A very common thing people ask me about is what the various levels of editing entail. While different editors have different definitions of each level of editing, this is how I usually explain things to people.
Developmental editing (sometimes called structural editing) should be done first. This examines the big picture and structure of a manuscript.
What follows is line editing, which deals with style and refining of each line of text.
Copyediting comes next. In addition to making minor revisions to text for clarity, a copyeditor checks things such as grammar, punctuation, word usage, and consistency in things such as point of view, tense, and narrative details. Some people lump line editing and copyediting in together. A copyedit can be viewed as a less intensive line edit. A line edit can be viewed as a heavy copyedit. In my experience, most of the time a new author is looking for a “proofreader,” they’re actually looking for a copyeditor, especially if they’ve only self-edited their manuscript and have yet to work with any editor at all.
Proofreading is done last and is the final check for anything that managed to slip through the cracks during previous rounds of editing while confirming that appropriate style guides have been followed. A proofreader checks for typos, incorrect spellings, formatting irregularities, missing or duplicated words, and any glaring errors that may inhibit a reader’s enjoyment of the text.
Something else to note is that each higher level of editing is typically more expensive because it requires a higher degree of skill.
I myself offer only copyediting and proofreading. I have done line editing, but it’s not something I currently have a price tier for. I don’t offer developmental editing because I am not trained or qualified to do so. I do on occasion offer suggestions to things that fall within the developmental editing umbrella when a client asks me to or if something stands out as needing attention, but that’s a far cry from offering it as a full-fledged service to an entire manuscript. I have an amazing developmental editor friend who I refer people to when they ask for a developmental editor recommendation.
That’s the gist of the various levels of editing. I encourage anyone interested in learning more to seek out additional definitions in order to better grasp the differences, because I do understand this stuff can be confusing.
If you’re looking for a copyeditor or proofreader, feel free to get in touch with me. I’d love to chat about working on your manuscript.
Timothy