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Hellooo, everybody! Today we're talking about the professional edit!
Everyone's favorite part of the writing process. Or not.
This topic was requested by one of my amazing patrons over over on patreon, Jayden.
(Singing) “Jadyn, you're so smart, and so cool, and I love you. Platonically."
Editing a manuscript is tricky. You gotta enlist beta readers, you gotta edit the
material yourself. Then once all that's done, you gotta browse through a bajillion websites looking
for the perfect editor to rip your novel apart. On top of that there are a bunch of editing styles
to choose from, because life isn't already hard enough, am I right? Fortunately, I'm here to ease
the pain, just a little bit. I'm going to list the most common types of edits and assessments,
and what you can expect from them. Number One (1): Critiques, also referred to as assessments.
A critique is an evaluation of your manuscript. You'll learn about your strengths and weaknesses,
recurring mistakes and suggested tweaks. Critiques can be extremely eye opening, but keep in mind,
they are not edits. If someone's providing a critique, they're not going to fix everything,
they're just giving you an overview. Now there are different ways you can solicit critiques. Most
writers enlist critique partners, which are fellow writers who agree to critique your manuscript in
return for you doing the same for them. But if you want a professional opinion from someone with
experience, you can also hire someone to critique your manuscript. Typically, this is done via an
editor, but writers and authors sometimes offer critique packages as well. If you do decide to
hire someone for a critique it's important to remember that this is not a mandatory expense,
nor does it replace the professional edit. I repeat, you still need to hire an editor.
Additionally, there are folks out there who use critiques as a way to dupe naive writers.
They'll call themselves an editor, but oddly enough, only offer critique packages. This is
a bait and switch tactic. They're hoping you won't know the difference between an edit and critique,
and will hire them simply out of ignorance. So be aware, critiques and edits are not the same.
Number Two (2): Developmental edits, also referred to as content edits. Developmental editing focuses
on the story itself. The structure, organization and plot points. In this phase an editor will
examine your writing style, they'll look for inconsistencies within the storyline, crappy
pacing, one dimensional characters, thematic discrepancies. Basically, they're here to make
your story suck less during developmental edits, grammar and sentence issues are not the focus. The
point of this phase is to make your plot and storyline the best they can be. This is where
your content and characters take center stage, and things like punctuation aren't quite as relevant.
In my personal opinion, developmental edits are an extremely important part of the editing process.
Because it doesn't matter how pretty your prose are, or how perfect your spelling is, if your
story blows. Number Three (3): Line edits. Or last points looked at your manuscript as a whole,
this point looks at it in terms of sentences. Line editing is all about clarity and flow. Your editor
is analyzing your sentence structure, fluidity, writing style, and word usage. If your writing is
long winded, or your dialogue is unnatural, a line editor will let you know. If your language isn't
creating the right visuals, or you just keep using the same damn words over and over again,
a line editor will let you know. This phase is sort of half content focused and half technically
focused, but 100% important. A line edit will polish your writing and help ensure that you're
telling your story as clearly and beautifully as possible. Number Four (4): Copy edits. Now
we're getting super technical. Copy editing is all about making sure your book is following
those pesky writing rules. I'm talking spelling, punctuation, grammar, the mechanical stuff. You're
covering it in the copy edit. Now some writers need a copy edit really badly, because well,
grammar is hard. But for others this sort of stuff comes naturally so they may not see the copy edit
as a necessary step. However, copy editing can still be really important because not only does
it ensure that your writing follows industry standards, it also makes sure you're following
them consistently. For example, some writers use Oxford commas, some don't. That's up to you and
neither is wrong. But you can't flip flop between using an Oxford comma, and not using it. You have
to be consistent. Copy editing also covers less obvious mistakes like inaccuracies within the
text, incorrect word usage, or continuity errors. And realistically, no matter how great you are at
writing, you're still gonna miss something. Even if you're a grammar buff, I wouldn't recommend
swearing off this stuff. Lastly, Number Five (5): The proofreading. A proofread is kind of tricky,
because it means two different things depending on who you ask. Some people consider a proofreader to
be the person who reads the proof copy of your novel. After your novel is formatted and ready
for print, proofreader will check for formatting errors like faulty spacing, misaligned margins,
or the occasional typo. If you're hiring this kind of proofreader, it's assumed that your novel has
already been thoroughly edited, and is essentially ready for print. The second type of proofreader
is probably the one you're more familiar with. Someone who reads through a manuscript looking for
typos, spelling and punctuation errors, and other really minor mistakes. They're not going to tell
you if your story sucks, they're not going to point out problems. of flow or symbolism. They're
just dealing with the nuts and bolts. That means this is a service you would enlist as a safeguard
after your book is fully edited, but before it's formatted. Told you it was tricky! When hiring a
proofreader, I'd recommend you make sure you're getting the specific kind you're looking for,
since there's more than one. And like critiques a proofread does not serve as a substitute for
a professional edit. “But Jenna, does this mean I have to hire five different types of editors?” Yes
and no. Mostly no. Most editors offer packages, and these packages typically include more than one
style of edit. For example, an editing package may include copy edits and line edits, or line edits
and developmental edits. This is extremely common. That said, that doesn't mean your manuscript is a
one and done situation. It's common to hire more than one editor, or a critique and an editor,
or an editor and a proofreader, but the pairing will depend on your strengths and weaknesses as
a writer. Additionally, these are just the most common types of edits and assessments. There are
still other options out there, like sensitivity reading. A sensitivity reader is someone who
reads through your manuscript looking for content that is culturally insensitive or alienating. This
is a service that's beyond helpful for writers who are writing about characters in a group or
culture that they don't belong to. For example, a straight writer writing about characters in
the LGBTQ plus spectrum. “But Jenna, I don't know what editing style I need. Who do I even hire?”
I'm getting there, relax. First of all, if you're at the professional edit stage, that means you've
already enlisted beta readers, right? Ask them what style of edit your manuscript needs. If they
say you don't need any edits, don't believe them. They're either really nice, or really stupid. You
can also ask the editors you're contacting, most editors offer sample edits, and reading over a
section of your story can give them an idea of what elements need the most work. Lastly,
once you've chosen an editor and finish the process with them, ask them straight up. “Do you
think I need another pair of eyes? Do you think I need a proofreader?” They'll be able to give
you their honest opinion and they might even have a few professional recommendations. “But Jenna,
how much is this going to cost me?” Alot of money, so start saving now. Editor fees vary widely,
but from my research, most editors charge between one to three cents per word, depending on the
size and depth of the editing package. This is pretty normal. And honestly, one cent per word
is cheap. If you decide to cut corners and hire an editor that charges a fraction of that. well,
you get what you pay for. That said, critiques proofread and sensitivity reading tends to be
cheaper than edits, because they're less in depth. But again, they do not serve as a replacement for
a full on professional edit. So that's all I got for you today. The professional edit can be a
daunting process, but having a firm understanding of your options makes it a lot easier to navigate.
If you want my personal recommendation for editors and critique partners, because again, they're not
the same thing. I got links in the description below. These are people that I've worked with and
absolutely loved. A huge thank you to Jadyn for requesting this topic, you are a delight. If you'd
like the chance to have a video dedicated to you, or if you want access to tons of other rewards,
check me out on Patreon. The link is below. With that said, don't forget to subscribe to
my channel. I post new videos on Mondays and Wednesdays. And if you want to be alerted as
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