Contrary to popular belief, editing is not a single task. A lot of people associate editing with a process called copyediting. That’s the person who marks up your paper like an English teacher. When looking at storytelling though, there are elements that matter more than perfect grammar.
story editing
This is what I call structural or developmental editing. This kind of editor is going to work with you on the nuts and bolts of the story. Is everything happening in a logical order? Are you getting bogged down somewhere? Pacing problems? Characters flat or unrealistic? These are all things that happen at the story level of editing.
Line Editing
Once the story is down on the page, the question is, will anyone want to read it to the end? This level looks at the sentences and the writing style. Do you like long sentences that meander meaninglessly? Or machine gun sentences. They run four words. And they don’t stop. Line editors will help you find the right rhythm, voice, and clarity in what you have.
Need story or line editing? We can help! Send James a message james@undercurrentbooks.com
Copyediting
This is what most people think of as editing. They’re checking for consistency and usage issues against some kind of style guide like the Chicago Manual of Style. Do you hyphenate deep-fried? Do you do so consistently? Do you use 63 or sixty-three? These are some of the kinds of things a copyeditor will help you find and fix.
Proofreading
This is the last thing editing done before a book goes to print. It tries to catch typos missed in earlier stages of editing. This kind of editing also looks at the formatting to make sure there isn’t text running off the page or a weird box where your copyright mark should be.
Bottom Line
Most authors won’t hire for all of the stages. Experienced authors often don’t need as much help with story structure. Some people have a gift for writing sentences that flow and will never need a line editor. The one kind of editor almost everyone needs a copyeditor though. Even if you are a copyeditor, you’re too familiar with the manuscript to copyedit it well.
If you have questions or could use some help finding the right editor James would be happy to help. Reach out to him james@undercurrentbooks.com
