Every writing journey is different, and what type of editing you need right now depends on where you are in that journey and where you want to go next.
While the process may not always be linear—sometimes multiple rounds of one type of editing can be useful, and sometimes you may be able to skip a step—there are five main types of editing.
If after reading this article you’re ready to get started but still have questions about where your starting line should be, please get in touch!
Step 1: Editorial Assessment
Typically the first step in any editing experience is usually an editorial assessment. This assessment offers top-level feedback on things like structure, characterization, plot progression, and narrative voice development as well as overall strengths and areas that could be improved. I’ll provide a report of broad feedback (usually a few pages of a Word document) and, for longer pieces, any chapter-or-section-specific observations I spot along the way.
To use a slightly silly metaphor, if you’re imagining you’re getting your hair styled, this assessment is sort of like looking in a mirror and deciding what you want.
As it covers overarching points to consider rather than providing in-line comments and suggestions, it’s the cheapest type of editorial feedback and involves the least depth of feedback.
No matter what your writing experience or goals for your project, I always recommend starting with this step for larger projects (usually anything more than a few thousand words) so you can hone the bigger “issues” first and make the rest of the editing process much smoother. Shorter projects like articles, blog entries, marketing materials, or a poetry chapbook may be able to move straight to step two.
Step 2: Developmental Editing
After an editorial assessment and any subsequent revisions, you’re ready for a developmental edit.
This edit involves more line-by-line feedback on the content as well as any additional holistic comments on things like character and plot development. I’ll work through the content and annotate the manuscript directly with comments, corrections, and suggestions. If I have any questions along the way, I reach out, but usually the next step is that I send you the annotated document, and you use that to guide any further revisions.
To continue with our metaphor, you can think of this edit as the wash and cut section of styling your manuscript.
As the most detailed and most time-consuming of edits, it usually requires the most amount of time to complete—and the cost reflects that.
Step 3: Copyediting
Once we’re both happy with the manuscript from a content, structure, and “larger picture” point of view, it’s time to move into refining its language.
Copyediting is all about making sure your manuscript is clear, concise, cohesive, and consistent. Through manuscript annotations and tracked changes, I’ll comment on things like diction and syntax (word choice and usage/repetition), capitalization, point of view/tense, narrative inconsistencies, spelling, grammar, and other “nitty gritty” elements of language and writing style. I will also check to make sure your language is inclusive and accurate.
This type of edit is like the blow dry or braiding part of your manuscript styling.
Depending on the length, type, and requirements of your manuscript, it may be possible to complete a copyedit and proofread at the same time. However, particularly for longer, more complex manuscripts, or those that might involve a lot of language editing (such as cookbooks, textbooks, or books written by non-native speakers), I usually recommend copyediting as a separate step since revising the language can introduce new potential errors and changes.
Step 4: Proofreading
The final major editing step for many manuscripts is proofreading. While it is similar to copyediting in some ways—it triple-checks spelling, grammar, punctuation, and other “nitty gritty” elements—it also checks things like inconsistencies in spelling, style, typography, and layout as well as captions, measurements, citations, and cross-references. Other than correcting inconsistencies, it doesn’t include commenting on things like word choice and phrasing style, which would have been captured in the copyediting phase.
You can think of this edit as the fine-toothed comb of the styling process. So that you get your manuscript styled in the way you want, I highly recommend sending a style sheet or list of conventions to guide your editor if you have specific preferences. (For instance, do you prefer American or British English? Do you use MLA or APA style?)
Step 5: Fact-checking
If you’re writing nonfiction, historical fiction, or fiction that includes niche information or experiences you want to be authentic (like a portrayal of a profession, medical illness, or certain environment), your manuscript could benefit from one final round of editing that focuses specifically on facts. Some of this editing may happen during developmental and copy editing stages, but having one final, purpose-focused read to spot all factual references and confirm their accuracy through research (and check your sources, if you cite any) can be crucial in avoiding misrepresentation or inaccuracies.
Although not every manuscript will need this type of focused fact-checking, you might think of this editing stage as looking at your new hairstyle from all angles—maybe even taking some photos—to make sure the full picture is serving exactly what you were intending.