How the Novel Editing Process Works

The common assumption when it comes to book editing is focused on grammar. In reality, it is a five-step process that focuses on the structure, content, and grammar.

The five steps of the editing process are:

1. Self-Editing

2. Beta Readers

3. Developmental Editing

4. Copy Editing

5. Proofreading

Self-Editing

Self-Editing is the most basic part of the process; it is done by the author themselves before the manuscript is sent in to a professional. Authors read through their manuscript to adjust the grammar to the best of their ability, as well check the structure and plot of their story.

The purpose of Self-Editing is to get the manuscript as clean as the author can get it before submission. The better the Self-Edited manuscript is, the better the final product will be.

When Self-Editing, authors will be looking for basic grammar mistakes, repetitive wording, major plot holes, sentences that don’t make sense, and other simple revisions.

The main problem with Self-Editing is that authors often fail to see errors in their own work. It is an essential part of the editing process, but it doesn’t stand nearly as close to the quality of professional editing. Most authors will have trouble realizing some parts of their story are hard to understand, because they planned the novel themselves. This is where the next step comes in, so other readers can interpret the story without bias.

Beta Readers

Beta Readers are people who give initial feedback on early drafts of the novel. It allows the author to get other eyes on their work. These readers approach the novel indifferently and are able to give unbiased feedback since they have no emotional connection to the work.

Some authors don’t use Beta Readers and just send their work directly to Developmental Editors after the Self-editing process. Beta Readers are more commonly used when an author decides to Self-Publish their novel. This is usually because they can’t afford or don’t want to spend the money on Developmental Editors or professional proofreaders.

It is up to the author how they want to use Beta Readers. They can give the readers the novel at the first or second draft stage, or they can decide to wait until the final draft stage for it to be read over. It all depends on the author’s writing process.

Who acts as the Beta Readers is also up to the author. Friends, family, or fellow authors can be chosen. Fellow authors are usually the best option, being the most likely to give blunt, truthful answers and advice.

The author can ask the Beta Reader specific story elements to focus on, or just to give their general overview and notes on the draft.

Not all suggestions or comments from Beta Readers need to be taken into consideration. However, it is important for authors to consider their own biases and understand that the purpose of the Beta Reader is to get options without the author’s bias.

Developmental Editing

Developmental Editors are professionals who thoroughly look at big picture concepts when editing a novel. This may include plot development, characterization, dialogue, sentence phrasing, action scenes, pacing and any other issues they may come across.

Developmental Editors help authors make the message of the story become clear. Not only does Developmental Editing include having a stranger read an author’s work and providing honest feedback, but also allows a professional to push a manuscript to its highest potential.

It is important for the author to find a good editor that works within the same genre as their novel, understands the authors writing style, and is able to provide honest feedback

Developmental Editing is the first step the author takes after completing the self-editing process. After the author sends their manuscript to a professional, they will receive an editorial letter back. This letter will explain all the story issues that the professional has come across in the manuscript.

During the Developmental Writing process, it is not uncommon for authors to re-write chunks of their work. It may be necessary to go through the process multiple times before the author and the editor feel the manuscript is ready to move on.

Copy-Editing

Also known as line editing, Copy Editing focuses on sentence-by-sentence edits. Copyeditors will focus on a mix of big picture and small details while editing. Copyediting is often interpreted as a type of Proofreading, but it is important that the author understands they are not the same thing.

They look for repetitiveness, grammar issues, story inconsistencies, plot points, setting, and font. However, a Copyeditor also checks for factuality and legal liability. Copyediting has similarities to both Developmental Editing and Proofreading. They rewrite unclear sentences, smooth out confusing passages, and any other rewriting deemed necessary.

As it is one of the most meticulous steps of the editing process, your Copyeditor has to be detail-oriented, up to date are publishing and editing practices, and be excellent with grammar and word usage.

Like the rest of the editing process, Copyediting is taking steps to make the authors novel the best it can be. However, the focus of Copyediting is making sure the content is clear and correct. Copyeditors go line by line, making sure any phrases, words, grammar, facts, and dates are correct.

Like Developmental Editing, Copyediting normally takes more than one round to be complete. The author will consistently communicate with their Copyeditor to bring the novel to its highest potential. Due to these factors, Copyediting can be a long process. Copyeditors may have other novels to review and cannot work on a single manuscript all day every day. It is important to build a manuscript to the best it can be up to this point in the editing process to shorten the amount of time that is spent at this step.

It is important that the author writes a good brief for their Copyeditors. This brief will need to highlight specific issues the author may want the Copyeditor to look at, writing style preference, or if there are multiple authors. This will allow for better and faster results.

Proofreading

Proofreading is the very last step in the editing process, the purpose is to catch the lingering mistakes that may not have been caught in the previous steps. The focus is on the finest details in the text, small grammar or spelling mistakes that may have been looked over whilst bigger issues were addressed.

The proofreader will be solely focused on cleaning up the final mistakes of the novel. They do not do any rewriting, as a Copyeditor does. This is not the step to make any large changes to the text. The author and editors will not move on to the Proofreading stage until they are satisfied with the state of the novel.

While Proofreading may seem like a small part of the editing process, it is just as important as all the other steps. It is unprofessional to have typos or grammatical errors in a novel, and it may take the reader out of the story if they spot one.

Since this is the last step between editing and publications, authors need to be sure to find a proofreader who is precise and has experience in the field. This will guarantee the quality of proofreading.

Works Cited

Gaughran, D. (2022, January 22). The Five Stages of Editing a Book. Retrieved from davidgaughran.com: https://davidgaughran.com/editing-a-book/

Mill City Press. (n.d.). The Book Editing Process. Retrieved from millcitypress.com: https://www.millcitypress.net/author-learning-hub/book-production/whats-editing-all-about/