editing definitions
Many wonderful editors have different definitions, in part or in whole, for their work. These are mine!
The services are listed in the order they should occur, with developmental edits coming first, and formatting + proofreading being the final steps.
Developmental Editing, also called 'substantive' or 'big-picture' editing
In a developmental edit, we focus on the manuscript as a whole: your plot, your characters, your world building, and your overarching themes and tone. You provide me your current work, along with any specific questions or concerns you'd like a special eye on. I read everything through, present you with notes on your manuscript's strengths and weaknesses, and provide suggestions for next steps to assemble your bones into a body.
Line Editing
Line edits come in to spruce up your text once you have a proper skeleton to build off of; how your prose flows is the meat of your project. Here, we'll focus on readability and style. This step is tailored to context, so your sexy fight scenes don't have the exact same cadence as your pensive, broody moments, while still preserving your unique voice as a creator. We'll also ensure you don't have five sentences or paragraphs in a row all starting the same way.
Copy Editing
Copy editing works on the connective tissue, if you will: spelling, grammar, punctuation, syntax, and word usage; fact-checking and/or cross-referencing to keep things both accurate and consistent; and preparing or adjusting style sheets. Do you like style sheets? I like style sheets. If you have strong thoughts on what gets to be a proper noun and when, or if you’re intentionally playing fast and loose with grammar, this is where we note it so your personal touches look as intentional to your audience as you intend.
Proofreading, sometimes shortened to 'proofing'
Let's call proofreading the skin. This is where we smooth out the final casing and eliminate any remaining typographical errors, inconsistencies, text formatting issues (like stray or missing paragraph indents), or incorrect changes from earlier versions (when available).
Formatting
Formatting is cosmetics! The gist is: you tell me if this is digital, physical, or both. If it's physical, we check the requirements for your printer of choice. Then, in both cases, we select a size, pick typefaces, and choose or create any decorations, illustrations, or other visual elements you'd like to include. I take that, make it all pretty, and we're done!