical Venus, and the community feedback was absolutely wonderful!
Find beta readers
Beta readers should be an essential part of any writer’s pre-publication checklist, but they’re especially important for writers on an editing budget. They’re often the only kind of external feedback you’ll get, so being intentional in what feedback you ask for can be a great way to make sure your story has the right pacing and flow.
If you consider yourself an author, then it’s worth investing in your writing and making sure that it stands out. An editor can be the difference between a good story and a great one.
If you want to make sure that your writing is as good as it can be, then you need to invest some money, or alternatively, your time, in making sure your manuscript is as polished as possible. Your readers will thank you for it.
