If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the revision process, you’re not alone. Many writers struggle to determine what to revise, when to make changes, and how much work their manuscript actually requires, and when to know when it’s ready for publication.
You may find yourself wondering:
- What kind of editing does my book actually need?
- Should I focus on grammar, cut entire chapters, or hire help?
- And if you do hire help, how do you know which kind of editor to hire?
This guide explores the different types of edits every writer needs to understand. You’ll learn why editing isn’t just one step but a series of distinct phases, each with its own purpose and power.
Knowing these phases will help you approach revision with clarity, avoid wasted time polishing sections that may later be cut, and ultimately create the best book possible.
If you’re curious about how professional writers shepherd their manuscripts to publication, and how you can do the same, keep reading.
What Edits Writers Think They Need & What They Really Need Instead
When I ask writers what different types of edits they think they need, most mention grammar, punctuation, or word choice. They picture reading through their draft again and again, cutting adjectives, deleting extra words, maybe even obsessing over commas.
And to be fair, those things do matter. But not at first. Spending hours polishing words that might get cut later can be discouraging and a waste of energy.
What writers need instead is to start with the big picture: the structure, the characters, the pacing, the emotional throughline. This is where the real work begins, and it’s often what separates a draft from a polished manuscript.
Writers often cling to the idea that fixing their sentences will fix their book, because it feels concrete. But what they rarely realize is that a beautifully written paragraph that doesn’t move the story forward is still a problem.
You might craft the perfect metaphor only to discover later that the entire chapter it lives in needs to go.
By learning to prioritize the different types of editing and knowing when to tackle them, you’ll not only save time but also maintain your confidence. Instead of endlessly fiddling with words, you’ll know exactly what to focus on at each stage.
This shift in mindset—from polishing sentences to shaping a story—is crucial. It frees you to take risks, make bold cuts, and ultimately write a more compelling book.
That’s why understanding the different types of edits (and what each one is for) helps you see your manuscript with fresh eyes, make the smartest use of your time and money, and approach your craft like a professional.
So next time you feel tempted to nitpick your prose before addressing the story itself, pause and ask yourself: Am I fixing what matters most right now?
Chances are, the bigger work is waiting for you to find it, and it’s worth doing first.
I think of Emily Paxman, author of Death on the Caldera. In the early stages of writing the book, she won a contest for the first chapter, only to realize later that the entire first chapter had to be eliminated, a new opening written, and major edits applied to the rest of the book.
This realization came as the result of a manuscript evaluation by a mentor, who pointed out that the “vibe” of the book was off compared to her logline: Murder on the Orient Express with witches.
Emily’s experience is a perfect example of why it’s critical to focus on the big picture first. This section alone can save you months of unnecessary labor and put you on the path to a stronger, more intentional book.
Why Knowing the Phases of Editing Matters
Each phase builds logically on the last, and knowing what to fix and when signals that you’re working in service to the manuscript, not your ego.
Many writers mistakenly treat editing as surface-level polishing, fussing over commas and word choice before ensuring the story works.
But professionals know: Addressing structure before style, and style before grammar, ensures your time and energy are spent where they matter most.
Approaching editing this way also means relinquishing control—letting go of sections you love if they don’t serve the story, and being willing to strip your work to its foundations.
This is hard but necessary.
Serious writers recognize that the manuscript is not here to validate them; they are here to serve the manuscript and the reader. That shift—seeing editing as service—is profound.
It frees you from defensiveness and perfectionism, allowing you to make bolder, smarter, and more intentional choices.
This doesn’t mean the process is easy. It asks you to confront hard truths about your work, but that’s what makes it worthwhile.
Beginning with the big picture—structure, characters, and pacing—and only then refining language and correcting grammar, is the most effective way to elevate your manuscript. Doing it out of order can waste months and hundreds of dollars polishing material that doesn’t even belong in the book.
So, the next time you feel tempted to tweak sentences before addressing story-level concerns, pause and ask yourself:
- Am I acting in service of my manuscript?
- Am I focusing on what matters most at this stage?
Professionals edit to make the story stronger, clearer, and more impactful. That mindset is what separates aspiring writers from professional ones.
This section is here to challenge you: Editing isn’t just about making your book better. It’s about becoming the kind of writer who is willing to do the real, sometimes painful, work of serving the book first.
What is a Developmental Edit?
A developmental edit is the first and most foundational stage of the editing process. It is also sometimes called a substantive, structural, or content edit. This is the big-picture phase where an editor helps you assess whether your book works at the level of story, structure, and marketability.
A developmental editor should provide a detailed editorial letter that elaborates on the strengths and weaknesses of the manuscript, give specific instructions on how to improve, and create a clear action plan to make it happen. In your manuscript document, they may also offer one to two in-line comments per page to highlight examples from the editorial letter.
A developmental editor may ask these questions of your manuscript while they read:
- Does the manuscript deliver on its promise to readers?
- Does it meet genre expectations?
- Is it a book that agents, publishers, and readers will find engaging and clear?
Key Focus Areas of a Developmental Edit:
- Structure: Does the book flow logically from beginning to end?
- Pacing: Are there sections that drag or feel rushed?
- Plot and story: Are there holes, contradictions, or unresolved threads?
- Character development: Do the characters feel real, consistent, and engaging?
- Theme: Is the theme clear and well-integrated throughout?
- Genre Expectations: Where is it meeting or not meeting genre expectations? Where is it breaking them in convincing, well-earned ways?
- Marketability: Does the book align with its genre and deliver the experience readers expect?
Why does it matter? Because if the bones of your book aren’t strong, no amount of line-level polishing will fix it.
This edit ensures you’re building on a solid foundation before you invest time and money in refining the language.
Developmental editing is always the first stage because it addresses the most important and impactful elements of your manuscript. You can save months of work by clarifying your structure and story now rather than cutting or rewriting later. It also sets the tone for all subsequent edits, giving you confidence that you’re moving in the right direction.
As shared earlier, Emily Paxman, author of Death on the Caldera, won a contest for her first chapter only to realize later that the opening didn’t fit the “Murder on the Orient Express with witches” concept she intended. She cut that chapter, rewrote her opening, and strengthened the whole book as a result. That’s the power of starting with a developmental edit.
This phase requires honesty and humility, but it provides clarity about your manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as a clear path forward.
What is a Line Edit?
Once your story’s structure is strong, it’s time to turn your attention to the language itself.
A line edit focuses on refining your prose to make it clear, vivid, and aligned with your voice, while ensuring that readers stay immersed in the story without unnecessary distractions.
Line editing is about strengthening style rather than simply correcting errors. Unlike copyediting, which focuses on grammar and conventions, line editing concentrates on artistry and flow. This is where an editor can help you elevate your writing and bring out the best in your voice.
What a Line Edit Addresses:
- Sentence flow and rhythm for readability and impact
- Word choice and specificity to create vivid, precise prose
- Eliminating redundancy, awkward phrasing, or clutter
- Strengthening your unique voice while maintaining consistency of tone and style
- Common challenges, such as shifting from passive to active voice or maintaining verb tense consistency throughout the manuscript
- Consistency checks for characters, plot, historical era, or world building
- Fact-checking
An editor at this stage helps you recognize patterns in your writing you may not notice, like shifting verb tense or slipping into passive voice, and guides you toward stronger, more intentional choices.
Sometimes, a line editor will also perform a thorough fact-check and consistency edit, ensuring that character names, details, and spelling are accurate and consistent throughout. Even a developmental editor might point out these habits during earlier phases, but here they become the central focus.
Why does it matter? Because readers notice when prose feels clunky or inconsistent, even if they can’t explain why. A strong line edit ensures that every word earns its place.
This is the stage where your book starts to feel like the best, most intentional version of you as a writer, polished, compelling, and ready to engage your audience.
What is a Copyedit?
Copyediting comes once you’ve settled on your story structure and polished the language. This is the stage where grammar, punctuation, spelling, and style conventions are scrutinized.
What Copyediting Covers:
- Grammar and syntax errors
- Spelling and punctuation
- Consistency of names, dates, and formatting
- Developing and applying a style guide for the manuscript (a record of preferred spellings, capitalization, and stylistic choices)
- Ensures readability and correctness; eliminates distracting errors
This editing phase is like a deep cleaning before throwing party. You’re not rearranging rooms or furniture. You’re dusting the shelves and scrubbing the floors. Even strong writers benefit from a copyeditor’s sharp eye, ensuring the manuscript meets professional standards.
Proofreading: The Final Polish
Historically, a proofreader’s job was to compare the final proof of the book against the edited manuscript line by line, making sure that every edit was correctly applied before printing. That level of meticulous attention remains essential today, as it catches any lingering errors or inconsistencies before the book goes to the printer.
What Proofreading Looks For:
- Typos and misspellings
- Formatting errors and inconsistencies
- Final polish before publication
- Inconsistencies with the style sheet established in the line edit or copyedit.
At this point, you’re not making creative changes. You’re ensuring that nothing distracts the reader from the story you’ve worked so hard to tell.
The First Step for Emerging Writers: A Partial Manuscript Evaluation
For emerging writers, a full edit can feel daunting and expensive. That’s why a partial manuscript evaluation is such a valuable first step. Typically, this involves an editor reviewing the first 20–50 pages of your manuscript and providing feedback in the form of an editorial letter.
A partial manuscript evaluation helps you see your work through professional eyes without committing to a full edit right away. The editorial letter you receive at this stage often includes actionable steps you can likely apply not just to those first pages but to the rest of your manuscript as well.
Many writers discover patterns, such as pacing issues, shallow character development, or inconsistency of tone, that are present throughout the book, and addressing them early saves time and frustration later.
Why Start Here:
- Provides a snapshot of strengths and weaknesses
- Reveals patterns likely present throughout the manuscript
- Gives you specific, actionable steps to improve your book
- Helps you focus your revision and learning where it matters most
- Offers an affordable way to determine if your writing meets industry expectations
A partial evaluation also allows you to gauge how well an editor understands your goals and whether you work well together before committing to a full edit. It’s a smart and manageable way to start approaching your book like a professional.
What an Editor Does
Editors wear many hats, but their central goal is to help you write the best book you can. In Dreyer’s English, Benjamin Dreyer puts it,
“My job is to lay my hands on that piece of writing and make it … better. Cleaner. Clearer. More efficient. Not to rewrite it … but to burnish and polish it and make it the best possible version of itself that it can be.”
It might seem obvious, but it is essential to know: Different types of editors deliver their feedback in different ways.
A developmental editor typically provides an in-depth editorial letter, a list of what’s working, what isn’t, and specific suggestions for revision.
Line editors, copyeditors, and proofreaders typically work directly on the manuscript, leaving in-line edits and comments, often accompanied by a brief editorial letter that summarizes their approach and major observations.
A style sheet that documents your preferred spellings, capitalization, and stylistic choices is standard from a copyeditor and may also be provided by a proofreader or line editor.
It’s important to note that there is no industry-wide standard for exactly what an editor will deliver at each stage. The scope and format of feedback vary from editor to editor.
That’s why it’s critical to have an explicit agreement with your editor, in writing, so that you both understand exactly what to expect, when to expect it, and how the work will be delivered. Setting clear terms in a contract ensures you receive the level of service you need to bring out the best in your book.
How Much Should I Spend on an Edit?
One of the most common questions writers ask me is, “How much should I expect to pay for editing?”
The answer depends on the type of edit, the length and complexity of your manuscript, and the experience level of the editor. A good resource to consult is the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA), which maintains a rate sheet based on industry averages.
These are guidelines. Individual editors may charge more or less depending on their expertise and demand. Keep in mind that higher rates often reflect deeper experience and a proven track record. Investing in editing is investing in your craft, and a strong editorial partnership can save you time, frustration, and costly mistakes.
How to Hire an Editor
Finding the right editor takes research and discernment. Look for someone experienced in your genre who specializes in the type of edit you need. You want an editor who understands both your creative vision and the expectations of your audience.
Use platforms like Reedsy, which vets editors and ensures they have professional experience, or freelance sites like Fiverr, where you can browse options and read reviews. Most recommended is posting your job listing on the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) website, where you can reach a large pool of qualified professionals.
Tips for Choosing an Editor:
- Vet the editor to ensure they have experience in your genre and with the type of edit you’re seeking.
- Don’t hesitate to ask for a sample edit. And, expect that some editors will charge for this. Paying for a sample is often worthwhile, as it allows you to see their approach and how they handle your work.
- Be prepared to work with more than one editor before you find the best fit.
- Ensure that your contract clearly outlines everything included in the edit, along with clear payment terms that protect both you and the editor.
I recently interviewed emerging author, Andrew Akers. He hired several editors from Fiverr. He applied their edits and began submitting his short stories. He quickly noticed that stories edited by one particular editor were getting acceptances, while others were not. In just two years, that relationship led him to over 20 acceptances and two book deals.
Be cautious of editors who promise too much or can’t clearly articulate their process. A good editor will explain their approach, provide a clear contract, and set realistic expectations. The right editor should feel like a trusted partner and someone who respects your voice while helping you strengthen your manuscript.
Final Thoughts on the Different Types of Edits Writers Need
By now, you’ve seen how the stages of edits work together to strengthen not just your manuscript but also your mindset as a writer. Each phase— developmental, line, copy, and proofreading—builds upon the last, guiding you to shape your book with intention.
Approaching editing in this sequence ensures you spend your time and energy where it matters most. You stop polishing words that don’t belong and start shaping a manuscript that delivers on its promise to readers. You show up for your book, humbly and purposefully, letting each edit bring you closer to the story you intended to tell.
But more than that, editing this way signals that you take your craft seriously, that you are willing to do the hard, honest work of improving your book and yourself as a writer. That willingness to put the manuscript and readers first is what separates professionals from hobbyists.
So as you finish reading this, ask yourself: Which phase does my book need right now? What does my manuscript deserve from me today?
Start there. And take each step with confidence, knowing you’re building not just a better book but also a better writing career.
