The types of editing, and which one your book needs

Why the order matters

Editing works from the top down. A developmental editor might tell you to cut chapter 6 and merge chapters 3 and 4. If you had already paid a copyeditor to perfect the commas in chapter 6, that money is gone. So the rule is simple: settle what is in the book before you settle how each sentence reads, and settle how each sentence reads before you settle where every comma goes.

The names vary. The Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA), a US association of more than 4,000 freelance editorial professionals, notes that developmental editors are also called substantive, structural or content editors. When you talk to an editor, describe the problem you want fixed rather than relying on a label. Two editors can mean different things by "a heavy edit."

Developmental editing: is this the right book?

What it fixes. The big things. Does the book deliver on the promise in its title and introduction? Is the argument in an order a reader can follow? Is anything missing, repeated, or there only because you found it interesting? For nonfiction, a developmental editor also asks whether you have the right balance of story and instruction, and whether your evidence is strong enough for the claims you make.

When. After you have a complete draft and have revised it once yourself. Not on half a manuscript, unless you have agreed that with the editor.

What you get back. According to the EFA's definition, a revision letter (also called an editorial letter or edit letter) that sets out the big-picture issues and suggests how to address them, usually with comments in the margins of the manuscript. You do the rewriting. See developmental editing for nonfiction for what a good edit letter contains.

Line editing: does every sentence earn its place?

What it fixes. The EFA describes line editors as working at the sentence and paragraph level, with their main focus on the language and style of the text. In practice that means wordiness, clumsy rhythm, vague phrasing, repeated words, paragraphs that bury their point, and passages where your voice goes stiff.

When. After the structure is settled. The EFA notes that line editing is sometimes done alongside developmental editing, once the big issues are handled, or combined with copyediting.

What you get back. Your manuscript with tracked changes: rewritten sentences, cuts, and comments explaining the reasoning. The line editing vs. copyediting guide shows the same paragraph edited both ways.

Copyediting: is it correct and consistent?

What it fixes. In the EFA's words, copyediting covers spelling, grammar, usage and punctuation, checking cross-references, and preparing the style sheet that keeps the manuscript consistent. Is it "email" or "e-mail," "COVID-19" or "Covid," "chapter 3" or "Chapter Three"? A copyeditor decides once, writes it down, and applies it everywhere. Good copyeditors also flag facts that look wrong, though that is not the same as a full fact-check.

When. On the final manuscript, before it goes to design. Once it has been copyedited, large rewrites undo the work.

What you get back. Tracked changes, queries for you to answer, and a style sheet. More in copyediting vs. proofreading.

Proofreading: is anything wrong on the page?

What it fixes. The EFA describes proofreading as among the last stages before publication: checking for typographical errors and formatting mistakes. On a designed book, that includes things no one could see in a Word file: a page number that does not match the table of contents, a heading stranded at the bottom of a page, a word broken badly across two lines, a caption under the wrong image.

When. On the typeset proof, after design, before printing. If your book will exist only as an ebook, proofread the ebook files on a real device.

What you get back. Marked-up PDF pages or a list of corrections for the designer.

Manuscript assessment, fact-checking and indexing

Manuscript assessment (also called a manuscript evaluation or critique). The EFA lists it as one form a developmental review can take: an overall critique of the content. The editor reads the whole manuscript and writes a report, but does not mark up your pages. It costs much less than a full developmental edit, and it is a good first step if you do not know what your draft needs.

Fact-checking. The EFA defines a fact-checker as someone who reviews a manuscript and confirms each statement that is presented as fact, a deeper level of scrutiny than the incidental checking an editor does. Few business books hire one, but if your book makes claims about real companies, people, studies or legal matters, it is worth considering. Our fact-checking and permissions guide shows how to do much of it yourself.

Indexing. An indexer builds the alphabetical index of names, topics and terms with page numbers. The EFA notes it is usually done near the end, once the layout is final and page numbers will not change. Not every book needs one: many short business books skip it, while reference-style and research-heavy books usually benefit.

How to choose

Answer these in order and stop at the first yes.

1. Can you say what the book promises, and who it is for, in two sentences?

   If not, you are not ready for any editor yet. Work that out first, then revise. An editor cannot fix a book whose purpose is unclear to its author.

2. Do you suspect the structure is wrong, or have early readers lost interest partway through?

   Start with a manuscript assessment or a developmental edit.

3. Is the structure sound but the writing flat, wordy or uneven?

   A line edit, possibly combined with the copyedit.

4. Is the book in good shape and you want it clean and consistent?

   A copyedit now, a proofread after design.

If you are not sure which of these describes your draft, the editor finder asks a few questions and suggests where to start.

Three mistakes to avoid

• Hiring a proofreader for a structural problem. If readers are bored in chapter 5, perfect commas will not keep them.
• Asking for "an edit" without naming the type. Agree in writing on what the editor will and will not touch.
• Skipping the proofread because the copyedit was good. Design introduces new problems. Someone has to look at the final pages.