Generally speaking, there are three specific, designated types of editing, but the whole process may contain something extra that we believe is as important as editing, so we’re saying three, with an important pre-start step.
These types are: Beta reading (pre-start), Story or substantive editing, line editing (also called copy editing) and proofreading. Editors should be clear on which they mean and it’s a good sign to check that they match what you understand of each process as a pre-check on their qualifications.
You can read about each on their respective pages.
Editing is important
While the team appreciate that it costs a lot to launch a book and it may be tempting to cut corners and self-edit, we recommend one set, minimum of either line editing or story editing, which are both deep types of editing, and one round of proofreading. You can see if local colleges or other projects can help, but it’s not something you can skip.
Kai Wilson-Viola writes under various names, and in all genres. Co-founder and webmistress of the IAG site, she writes content on request of members.
She has written several books including the Ten Hour Marketing Plan and 12×12 – tutorials for social media.
When not writing, she can be found maintaining sites, designing themes, managing a charity called the Less than Three foundation, gaming, knitting or reading.