Editing powers the magic of revision.
Although coached revision and writing tutorials are my primary focus, I also offer editing services on a limited basis. Many new writers believe that editing is the final stamp of approval for a project, but good editing sparks effective revision at every stage of your project. For instance, a conversation with a developmental editor early on can direct your creative energy and save you time and frustrations. Some professionals combine the types, doing simultaneous line and copy editing, for instance. A substantive edit may include some line and copy editing since mechanics and meaning are what creates plot, character, scene, and so forth.
Writers intending to publish with one of the big traditional houses [e.g. Penguin/Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette] can no longer count on receiving careful editing once the book is under contract, particularly if yours is a first novel. Agents and editors in the corporate world are more interested in manuscripts that have already received professional attention [at the author’s expense] and are nearly ready for publication, which saves them money
Writers planning to publish independently should consider at least one professional edit as part of their project’s journey into the world. Readers value polished writing and will remember your name and return for more when your next book or story appears. Indie books with rambling language, grammatical errors, and proofreading problems will not sell well once reviews calling out these weaknesses appear. This damages your authorial brand in its most vulnerable stage and can be challenging to repair
Types of Editing
Developmental — This kind of edit analyzes the your first draft or detailed outline and finds areas that need reinforcement, pruning, enriching, and direction. A developmental edit can trigger significant revision and restructuring because it assesses the deep structures like plot, pacing, character arcs, conflict, setting, sequence, theme, etc. We will also discuss your goals for the work and focus your energy into the next draft, where you breathe life into the story’s many layers.
Substantive — This type of edit looks at the whole work but focuses on how you use language, from the sentence level up through paragraph, scene, chapter, and in dialogue. Is your language clear? Is it merely functional when it could also be elegant? Are you using language to manage tension and heighten emotional impact? Does your dialogue advance the narrative and reveal character? Is your imagery guiding or confusing the reader? A substantive edit can also lead to significant revision, and may be the place where coaching will help you most, as you strengthen and enhance your wordsmithing.
Copy editing and Line editing — These two often happen simultaneously or they can be done separately. A copy edit checks your manuscript sentence by sentence for errors of grammar, usage, punctuation, and spelling. Every manuscript needs copy editing. Line editing reads for the meaning of your words, sentences, paragraphs, and dialogue to help you hone and tighten your prose. This level polishes your language. A good line edit, and the revision you do with its guidance, will take your story or project to the next level.
Proofreading — Going through a manuscript word-by-word to catch all the errors. This is the final step before submitting work to a publisher, formatting service, periodical, professor, etc. We depend too much on the fallible automata of spell-checkers and grammar programs. They are no substitute for a skilled proofreader’s intelligence and attention. This is exacting work.
Testimonials
I found Anne when I realized my nonfiction book, Of Books and Beasts: A Cryptozoologist’s Library, was still a mess just weeks before its deadline. Between her subject matter knowledge, innate feel for tying all the bits of a work together as one smooth experience, and knowledge of grammar and punctuation, she made the book FAR better than it would have been.
Matt Bille, Colorado Springs, CO