Getting your written book to the publishing phase can feel like a monumental task, especially when you do it on your own. After the book editing process, there’s still a whole world of design choices, marketing strategies, and printing options that you need to navigate before your book finds its audience. No matter where you are on your book creation journey — from writing and editing to formatting, book layout, and marketing — you can count on Palmetto Publishing to guide you along the way.

The book editing process is a crucial but sometimes scary part of writing a book. You’ve already invested so much of your time and energy into the manuscript, and in some cases, it feels like you’ve invested a piece of your soul.

When you’re that close to a project, how are you supposed to look at it objectively? How can you tell what’s working and what isn’t? There’s a possibility that you’ll miss large problems or stop out of frustration.

Take a breath. You’ve already done the hardest part — you’ve created something new. This book editing guide will help you tackle the rest. After going over some important distinctions, it lays out an editing road map. Wherever your project is now, this is what you need to turn it into a strong, publishable book.

Like all disciplines, the book editing process uses a specialized vocabulary. Here are some essential distinctions and available resources.

The right vocabulary can help you clarify your objectives during self-editing. When working with others, it’s even more important to establish clear expectations. Note that these definitions have some fluidity and overlap built into them. Talk to any editor or book editing companies you consider using to make sure that you’re on the same page.

Book editing covers a range of activities, all centered on improving your book. However, different types of book editing focus on specific areas and are suited to varying stages of the process.

You can — and should — perform these critiques during the book editing process on your own work, but it’s also useful to get input from an expert outsider. Depending on the level of engagement you want, you’ll pay different rates.

So, what are the different types of book editing? And how much is book editing?

Palmetto professional book editing services include:

  • Developmental editing. A detailed analysis of the manuscript and advice on how to improve it at every level. This type of book editing, also known as story editing, structural story editing, or content (substantive) editing, focuses on the big-picture elements of your manuscript. It involves assessing and refining your overall structure, plot, pacing, themes, and character development. ($0.09 per word)
  • Line editing. This type of editing focuses on the craft of writing, including sentence structure, word choice, and overall readability. It involves providing feedback on tone, style, organization, and line-level edits. Line editors also address flow, paragraph transitions, and language issues to help engage readers. ($0.04 per word)
  • Copy editing. A meticulous, late-stage pass that aims to fix clarity, coherence, and correctness. This includes fixing grammatical errors, punctuation, spelling mistakes, and typos. Copy editors also check for consistency in style and formatting, ensuring your book follows specific guidelines or style manuals. ($0.03 per word)

Your needs depend on the state and stage of your manuscript. Here’s a little more clarification on these and other book editing services you might see offered.

Developmental book editing is big-picture editing. You should expect comprehensive feedback about what works and what doesn’t in your manuscript. Here are some of the things that are addressed in this stage of the book editing process.

What Is the Big Picture?

Developmental editing focuses on the overall structure and direction of your story. It addresses fundamental aspects such as the plot, characters, themes, and pacing.

What Are the Key Elements?

For a fiction story, your developmental editor will address story-level concerns about plots, characters, and individual scenes. Nonfiction writers will get suggestions on structure and theme. Editors will help them focus and convey their central message.

What Is the Overall Theme? Is It Consistent?

Your editor will evaluate the growth and progression of your characters. Are their arcs compelling and believable? Do they undergo significant development that enhances your story?

Do the Dialogue and Character Interactions Sound Natural?

How authentic are your characters’ dialogue and interactions? Your editor will provide feedback on whether conversations feel natural and contribute to character development and plot progression.

Which Scenes Don’t Work?

A critical part of the developmental book editing process is identifying what doesn’t work, including scenes that don’t further the plot, develop characters, or maintain reader interest. Your editor will suggest revisions or cuts to improve the story’s overall flow and impact, which may include word count additions or reductions if you’re concerned about that.

No matter your genre, you should also receive notes on voice and style. A good editor will provide examples, but the advice will cover repeated issues or opportunities for improvement.

Two invaluable tips for how to get the most from developmental editing:

  • Be open-minded. It can be hard to hear critiques. Trust editors to provide a valuable perspective and stay open to their ideas. That said, remember that at the end of the day, this is your book. You make the final choices.
  • Prepare to be patient and re-write large portions. Most books go through multiple drafts with an editor. Keep old drafts in separate files so that you can look at earlier versions if you ever feel something has been lost.

Line editing is the middle ground between developmental editing and copy editing. The editor should still pay attention to overarching issues, and you might receive general suggestions for improvement. The focus, however, will be on local issues. How can individual scenes and sentences be stronger? How can they better contribute to the whole?

You’ll get little suggestions throughout, rather than synthesized, large-scale ideas for revision. The editor should also correct obvious errors of continuity and grammar and check the 5 Cs of line editing.

The 5 Cs ensure that your work is:

  • Clear: Checking that each sentence conveys its intended message without ambiguity.
  • Correct: Fixing grammatical errors, typos, and incorrect word usage.
  • Concise: Removing unnecessary words to make the writing more direct and impactful.
  • Comprehensible: Making sure the text is easy to understand and follows a logical flow.
  • Consistent: Ensuring consistency in style, tone, and terminology throughout the story.

Copy editing is an even more tightly focused book editing process that zeros in on the sentences of the manuscript. Your editor will look at grammar, spelling, and punctuation while improving clarity and flow and tightening the language usage.

A proofreader makes a final pass over a manuscript, checking for literal mistakes such as typos, punctuation errors, and formatting issues with the manuscript. Proofreaders also perform layout proofing to guarantee the visual presentation of the text follows formatting standards and is free of inconsistencies.

Note: There’s a lot of potential overlap and confusion between line editing, copy editing, and proofreading. Any professional book editing services will have established their own vocabulary, so it is good practice to discuss the parameters of their services.

Here’s one way to think about the possible distinctions between the different types of book editing and proofreading. Let’s say a line editor, a copy editor, and a proofreader all look at the same piece of dialogue (which sounds like the opening to a strange joke).

  • The line editor will tell you if it’s well-placed and consistent with the character’s voice.
  • A copy editor makes sure that the writing is clear and strong.
  • A proofreader checks it for mistakes and typos.

Even fiction writers need to create worlds and characters that feel real, whereas non-fiction writers must be fact-perfect.

You can do your own fact-checking, paying attention to potential problem areas. You can also hire professional book editing companies.

Pro-tip: If you want an affordable specialist on a subject, reach out to departments at local universities. Ask them if they could pass along this opportunity to any graduate students who might be a good fit. They’re often excited about a fun chance to earn a little extra money by helping with the book editing process.

When it comes to book editing, most writers get several different pairs of eyes on their manuscripts before publication. You’ll need at least some of the following.

You are your primary editor. You are the expert on this story or material. There’s no version of the book editing process that doesn’t involve some careful work on your part.

Editing applications have become more sophisticated and more popular in recent years. If you’re interested, you have multiple options for good book-editing software.

Depending on what you choose, these apps can help you identify:

  • Typos
  • Grammar, usage, and spelling errors
  • Problematic words or phrases
  • Wordy or unclear constructions
  • Repetition

They make a great supplement to your book-editing toolkit but note that they still have serious limitations. They’re no substitute for a human editor.

Think of professional book editing as your alpha reader. They treat your manuscript as a manuscript — a living document in which they can make changes and suggestions.

Beta readers instead treat your manuscript as a book. They might note a few mistakes along the way, but they give you general impressions about what they like and what they don’t. They can help you understand how close the manuscript is to being done.

Good readers are invaluable, and there are plenty of places to find beta readers. You might use friends, family, or freelancers. One of the best options is to find other writers with whom to exchange manuscripts.

Finally, you can hire a professional book editor to give you the benefit of their expertise.

There’s a lot of debate over when to hire an editor, and the right answer varies by the author and manuscript. Take stock of your abilities and resources as you decide what you most need.

Now that we’ve established a common vocabulary in book editing, let’s look at the book editing process. How can you take your manuscript from its first draft to the best book it can be?

Step 1 Rest

That’s right. The first step in editing your book is to do absolutely nothing. Put the book down and walk away for a couple of weeks.

You need to separate yourself from the momentum that carried you through the initial composition. Then, you can dive into book editing and really see what’s on the page instead of the driving intention behind it.

Step 2 Read

Once you’ve given yourself — and your book — a break, read back over the entire thing. You can make notes as you read but get through the whole manuscript without making any major changes.

Engage with the text as a reader. If you picked it up, what would you find satisfying? What isn’t working yet?

Step 3 Look at the Big Picture

At this stage of the book editing process, don’t worry too much about individual sentences or scenes. Focus on the bigger elements of the text.

Start by redefining the story or argument. What’s this book about? You’ll want to keep this answer in front of you as you go through the rest of this book editing guide.

Re-outline the book, as well. Create a new scene or chapter catalog that tracks the main theme or plot as well as any minor arcs. What’s there, and what isn’t but should be?

This is also the time to tackle characterization, world-building, and the fit between your book and its imagined audience.

Pro-tip: Pay particular attention to the first few pages of the manuscript. Do you start your book in the right place? Will it hook readers?

Step 4 Break It Into Pieces

Once you understand the overarching structure or plot, you can focus on strengthening individual scenes or chapters.

For each of these pieces, make a note about the point of the episode. How does this contribute to the whole story? What do you want to accomplish through it? (Tip: if you struggle to answer the question, the scene may not belong in the book.)

Then, follow through on these intentions.

Step 5 Try the Change That Scares You

One of the most common mistakes in book editing is getting too comfortable with the material already on the page. It’s easy to think of certain elements of your book as static givens rather than dynamic choices.

There’s probably one niggling suspicion or concern about a major element of the text. Would it be better if you struck a subplot or added a major character? Does your non-fiction work need a less obvious inclusion to make it stand out?

Force yourself to make a huge, scary choice and delete the things you love that aren’t working — also referred to as “Killing Your Darlings” — then live in that version of the text for a few days. It may not be right for the book, and you may go back to the original. Even if you do, you’ll have a newfound confidence in those earlier decisions.

Step 6 Fix Any Problems of Accuracy, Continuity, and Clarity

Do you need to do some additional fact-checking? How’s the continuity of your world and plot? Are there ideas or connections that you know aren’t yet clear? Do multiple characters blend together so that a reader might confuse them?

A book is a huge undertaking with many moving pieces in play. Rework anything that might confuse your reader. For example, many fiction writers accidentally give characters names that are too similar. If one of your protagonist’s best friends is named Maggie, don’t name the other one Megan.

Step 7 Make Line Edits

It’s time to delve into the nitty-gritty details of the book editing process. How can you strengthen your writing and improve your manuscript at the level of individual sentences?

You can find plenty of tips to tighten your copy. Get rid of adverbs. Vary sentence length and language. Streamline your prose by getting rid of wordy phrases and instances of the passive voice.

Sometimes, it’s hard to see these problems on the computer screen. Try these two tricks:

  • Print it out. Pick up a pencil and edit the manuscript manually. The shift in format can help you focus.
  • Read it aloud. Is your book easy to read? If not, why not? Reading your work aloud will force you to confront awkward bits of writing.

Step 8 Proofread

Here is where those book editing apps really can help. Don’t rely on them to catch everything or make changes without checking to ensure that they work in context. However, the messy process of book editing has probably left you with a slew of typos. Let editing apps help.

Step 9 Get Outside Perspectives and Fresh Eyes

You’ve finished the first draft — maybe even the second draft — but how do you know when you’re done? When is the book ready for release?

Good writers don’t assume that they’re entirely sufficient in and of themselves. Good writers get input from good readers and editors.

Step 10 Revise Accordingly

Incorporate the feedback you receive into the manuscript. Then, go back to step one. Set it aside for a few days and then take stock.

Where is this version of the book? Which of these steps do you need to revisit?

Book editing is an iterative process, not a single box you can check on the way to publication. You may need another draft — or three. That’s okay and perfectly normal.

The book editing process is hard. Finding a good editor or professional book editing services doesn’t have to be. At Palmetto, we honor your manuscript with enthusiasm, respect, and thoughtful critique at every level.

Take advantage of Palmetto’s professional book editing services. Let’s work together to realize your creative vision.

As you go through the book editing process, the cost of editing will vary depending on where you’re at and what you need. At Palmetto, our book editing prices break down like this:

  • Copy editing: $300 for up to 10k words, then $.03 per word
  • Line editing: $400 for up to 10k words, then $.04 per word
  • Developmental editing: $900 for up to 10k words, then $.09 per word

What are the 5 stages of the book editing process?

The five stages of the editing process are:

  1. Developmental editing
  2. Line editing
  3. Copy editing
  4. Proofreading
  5. Layout proofing

Each stage focuses on different aspects of improving your manuscript, from big-picture elements to final polish.

Can I publish a book without an editor?

Yes, you can publish a book without an editor, but it is not recommended. Editors look at your work objectively to provide essential feedback and corrections that improve your book’s quality, readability, and professionalism, increasing its chances of success.

How do I find someone to edit my book?

To find an editor, search online for professional book editing services, ask for recommendations from other authors, or check writing forums and social media groups. Always review their credentials, ask for samples, and discuss your specific needs before hiring. You can also work with the experienced, professional team at Palmetto for all your book editing needs.

How much does book editing cost?

Book editing costs vary depending on the type and extent of editing required. At Palmetto, developmental editing typically costs around $0.09 per word, line editing around $0.04 per word, and copy editing about $0.03 per word. Proofreading and layout proofing are often priced separately.