Your draft is finally finished. Your mom loves it, and you’re practicing your signature for book signings. It must be time for proofreading, right?
Not quite.
First things first: walk away. Take a break from your writing and do something—anything—else. In a few weeks, come back to your manuscript with fresh eyes and do another round of revisions.
Then it’s time for external feedback. Look for critique partners, beta readers, or a writers’ group. You’re likely to get the most constructive feedback from people who understand the craft, but it can be helpful to have some non-writers and non-editors take a look too. (Just remember that family and friends are unlikely to be truly unbiased.)
When to Consider Editing
At some point, you’ll feel like you’ve done everything you can for your book. You might feel confident and ready to show off your draft. Or you might feel like you’ve hit a wall. Either way, that’s a great time to engage an editor.
Books traditionally go through four stages of editing. Some editors combine certain steps or call them different things, and each book’s editing needs are unique, so talk to prospective editors about what you’ve written and how you hope to publish it.
Self-Publishing: Indie authors act as project managers through all the stages of publication. More than one million books are self-published every year, so it’s up to you to create a high-quality, engaging, professional product that can compete in a crowded market.
Traditional Publishing: Getting a book deal isn’t easy, but it can happen! Many authors have their manuscripts edited before querying to ensure they’re sending agents the best possible example of their work.
Many authors finish their whole book before moving on to editing. But it’s not always a linear process. Sometimes you need a nudge in the right direction.
If you’re feeling stuck, an editor can help you shape the direction of your incomplete draft and work through the spots that are giving you trouble.
If your draft is done but you’re not ready for a full edit, a manuscript critique offers more than a beta read but less than a developmental edit.
A little outside feedback can re-ignite your creativity and give you the next steps you need to get your book ready for editing.
The Four Stages of Editing
The editing process is designed to strengthen your story in multiple ways.
New authors are sometimes eager to jump straight to copy editing or proofreading, but addressing the macro-level edits before the micro-level edits will help you make the most of your time, effort, and money. Developmental editing comes before copy editing for the same reason that a baker makes the crust before they fill the pie.
1. Developmental editing (also called structural editing) is about the story.
This is where you dig in to the “big picture” topics like plot, pacing, structure, characterization, world-building, theme, and the conventions of your genre. Developmental editing helps you shape a story that readers can’t put down.
2. Stylistic editing (also called line editing) is about the language.
Quotes from books show up on t-shirts, posters, and even tattoos. Stylistic editing helps your creativity shine through so readers can fall in love with your words. It focuses on sentence structure, clarity, tone, flow, and audience, while taking care to preserve your unique voice.
3. Copy editing is about details and mechanics.
This is the stage that comes to mind when most people think of editing. A copy editor will fine-tune elements like spelling, grammar, and punctuation (according to your preferred style guide), and cross-check internal details to ensure your manuscript is clear, correct, and consistent.
“But wait,” you say, “you said there were four steps!”
There are.
The first three types of editing are for your drafts. In some cases, you might go through multiple rounds of editing (especially if you’re making significant developmental changes). Eventually, you’ll feel that your manuscript is finished.
Congratulations! This is where your story starts to transform into a book. Whether you’re self-publishing or you’ve landed a book deal, you’ll need things like illustrations, design, and typesetting.
Only at the end do you reach the last step in the editing process: proofreading.
4. Proofreading is a final quality check on the formatted manuscript.
It’s much more than a spell-check. While your proofreader will look for lingering errors and inconsistencies in the language and mechanics, they’ll also check the formatting for accuracy and consistency of page numbers, margin spacing, fonts, and more.
It’s ideal to use a proofreader who hasn’t read your book. A fresh set of eyes can help you find the errors that slipped through when you knew what you meant to say and your brain filled in the blanks.
If you dedicate time to each stage of editing, you’ll come through with a book that is refined and ready to find its perfect reader.
When you’re ready to take the next step, I’d love to learn about your book!