Deciding which type of editing support you need is a deeply personal choice, and the level of editing you choose is not solely determined by the size of your audience. Use the scenarios described below to determine which path of editing is best suited for your memoir, life story, or family history.
i. Manuscript Review
Scenario:
If you have completed a rough draft and are seeking an experienced "outside set of eyes" to provide guidance and feedback on the overall book.
Process:
A skilled editor with a background in your genre will approach your manuscript, providing insightful comments on purpose, theme(s), structure, flow, and voice.
Outcome:
You will receive a document of between 4 and 10 pages with notes, comments, and suggestions for where to add content or re-order specific pieces.
ii. Structural Editing
Scenario:
When you desire your book to be engaging and accessible for readers and want an editor to work closely within the document, providing feedback to improve the overall quality.
Process:
A skilled editor with experience in your genre will thoroughly review your entire document and offer concrete suggestions to enhance clarity of purpose, structure, flow, and voice, also known as substantive or developmental editing.
Outcome:
Your manuscript will be returned with tracked changes and comments throughout, suggesting alterations to the order of paragraphs/sections/sentences, requesting additional detail or clarification, and ensuring consistent flow and voice.
iii. Stylistic Editing
Scenario:
If you are content with the overall structure of your manuscript but seek support with the "writerly" aspects such as word choice, sentence structure, and transitions.
Process:
A skilled editor or wordsmith will carefully work through your entire document to improve the overall 'feel' and flow of your writing at the level of sentence and paragraph structure.
Outcome:
You will receive your manuscript with tracked changes throughout and a "clean version" for your review.
iv. Copy-editing
Copy-editing is the final stage of the editing process and should come after all content edits or changes made to the document: don't proceed here until you're ready!
Scenario:
Upon finalizing all content for your book, including text and image captions, the goal is to guarantee grammatical correctness. The manuscript should ideally transition seamlessly from copy-editing to design and layout.
Process:
A meticulous copy-editor proficient in your chosen style guide (e.g., Chicago Manual of Style for print books) will address grammatical issues, ensure consistent styling (e.g., dates, references), and conduct basic fact checking to enhance the overall quality of the manuscript.
Outcome:
You will receive your manuscript with tracked changes throughout, along with a "clean" version for your review and approval, signaling readiness for the next phase of the publishing journey.
For those opting for multiple rounds of editing, we strongly suggest you move in the order above - first structural, then stylistic, then copy-editing.
After completing the above rounds of editing, you and your editor(s) will have executed significant changes to the flow, structure, and overall approach of the book: and you'll be ready to move to design!
Looking for a fabulous editor? Reach out to us at NextGen Story: Custom Publishing: we have a team of fabulous editors who are ready to support you in your book today.
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