9 Famous Types of Editing That Every Author Should Know

9 Famous Types of Editing That Every Author Should Know 9 Types of Editing: A Guide for Authors For any writer, the world of professional editing can be very intimidating - especially when trying to figure out what kinds of editors you need and how to find good ones for your project. Indeed, there are so many types of editing out there, it’s enough to make anyone’s head spin!But this process doesn’t have to be so overwhelming. In this guide, we’ll take you through all the different types of editing, what each one entails, and how they relate to one another. Plus we’ll provide insight from our own expert editors on what these types can do for you as a writer! Ready to get started? 9 types of editing how to apply them to your manuscript  Ã°Å¸â€œ  What are the 9 types of editing?1. Developmental editingDevelopmental editing, also called content or substantive editing, involves an editor providing detailed feedback on â€Å"big-picture† issues. They’ll refine your ideas, shape your narrative, and help you fix any major plot or character inconsistencies. Basically, they’ll look at just about every element of your story and tell you what works and what doesn’t.â€Å"For a developmental edit, I look at some of the larger questions,† says editor Mary-Theresa Hussey. â€Å"Why are the characters behaving as they do? What are their motivations? Do these scenes add to the overall story? What is your underlying theme and how does it change?†As we said, this is typically the first step in the editing process. After all, you don’t want to get your manuscript proofed or formatted if you haven’t even fleshed out the plot yet! A developmental editor will make sure your story’s u p to snuff before moving forward, so you don’t end up copy-correcting work that’s just going to get thrown out anyway.What do you get out of a developmental edit?There are two pieces here that your editor should provide: an editorial report and an annotated manuscript.The editorial report is a general critique of everything your developmental editor thinks you should change, along with commentary on what’s functioning well and should stay in your work. Meanwhile, the annotated manuscript is a marked-up version of the manuscript itself, with specific suggestions as to how you can fix each issue. You might think of the annotated manuscript as the editor’s raw feedback and the editorial report as a summary of that feedback.2. Editorial assessmentOn the other hand, if your manuscript isn’t quite ready yet for a developmental edit, but you still want to get some feedback on it, you can always call for an editorial assessment.â€Å"In an editorial asses sment, the author wouldn’t receive comments and example rewrites in the manuscript,† says genre fiction editor Leah Brown. â€Å"Instead, they would receive a letter that focuses on the broad strokes. An editorial assessment is best for an author who is early in the process and whose manuscript may be messier.†So an editorial assessment is similar to an editorial report, but with less detail. It should give you some concrete ideas about how to construct your story. However, it won’t have the nuance of a full developmental edit, so don’t rely on an assessment alone to perfect your manuscript.3. Structural editing Make sure that structure's solid before you build on it! (Image: Michael Eggerl on Unsplash)4. Copy editingOnce you’re certain that you’ve solved the big-picture issues of your book and done any necessary rewrites, it’s time to dive into copy editing! This type is also known as mechanical and sometimes line editing, depending on its particular application.â€Å"A copy editor’s job is to bring the author’s completed manuscript to a more professional level,† says editor Chersti Nieveen. â€Å"A copy edit helps create the most readable version of your book, improving clarity, coherency, consistency, and correctness. The goal is to bridge any remaining gaps between the author’s intent and the reader’s understanding.†What elements do copy editors consider?A copy editor examines and corrects the following elements in your work:SpellingGrammarCapitalizationWord usage and repetitionDialogue tagsUsage of numbers or numeralsPOV/ten se (to fix any unintentional shifts)Descriptive inconsistencies (character descriptions, locations, blocking, etc.)Essentially, while a developmental editor will address overarching issues with your story, the copy editor looks at more minute details. After all, it’d be pretty distracting to your reader if you constantly misuse dialogue tags or misspell the word â€Å"restaurant.† Copy editing ensures that errors like these don’t happen, so your writing is as strong as possible, and your reader remains 100% focused on the story.5. Line editingPeople often use this term synonymously with copy editing, but they’re not exactly the same. To clarify: line editing focuses specifically on the content and flow of your prose. It’s also called stylistic editing, since it concentrates on style rather than mechanics.In other words, it still falls under the umbrella of copy editing, but it’s more precise. While a full copy edit looks at all of the elemen ts listed in the bullets above, a line edit would only take word usage, POV/tense, and descriptive inconsistencies into account, and provide more detailed suggestions as to how to strengthen the prose itself.Obviously, spelling, grammar, and other mechanical elements are critical, but a line edit would not attend to these so much as to creative content. If you feel incredibly confident about the mechanics of your prose but less so about its flow and style, you might request that your copy editor focus their energy on line editing alone. After all, a proofreader can always catch any minor errors that slip through the cracks. Copy vs. line editing: what's the difference? Find out here! 🔎 And speaking of proofreaders...6. Proofreading 9 Types of Editing: A Guide for Authors Read post There are plenty of ways to self-edit or  build a team of insightful beta readers who can provide you with an outside perspective. But if you intend to become a successful author (whatever that means to you), there’s no replacement for professional assistance and correct procedure when it comes to editing. With this in mind, you’re ready to go forth and conquer - the world of editing, that is!Have you ever had a professional edit done on your work? If so, tell us about it in the comments below!