Editing is one of the things I love the MOST about writing, though, that's not something most other authors agree with me about. In fact, when speaking with other writers, it's usually what they dread the most. It's why I offer editing services to other authors as well, because it's in the editing that the real magic of bringing a story to life happens.
Working as a developmental editor for other authors is one of the joys of my life. But, I get a TON of questions about what developmental editing actually is and what the difference is between developmental and copy editing. Usually, these questions come from outside the writing community when talking to content creators or people working heavily in social media. They hear the term copy editing much more often in these spaces and developmental editing seems like a foreign concept. With the rise of social media content creation used as an effective book marketing tool, these terms are getting confused by authors more often now than in the past.
In a nutshell, Developmental Editing is looking at the BIG PICTURE. The whole book. Plotlines and characters that work and ones that don't, where you can tighten up plot points or might lose a reader due to poor pacing. Developmental Editing is helping an author to refine their story and optimize it for a great reader experience that will keep them hooked for many more titles to come. In fact, I've worked with several authors on series creation in the course of a developmental edit. Making sure series arcs and individual story arcs are fully-developed and ready to go to print.
Copy Editing on the other hand, is looking at bits and pieces of writing on a more precise level. This helps to tighten up language. Things like Grammar, Spelling, Dialogue tags, and Sentence Structure. Helping to remove cliches or redundancies in sentences to keep the readers eyes moving forward through a story. Copy Editing can be done on any type of writing. Blog posts, social media posts, novels, articles, even real estate listings.
Have you ever heard of a Developmental Editor? Or hired a Copy Editor? What kinds of questions do you have about each process? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Are you looking for a Developmental Editor? If so, good news, I offer those services to authors! However, with my own publishing schedule I only take a few clients a year. This ensures I can give the MOST COMPREHENSIVE feedback possible to help authors get the best outcomes. I'm hoping to open more slots next year, but it'll definitely be subject to my current publishing calendar. I have prices listed on my website, but am flexible on price depending on the scope of the individual project so please, reach out through my website form and let's see if I can help you bring your novel to life! You can fill out an interest form and get more information HERE. If interested in Copy Editing for anything OTHER than a novel, I'm also accepting applications through the same interest form.
Comments