The Book Editing Process Made Easy
As an aspiring author, you might be wondering whether it’s time to embark on the book editing process—and, if so, which stage of editing is best suited to your needs.
We’ve provided editorial support to dozens of authors over the years, and most collaborations begin with some form of the same question: What exactly is the difference between developmental and line editing? And what about proofreading? If you’ve wondered about this too, rest assured that you’re not alone.
This blog will answer the questions you have about book editing.
The editing process can feel daunting, but being more aware of what that process actually looks like can help you better prepare yourself (and your manuscript) for whenever that time comes.
Let’s demystify things for you here.
Book Editing Depends on your Publishing Path
The level and kinds of editing you will need to hire a professional for will depend on your publishing path. For traditional publishing, we recommend at least a Developmental Edit prior to pitching your work to a publisher. For indie publishing, you’ll need to be in charge of ensuring your manuscript receives all levels of editorial support.
Regardless of what publishing path you pursue (Curious about your options? Check out our Choose Your Publishing Path Course), the editing process is key in preparing your book for public release.
An overview of the book editing process
Insider Tip:Do your own book editing first!
To make the most of professional editing services, it’s important to self-edit your manuscript first (often more than once!). Submitting a better, cleaner draft of your work will ensure that your editor’s feedback focuses on covering new ground rather than issues or weaknesses you may already be aware of and capable of correcting yourself.
For a deep dive into how to self-edit your book to get your manuscript into tip-top shape before it’s handed over to an editor, enroll in our online on-demand video course Self-Editing Superstar course. This is also covered fully in Jaime’s book The Author Adventure, which we highly recommend to all authors navigating the book editing process.
What is a Manuscript Review?
If you’re seeking professional editorial input – but are limited by tight budgetary constraints OR you are in the middle of a draft and want to get a pulse-check on your work to see how to proceed – you may wish to consider a manuscript evaluation, sometimes called a manuscript review.
Manuscript reviews are a way of getting your book in the hands of a professional editor, who will read it in full and offer global high-level feedback and guidance on what to improve and where to focus for the next draft.
Manuscript reviews are less detailed than developmental editing in terms of the feedback they provide. A manuscript review can point you in the right direction in your work and help you know where to focus your revision work, but it is generally recommended as a supplementary step rather than a substitute for developmental or line editing, which we’ll get into next.
What is Book Developmental Editing?
For content, structural, and big-picture editorial feedback that is more detailed and robust, we turn to developmental editing, also referred to as structural editing. This is the stage where an editor provides a comprehensive assessment of high-level components like:
Narrative flow
Voice and tone
Overall book structure
Chapter order
Scope alignment
Strengths
Areas of focus for improvement
And more
This level of editing also includes suggestions on whether any content is worth adding to or removing from your draft. It is a crucial step in preparing your manuscript for publication because it addresses structural concerns like narrative continuity, potential plot holes or gaps, and other oversights that should be ironed out before line editing takes place.
Developmental editors will typically provide editorial feedback in the form of suggestions, rather than making changes directly to your manuscript. From that point, you as the author are responsible for actually implementing those suggestions.
Here at Whale Song, our developmental editors provide:
editorial comments and suggestions throughout your manuscript,
a 5-7 page editorial letter clearly outlining our feedback
a follow-up call with your editor to go over all of the details together and make sure you feel confident about moving forward with whatever path you’re pursuing.
What is Book Line Editing?
Once any structural concerns have been addressed and you have thoroughly revised your book draft according to the developmental editor’s guidance, it is time to polish your writing with line editing, also referred to as copy editing. Whereas the developmental editor assesses your draft from a more zoomed-out perspective, a line editor performs the important role of carefully editing your manuscript line by line. This detail-oriented type of editing covers a lot of ground. Line editing
improves your book’s flow and readability
ensures proper word choice
strengthens transitions
It is during this stage that your manuscript will really start to take on its finished form and begin looking like a book. This is an exciting milestone to celebrate, but it’s important not to get ahead of yourself just yet! Before publishing, it’s critical for your manuscript also to undergo the final stage of editing: proofreading.
What is Book Proofreading?
Between developmental editing and line editing, your book has come so far, but proofreading is a step you shouldn’t skip, no matter how finished your edited manuscript may seem to be. Even carefully edited books should be proofread before they are published. This is especially true for authors who are planning to self-publish, though it’s also a beneficial step if you’re pursuing the increasingly competitive traditional publishing path.
A proofreader makes sure there are no lingering mistakes, from punctuation to spelling to fact-checking, which could distract your readers and diminish your book’s credibility. This is so important for the final product you put out into the world.
Book Editing Apps
Listen, here’s the deal. In the world of rapidly advancing tech and AI, everyone wants a shortcut. But editing still belongs to the realm of actual humans. Truly, if you want a strong book, you still need human editors.
That said, there are some apps you can use as you write to clean up some sentence level issues so that your editor can focus on those editorial tasks only a human can do. Some of these online book editing apps include:
How long does editing take?
Many new authors hopefully believe that once they are done with their first draft, they are just weeks away from publication. I hate to burst your bubble but this is not true – at least if you want to bring your book to professional standards.
Book Editing is its own robust phase of the authorship adventure. Depending on the length of the manuscript, it’s fair to expect the following turn around times. Please note this does not take into account the time you’ll need between edits for your implementation of recommended changes.
Manuscript Review: 6-8 weeks
Developmental Edit: 6-10 weeks
Line Edit: 6-8 weeks
Proofread: 4-8 weeks
What to look for in a book editor
You want to hire someone who has a lot of experience, gets your genre (and has specific experience working in it), is clear and upfront about what their editing services cost and what you get for that service, and have testimonials from happy clients they’ve worked with in the past.
How much does book editing cost?
This is a great question. One thing we’ve noticed in the industry is that you get what you pay for. A great book editor charges for their services commensurate with their experience, the level of attention they are bringing to your work, and the editing skills they’ve honed over years of working with authors like you. Editing is not a skill that every person with a BA in english is going to possess.
To give you an idea, a regular length book of about 75,000 words takes at least 25-25 hours to edit well.
Whale Song’s book editing rates range from $0.05/word to $0.07/word. Please use our contact form to inquire about the exact cost of editing for your project.
Am I ready to Hire a book Editor?
Perhaps you have an idea of what form of editorial support would be most beneficial to your current draft, but it’s important to emphasize that we don’t expect you as the author to be the one determining exactly which level of editing your manuscript needs.
Most often, authors come to us feeling uncertain about what exactly they should do next. A conversation or two, often paired with an excerpt from your manuscript, is enough for us to make an accurate assessment of which stage of editing you and your book are ready for.
Breaking it down the editorial process into smaller steps can remove that sense of intimidation or overwhelm you may experience as you consider what comes next.
Finally, it’s worth noting that getting your book edited requires trust and safety. We know that your book is something you’ve poured your heart into. It may contain parts of your story that you’ve never shared with another person before. It deserves all of the care and attention it can get before it becomes an external (and eternal!) representation of you. This is why it’s so important to find an editorial support team that listens thoughtfully and provides each unique project with the specific care and attention it needs.
Our great book editors are here to help
For more general information on the editing process here at Whale Song, you can learn more here. And, if you’re interested in talking specifically about your project and seeing which tailored editing package would best suit your writing and publishing goals, share a bit about yourself here and we’ll reach out to continue the conversation.
