What are the Different Types of Novel Editing?

When creating a high-quality, professionally formed novel that is ready for readers, editing is an essential step for any author, whether they are aspiring first-time novelists or self-publishing authors.

Once we think of the best writers we love, like J.R.R. Tolkien and Stephen King, it is often simple to conjure up that they are sitting at their writing desks. And then composing line upon line of clean, creative genius.

On the flip side, the reality you do not know, once you select any chosen novel, and what you are reading is typically the final product of a lot of flawed drafts.

Also, it took a lot of time, energy and a year to finish a perfect book with a lot of cutting out. That is why professional editing plays a huge role in boosting your novel or book to offer new insights.

In the publishing world, an editor can be your vicious critic. And as well, could be your biggest supporter. You either work with an editor or can edit your novel if you choose to self-publish; the choice is up to you.

But with ample types of edits accessible, it is hard for many authors to choose the best one that fits their needs.

Let's explore the different kinds of novel editing in the next section.

What are the Different Types of Editing?

Different types of novel editing can range from a picture structure work to fine tuning details. These mainly comprise development editing (story, structure), Line editing (Style, Flow), Copy Editing (Grammar, consistency and clarity), and finally proofreading (It is the final error check.

• Development editing has another name, which is structural editing. The main aim of this kind of novel editing is to check the whole thing in relation to the big picture of a story. These are the concept, plot and character growth.
• Line editing- It mostly analyses details line by line.
• Copy editing- It is similar to what is defined above. But it does not focus much on line-by-line correction of inept writing.
• Proofreading- Finally, the last one is only aimed at correcting grammatical mistakes that have been made in the text. In contrast, professional book editors can offer you clarity, structure and offer content without any mistakes.

Different Kinds of Novel Editing

Here are the many types of book editing in detail.

Stage 1: The Big Picture - Developmental Editing

This kind of editing is often called structure editing or content editing. Structure editing is the one that offers an in-depth, big-picture stage of any editing practice.

Well, this type is not for you if you are searching for someone to check your commas and point out spelling errors. Then this type is not for you.

What It Is

A development editor can read your manuscript and then offer you detailed feedback on the basic elements of your storytelling.

What does it Emphasise on

1. Plot and structure- Structural editing usually aims at the bigger picture. Are there plot holes? Does the structure of the novel work? Is the pacing helpful?
2. Character development- Are the motivations of the characters clear? Is the character arc engaging and broad?
3. Point of View (POV)- Is the POV effective and reliable?
4. Subject: Are the novel's main subjects coming via plainly?

The Deliveries

You will normally obtain an ‘’editorial letter’’ that will offer you a lengthy paper which examines your manuscript strengths and flaws. Also, the editor offers you an actionable suggestion for your next revision.

Stage 2: The Sentence Level – Copy Editing (Line Editing)

Compared to development editing, line editing is a kind of novel editing that emphasises individual sentences and paragraphs. It makes sure the language you use is clear, concise and has no grammatical mistakes.

Moreover, line editing generally comprises checking for repetition, changing the language, and explaining sentence structure in order to make sure the whole thing works easily together.

These types of editing for books usually aim more at the author’s voice rather than the grammar and punctuation.

What it is

A copy editor analyses and goes over your manuscript in every line, refining your writing. Also, an editor will make sure your work is clear, consistent and correct.

What is the Emphasis on

• The primary aim of this kind of novel editing is to check Grammar, spelling and punctuation.
• Consistency- It catches the inconsistencies in the timeline, character descriptions,
• Clarity and flow- It refines the sentence structure and phrasing to create the prose more stylish and clear for readers.

Stage 3: The Final Polish – Proofreading

The final stage of line editing is proofreading, and it involves examining for any mistakes, typos and inconsistencies that editors might ignore while editing.

In addition, the proofreading focuses on typos, checks the clarity and reviews the content, such as basic grammar.

It is basically the light edit, and it is designed to become the final clean-up prior to publishing the novel or book.

Proofreading is always an effective and essential aspect of any writing. And the best and most seasoned proofreaders can be an ideal choice for your publishing team.

A detailed check will help you catch a lot of final mistakes that most of the time even the best editors can miss.

What it is

A quality proofreader with years of expertise does one final, careful check in order to spot any lasting errors and grammar mistakes. Or can also check the formatting errors that were usually missed in the editing phase.

What it Aims for:

The proofreading mostly catches every objective mistake before publishing. It is the final quality check control.

Where Can You Find Great Novel Editors?

You can find the best novel editors via professional firms such as EFA, editorial freelancers and specialised websites such as Reedsy. This platform has the best freelancers. Other best places such as Upwork, Jericho Writers and Fiverr.

Before you hire an editor, first, you should make sure you do not need to hire all the different types of book editors.

A lot of editors you will find have separate roles, and they are specialised in doing different types of book editing. To be truthful, it is quite common for writers to approach only two kinds of editors.

The one who specialises in the big picture, like developmental and structural editing. And the other one is aimed at copyediting and proofreading.

Here are the tips for finding the best editor.

• The Editorial Freelancers Association ranks as one of the most famous organisations of professional freelance editors.
• You should also look at the ACES Society of Editing, which has a full worldwide list, as well as renowned platforms like NY Book Editors.
• On top of that, here's a cheeky little tip: Choose one of your favourite novels that you believe is highly well-written, and turn to the Thanks Page. There's a good chance your author honoured their editor by name. And a fast Google search could lead you straight to them.
• At the very least, if you are on a tight budget, you might find editors with high potential on freelance websites like Upwork, Fiverr, Remote People, or Freelancer.

Novel Editing Tips

Here are some effective editing tips you must know.

• Whether you are self-editing or hiring an editor, ensure that your manuscript does not change.
• Normally, development and structural editing are done prior to beta reading. This enables the reader to have a clear, usually refined However, they can find minor plot holes and chances for layering sense.
• One of the effective tips for editing is reading aloud. It can help you solve editing problems, even though you can lot of other things in editing as well.
• Remember, you do not need to hire all kinds of editors. It is normally based on the book or novels that the editor selects, less costly and considering a lot of other factors. On the other hand, being an author, you must perform all of your own editing work on every level, prior to sending your work to an expert.
• Effective editors can assist writers in identifying structural and developmental problems.
• Expert and proficient editors are taught to use the software to review a manuscript at the developmental and structural levels and provide the author with input via in-person online meetings, notes, comments, and a summary letter.

Summing Up

These are the 4 main types of novel editing, and every type is vital to ensure an effective outcome. And all types have their own purpose and significance.

Aspiring authors must wisely think about all of these 4 editing types in order to create a perfect, professionally written piece without any mistakes.

Remember, there are plenty of ways to edit a novel or book; you can do it and save yourself a lot of money. But it takes a lot of time, and there is a chance you missed out errors.

Or you can approach a certified editor who will help you polish your paper and save a lot of time. However, hiring a novel editor can be costly; the cost depends on the type of editing.