Editing Processes are essential to make one’s literary piece complete and market-ready. Today, we decided to compile a list of the types of editing processes that every book author needs to know.
Developmental Editing
This is the first type of editing process, and among all other types of editing, it is the only one that takes place while an author is still in the process of finishing his manuscript. It is also called conceptual editing. It happens early in the writing process of writing the narrative. It is quite similar to evaluation editing but the only difference is developmental writing is still at the part where an author is still forming his or her ideas, the structure of his story, and the flow of the narrative he or she wishes to tell. It’s like making changes to a rough sketch or design. An author happens to have an idea and that idea needs to be finalized. For season authors, this type of editing may not be as important because they already have a full idea of want they want to tell. However, beginner or first time authors still need guidance, and hiring a developmental editor is not such a bad idea.
Evaluation Editing
Evaluation is also known to others as structural edit or manuscript critique. Many will dismiss this process as similar to developmental editing. While evaluation editing aims to assess structure, flow, completeness, and overall quality, this process is done with the aid of the manuscript and not while in the process of writing one. Evaluators are expected to provide notes featuring key points, areas of concern, room for improvements, and other suggestions for the author’s manuscript. Evaluation editing is also a good opportunity to answer detailed concerns or questions regarding the book. Again, veteran authors rarely submit their works to evaluation editing. Authors who are not yet sure about their work can always go find a company that provides evaluation editing services. Just make sure that the person editing is someone who is also a writer or a passionate reader. Evaluation editing is not mechanical or fixed like proofreading or copy editing. It requires a special eye for appraisal of one’s manuscript.
Content Editing
This is a bit tricky as many will probably be confused with the difference between content editing and evaluation editing, content editing from developmental editing, and content editing from copy editing. But I stumbled upon a quite simple explanation. According to https://scribemedia.com/ ,
“A content editor won’t move your chapters around, but they will move sections or paragraphs around within your chapters, move content to different chapters, or delete the content entirely. Think of it this way: a developmental or evaluation editor helps you build the house (the book) and figure out which rooms (chapters) should go where. With those rooms in place, the content editor’s job is to help you arrange the furniture (sections and paragraphs) inside those rooms in a way that’s appealing. Unlike line editors, they’re not concerned with the decorations (sentences).”
The remaining types of editing processes are ones that many writers and authors are already familiar with. Nonetheless, it helps to revisit their definition and purpose. Greg Van on authors for self-editing ,
“You won’t know for sure until a professional book editor reviews your work. Because they are so familiar with it, authors who self edit tend to skip over their mistakes. That is why even expert writers use a pro. I have over three decades of experience and know what publishers want. It takes a lot of hard work to be successful. The field is extremely competitive, with no room for error. I can make your book shine so it stands out from the rest.”
Line Editing
Just as the name suggests, lin editing is more of looking closely at each line and analyzes each sentence in your paragraph, chapter, and book. This type of editing process is commonly associated or interchanged with copyediting, proofreading, or even developmental editing. What one needs to remember is that line editing is more focused on word choice, weight, and meaning of a sentence. And the editor does this with each and every sentence in the manuscript, with no exception. This is where the editor will trim or expand your sentence to make it more effective.
Copy Editing
Copy editing is among the basics of all editing processes. Whether you are publishing a press release, a blog article, or a news article, the material needs to go through a process where small gaps are bridged and details are reviewed. For manuscripts, copy editing is done after solving the bigger picture (flow, structure, etc.). Copy editing aims to make your literary masterpiece more readable, clear, coherent, consistent, and of course correct. The end goal of this process is to make your book look professional. For self-publishing authors, hiring a copy editor can greatly improve the quality of your manuscript and ensure that it is ready for the final process- proofreading.
Proof Reading
This is considered by many as the last major step that any manuscript will undergo before printing or publishing. Proofreaders are not only copy editors. They are meticulous inspectors as well. They make sure that there is not a single spelling or grammar occupying the pages of your manuscript. Below are the standard tasks that proofreading does, making sure that your manuscript is 100% ready for printing and publication.
· Inconsistencies in layout and typography
· Confusing or awkward page and word breaks
· Incorrect captioning on any illustrations and page numbers in the contents
Fact-Checking
Fact-Checking is a type of editing process that may not apply to every manuscript. However, checking facts and information is a must, especially for works of non-fiction, memoirs, and biographies. For fiction works, they can be used to further build your story. Say, if you are writing science fiction involving quantum physics, or space travel, you would want your information or background story to be somewhat believable. Historical fiction is great only if they are close to what actually happened. Dates, events, scientific laws, historical figures, and other facts embedded in your manuscript should also undergo fact-checks. You wouldn’t want to sound ridiculous telling non-fiction (or even fiction) completely detached from actual facts.
Overall, these types of the editing process and each will certainly improve your work. A great narrative is not all about soul and heart. It is also a matter of flow, structure, voice, correctness, and how well it can communicate to future readers. Editing processes aim to do that, and professional editors ensure that it will be done.