My Editing Process

Redlining

I edit in Microsoft Word, which has a redlining feature.  This allows me to track the changes I make to your manuscript so that you can easily look through them later and accept or reject each individual suggestion.

For copyediting, proofreading, and to a lesser extent line editing, redlining is how I give much of my editing feedback.

Comments

With any type of editing, but especially developmental editing, I use comments to ask you questions about the manuscript, give big-picture feedback, and comment on anything that deserves your attention.

These comments are made to the Word document alongside the redlining so that you can look at all my feedback at once.

Style Sheets

I use a style sheet while copyediting to keep track of all editorial decisions made during the editing process, such as which spellings are used when there are multiple accepted variants. This helps to ensure consistency in the final manuscript and to ensure that you and I are on the same page. I send the style sheet back with the manuscript so that you can continue to use it for any additional stages of the editing process, or for future books if you are writing a series.

If you have a style sheet already, send it to me with the manuscript and I will add to it as I edit your book.

Review Letters

Copyediting and Line Editing

A review letter is a separate document in which I give general feedback on the manuscript as a whole.

For copyediting and line editing, I use a review letter to summarize the edit as a whole and explain what I focused on. I go over the types of suggestions that I made on the manuscript itself and provide any information that will help you to understand my suggestions.

I also use the review letter to note areas that still need work. Sometimes I have notes that involve a more in-depth explanation than can comfortably fit in a comment in the manuscript file itself, and these go in the review letter too. 

Lastly, I will note any broader issues I noticed that fell outside the scope of the edit but that I want you to be aware of, such as anything that would fall under the category of developmental editing and isn’t an easy fix at the copyediting stage. 

Developmental Editing

While for copyediting the review letter is a guide through the edits made to the manuscript, in a developmental edit the review letter contains a significant portion of the editorial feedback itself.

This is because developmental editing focuses on big-picture feedback. Many of my suggestions apply to the story as a whole rather than a certain page or line of text.

A review letter for developmental editing often includes discussion of characters, plot arcs, narrative tension, pacing, worldbuilding, point of view, and whether the manuscript fits well in the intended genre, among other things.

For example, the review letter may note that some characters may be better developed while others may need more work, or that a certain character has a few inconsistencies throughout the manuscript. 

For fantasy novels the review letter may have significant discussion of the worldbuilding: what works, what doesn’t, any inconsistencies, and any relevant tips for improving the reader’s experience. 

The review letter will note what is done well as well as explaining potential issues and giving guidance on how they can be resolved.