Types of Edits

When writers determine they need an editor, they still may not know what they need an editor to do exactly. Let me try to clear up some of the confusion about the various types of edits–substantive, language, copy/line and proofing:
The first sample here took me about 2-3 minutes per page. Note that I’ve made only minor changes–mainly to help the wording flow better.

What’s Involved in a Substantive Edit?

A substantive edit (also called a developmental or structural edit) takes into account the project as a whole—its purpose, organization, audience, tone and message. In this type of edit, a good editor will work with you (the write) to do the following:

Hone your message—Establish your goal for the project, if you will.
Identify your audience—Determine who (exactly) you’re writing for.
Develop your manuscript. In fiction, that’s the story or narrative. In non-fiction, that’s the outline and chapters.
Rework as needed—Organize, rearrange and restructure content, fill in the blanks, eliminate repetition.

Ultimate goal: Help the author produce clear, articulate language that speaks to his/her audience.

Questions we’ll answer:

• Does the manuscript all adhere to a concise message? Does it stay on topic?
• Is there a logical order to the information presented?
• Do the extras (table of contents, headings and subheadings, quotes, appendices, indexes) further the exact message of the manuscript? Are they on point? Are they useful to the target audience?

What’s Involved in a Copy Edit (also called a line edit)?

A copy edit focuses on grammar, usage, style, punctuation and spelling and fixes mistakes, including awkward phrasing. The copy editor ensures accuracy and uniformity throughout your project, including formatting. A copy editor will:

• Correct spelling
• Correct punctuation
• Correct grammar
• Correct word choice (terminology)
• Correct wording (semantics)
• Ensure the text adheres to the stylebooks (specifically, the Chicago Manual of Style)
• Standardize headings
• Standardize spacing
• Standardize quote formatting
• Standardize bold and italics (if applicable)