Crash Course in Editing: An Overview of the Editorial Process for New Authors

Writing on a tablet

Hello there, new authors! If you:

• just finished your book and have no idea what to do next

• are looking ahead at your next steps

• are researching the writing process and got stuck on editing

• or are simply curious about the editorial process

I'm here to break it down for you—from the desk of a professional freelance editor!

This is a simple crash course in the editorial process. By no means is this a full guide! If you're looking to dig deeper into the editing process, or want to get an inside look at what happens as an editor works through a manuscript, check out my other blog posts!

The Editing Stage: An Overview

The editing process occurs after the first draft is complete. Keep in mind, the first draft should have all the basic conventions of a novel before it's considered complete. The basic conventions include character arcs, plot arcs, a climax, and a clear ending to the story, even if it's a "just for now" ending.

This does NOT mean your characters have to be perfectly three-dimensional, the arcs are polished, or the climax is clearly identifiable. That all comes together during the editing process. Just make sure you have your bare bones of the story down and the writing is complete (no "finish later" notes left in the chapters).

Once your first draft is done, editing begins. The editorial process flows in a particular order:

1. Developmental editing

2. Line editing

3. Copy editing

4. Proofreading

All of these editing stages can be completed as self-edits, but you can also hire a professional editor or multiple professional editors to polish off your novel. Let's break down each editing stage in more detail!

Developmental Editing

Developmental editing is the big-picture piece of the editing process. When an editor is going through developmental edits, they're looking for the following:

• Plot continuity (no plot holes!)

• Character arc continuity (no out-of-character moments, clear turning points, consistent developmental milestones, motivational congruency, etc.)

• Character realism (three-dimensional vs. flat characters)

• Relationship dynamics

• Cliches

• Overall story pacing

• Individual scene pacing

• POV continuity

• Showing versus telling

• Author voice consistency

• Critical plot moments (clear inciting moment, rising action arcs, turning points, etc)

• Worldbuilding consistency (another version of looking for plot holes!)

• Genre-specific critiques

As an editor goes through the manuscript, they'll leave in-line comments.

During the first pass, they may leave many comments that are closer to reader reactions, or something I like to call first-impression commentary. This gives the author a sense of how their book is coming off to readers, which is a useful tool for identifying inconsistencies between the author's goals and the reader's experiences.

On the second pass through the manuscript, the editor will leave more detailed in-line comments on individual scenes, word choices, author voice patterns, narrative/character arc inconsistencies, and more. A good editor will leaves these comments exactly where the problem occurs so the author can better see and understand where the writing didn't achieve its goal.

Once the in-line commentary is complete, the editor will assemble an editorial letter to summarize the in-line comments into actionable advice. In a complete editorial letter from a qualified editor, multiple pages of critiques will give specific suggestions for improvement on individual scenes or persistent manuscript issues (such as overused phrases, repetitive scenes, redundant descriptions in every chapter, etc.).

Specific to developmental editing, the editor will stick with the author all the way through the editing phase. As the author reviews the feedback and implements the edits, if they come up with questions or don't know how to use the advice, the editor will jump in and assist directly.

Line Editing

Line editing is the phase of editing that starts getting into the nitty-gritty details of the manuscript. Here, the editor will dig into the prose and clean it up line by painstaking line.

With line editing, the editor is looking for muddied wording, phrasing that doesn't match the style, breaks in author voice, word choice that doesn't below, paragraph structure, and some dialogue conventions. Essentially, they're going through and cleaning up what developmental editing left behind.

Copy Editing

Copy editing is the stage of editing where things get really technical really fast.

A well-trained copy editor will create a style sheet based on the author's voice, style, and genre if the author doesn't have one already. Then, the editor will note down any worldbuilding pieces, such as character names, country names, scientific inventions, fantasy races, new animal species, etc. to keep consistent throughout the manuscript.

The editor will go through the manuscript at least twice, if not more, to ensure every little detail matches. Some of the smaller details not included in the style sheet, but still searched for, are chronological inconsistencies and worldbuilding inconsistencies, such as a character waking up on a Saturday morning and suddenly going to school or the character traveling east to a country that was said to lie in the west.

Again, this is the highly technical part of editing. Many authors outsource this part of the editing process to professional editors, even if they don't hire an editor for developmental or line editing.

Proofreading

Proofreading is the final pass or passes through the manuscript before publication. An editor will simply be looking for grammar and punctuation errors as this point; all the prose is set, the structure is set, and the voice and style are polished.

A good proofreader will still note anything out of the ordinary, such as a line of dialogue that seems out of place, but they should not be overstepping this stage of editing to combine it with line or copy editing.

How do you know your manuscript is ready for editing?

In general, your manuscript is ready for editing once you've completed your first draft and you've done at least one self-edit on your manuscript.

While self-editing is technically optional, it helps save both your editor and you time when you go through and clean up any obvious problems or errors in your manuscript. You'll end up saving money, too, if your editor charges for extra passes through the manuscript!

If you're not sure whether your manuscript is ready for editing, or if you're unsure how to self-edit your manuscript, schedule a coffee chat with me to talk it out! I've helped lots of authors map out a plan from their manuscript and gain confidence in their writing abilities. The coffee chat is totally free, by the way!

How do you find an editor for your book?

Believe it or not, you've found an editor right here! If you'd like to chat, I do free virtual coffee chats to help you figure out what you need and where to go. You can schedule a chat with my Calendly link!

I don't want you to stop with me, though. You should always shop around for editors before committing to one. I encourage you to look through my Editorial Services for Authors page and use it as a comparison tool when you look at other editors' websites.

In addition, I highly recommend getting sample edits from your potential editors. I and many other professional editors provide sample edits for free. If you'd like to request a sample edit, get in touch with me!

I'll be writing a post soon about how to choose an editor for your book. It'll go into much greater detail than this section, so stay in touch to get updated when it drops!