Developmental editing: the shape of the book
A developmental editor reads the whole manuscript and asks big questions. Does the story start in the right place? Does the argument build? Is the middle sagging? Are there characters or chapters doing no work? You receive an editorial letter, usually several pages, plus notes in the margins. The editor does not rewrite your sentences at this stage.
Example: a memoir opens with forty pages of childhood before the event the book is really about. The developmental edit suggests opening with the event and folding the childhood in as needed. No sentence has been touched, but the book is now a different reading experience.
Line editing: the sentences
Line editing works paragraph by paragraph on rhythm, clarity, word choice, repetition and tone. The goal is to make the prose do what you intend, in your voice. Everything is delivered as tracked changes so you can see and reverse any suggestion.
Example, before: "She was feeling very tired and exhausted after the long day, which had been extremely long." After: "By the end of the day she was spent." The meaning is the same; the sentence now earns its place.
Copy editing: correctness and consistency
Copy editing checks grammar, punctuation, spelling, usage and consistency. Is the character's eye colour the same in chapter two and chapter twenty? Is it "e-mail" or "email" throughout? Are dates and sequences possible? The copy editor also builds a style sheet that records every decision, which the proofreader and formatter use later.
Example: a nonfiction manuscript refers to a report as 2019 in one chapter and 2020 in another. The copy editor flags it as a query rather than guessing, because only the author knows which is right.
Proofreading: the final pages
Proofreading happens after the book is typeset, on the PDF or EPUB that will be published. It catches typos that survived, words dropped during layout, bad line and page breaks, and small layout faults such as a chapter heading at the bottom of a page. It is not the place to rewrite anything.
Example: a chapter title appears as "Chaper Nine" in the formatted file. It was correct in the manuscript; the error crept in during layout. Only a proof of the final pages catches this.
The order matters
Developmental first, then line, then copy, then proof. Each level assumes the previous one is finished. If you proofread before a structural edit and then cut a chapter, that proofreading is gone. If you copy edit before line editing, every rewritten sentence needs checking again.
Not every book needs every level. A clean nonfiction manuscript from an experienced writer may need only a copy edit and a proof. A first novel usually benefits from a developmental read. An honest editor will tell you which, and a sample edit will show you.
- Ask what level a quote covers and what you will receive
- Ask for a sample edit of a few pages
- Ask whether a style sheet is included with copy editing
- Keep the proofread for the typeset pages, not the manuscript