I make a lot of mistakes. It’s often how I learn things. Break it, figure out what went wrong, and find the right path. As I chronicle my journey to a published book, I thought it might be useful for others to learn from my mistakes. I’m sure there will be plenty, hence the Part 1.
Today I’m going to talk about editing. Hiring an editor is definitely not a mistake, but you must take care to hire the right type of editor at the right point in the process.
Let’s talk about types of editing. According to the Professional Editorial Standards of 2016, there are four basic types:
- structural editing
Also known as Developmental editing, this clarifies plot, characters and theme - stylistic editing
Also known as Line editing, this ensures coherence, tone, and tightens the language - copy editing
Ensures correctness and consistency. It is sometimes included in Line Editing - proofreading
checking for errors, after all other editing is done.
After finishing my third draft of Veiled Allegiance, I knew I needed to engage a professional editor. I wanted help giving it extra impact, and identifying any weaknesses I’ve overlooked.
Since I’ve decided to use BookBaby to help get my book ready, I jumped straight to their editing services and picked the most comprehensive choice they offered, which is Line Editing. Had I done my homework, I’d have known that wasn’t the type of editing I needed yet. I just assumed it was since they claimed to be “Your one-stop author shop: Get all the essentials to your publishing dreams in one place, from editing and design, to printing, publishing, and marketing”
The editor did their job and diligently changed some wording and typography, complimented me on having a well written novel, but suggested structural changes would be beneficial.
Yeah. I know.
Had I been less of a knucklehead, I would’ve looked elsewhere for the type of editing I needed. Only recently did I discover editors.ca which lists all the types of editors I might need.
So now I sit, scratching my head, trying to invent structural changes that will improve the story without undoing the work that’s already been done. The simple solution is just get a developmental edit arranged, but I already have ideas on a better ending and the stubborn part of me wants to weave that throughout the book first.
Save yourself the headache. Hire the right editor at the right stage.