Hi, I’m Jennifer Lancaster, I’m a freelance editor and author. I often write on marketing and money subjects, and niche marketing in particular. 

If you’re at the early stages and you’re still writing your first draft, you might want to know about the next stages of editing. A lot of people don’t understand the differences between editing types, so they don’t know what to choose—or how much to pay.

Types of Book Editing

The lowest level of editing is proofreading, and generally that gets done at the end of the process. It’s a check for typos, what’s on the page, referencing, and that sort of thing. Expect to pay from 1 to 2 cents a word.

Copy editing is a level up from proofreading. That’s where your editor checks for grammar, spelling, perhaps breaks up long sentences, and makes sure punctuation and lists are consistent. We also check cross-references, a bibliography if you’ve got one, and impose a standard style. 

In my business we offer Line editing, which also looks at paragraph flow and keeping to the voice and tone; also suggestions of sub-headings, possible lists, and other things for better readability. Without taking away the author’s style, our editors give suggestions to make the voice and tone targeted to the readership. Expect to pay around 4 to 4.5 cents if wording suggestions are needed.

Done first, the most in-depth level is Developmental editing, also called Structural editing. The briefest way to do this is with a manuscript review of 4-5 pages of notes about how to better laser focus and arrange the manuscript.

A better way we can support your book project is through developmental editing, which involves a collaborative approach to refining your manuscript. Here’s how we work to shape your book into a clear, engaging, and purposeful piece:

– Developmental editing helps arrange sections, remove repetition, and align content with your goals. This process requires (after briefing) reading the book draft and making detailed notes.

– We use track changes to keep edits visible and transparent. For most books, we conduct two rounds of edits. Unlike most services, we are happy to communicate with you to give background to our suggestions and shape the book together to make it resonate with readers.

– Examining the book’s purpose, potential market placement, and logical flow—from introduction through each step to the conclusion. What sets your book apart?

– Your editor will also assist with formatting the various sections, such as front matter, copyright page, and about the author, ensuring each part complements the whole.

The cost of developmental editing varies a lot, so fixed fee quotes is more usual.

Jennifer has the expertise to also offer partial ghostwriting of books, which is something especially useful to those with writing dysfunction or non-native English writers. 

Editing Types: in Conclusion

So that’s a little about book editing types today. The path we forge here is related to author needs rather than business profits, however Jennifer is happy to say that “pay peanuts and you get monkeys”. If you’re looking for a cheaper editor, please try those offering ‘proofreading’. We concentrate on quality outcomes and interesting works. 

Get active straightaway and book in for a Free 20-minute call with Jennifer Lancaster, editor and writing coach.

Contact Jen