Reader,
What is this magic bullet to the woes of high-cost editing? Although I could name several ways to make editing less expensive, one important step is to correct big-picture items before trying to correct the finer points—completing manuscript development before heading into copyediting.
Briefly, developmental editing involves assessing the organization of the book; reorganizing chapters; evaluating timelines, pacing, narrative arc, and character development; moving or rewriting paragraphs and sentences; and adding, deleting, and rewriting material as needed. It can take months to years to complete.
Copyediting involves correcting grammar, punctuation, spelling, style, and sense; ensuring consistency; rewriting sentences here and there; and suggesting further changes for the author to make. The copyeditor does little to shape the overall structure of the book and instead polishes and refines what is there. This level of edit usually takes three to six weeks.
I have spoken to authors who want to start copyediting almost before they have finished writing the manuscript. (And sometimes truly before they have finished.) These authors know they need help with grammar and punctuation and style—all under the purview of copyeditors—and they want to get that going while they hammer out some of the bigger problems.
This is a bad idea, and here’s why:
Either your copyeditor ends up doing developmental work and misses the finer details; or they focus on the finer details, you introduce new errors while you finish writing, and you have to have the whole thing copyedited again.
In the first instance, the editing will almost certainly take longer than anticipated and, therefore, cost you more than expected. What’s more, you could end up sending your agent or publisher a book filled with errors that you had assumed were corrected.
Why? Because it is very difficult for an editor to consider big-picture items like organization while also paying attention to punctuation and style. Inevitably, something will slip through. The loss of a contract or the loss of readership due to too many errors represents indirect monetary costs to you.
Conversely, when you ensure the overarching issues in your manuscript are taken care of—whether that’s through your own work or through the work of someone you hire—you allow your copyeditor to polish the text and bring it to the next level of professionalism. That additional polish can be the difference between a four-star and a five-star review.
In the second instance the direct savings for you are more obvious.
Say you hire someone to perform copyediting before you are through with development, and copyediting is the level of editing your manuscript receives. Then you go back through it, finish up any writing, rewriting, or reorganization you deem necessary, and tie up loose ends. More than likely you have introduced errors, and you know it.
Now you have to hire another editor to go through the manuscript and correct these new errors, possibly doubling your costs. In my own work with authors, I find this particularly heartbreaking when a significant amount of material was cut. The author paid me to edit material that won’t even appear in the book! Those cuts were necessary, but paying someone to correct the punctuation and style of those paragraphs was not.
Do this instead:
Complete your manuscript development. Whether that is accomplished with a developmental editor, beta readers, or a book coach, on your own, or some combination thereof, just be sure that you have cut what you want to cut, written what you plan to write, and tied up as many loose ends as possible.
Then, and only then, hire a copyeditor to fix your punctuation, grammar, spelling, and style.
Trust me, there is no need to rush, and when you perform editing in the proper order—from large scale to small scale—you can save yourself time, embarrassment, and several hundred dollars in editing costs.
Now Accepting New Coaching Clients
Starting in January 2027 I have an opening for a new coaching client. If you would like to learn more about one-on-one instruction and feedback for your writing project, contact me today.
Coaching is performed over Zoom at a time and frequency that fits your schedule and budget. We begin by outlining your goals, and then we get to work. Interested?
"Katherine's coaching skills are exactly what I need as motivation and encouragement to improve both my writing and my confidence in my ability as a writer. In addition to her warmth and humor, she offers tangible guidance in every session, and each piece comes away more succinct."
-Allison Pauly, author of "We Do Love a Diner" and POP coaching client
Client Publications
Congratulations to Caroline Wolf Mansour, whose book The Sun in Winter was released on September 20 by Left Field Publishers! I was lucky enough to read an early draft of this manuscript and offer initial feedback on the story structure.
See this week's blog post, Publishing Stories: Signing with an Independent Publisher, for more on the evolution of this story!
Upcoming Events
Crafting Compelling Characters (2-hour class)
Thursday, October 22, 7-9 p.m.
Live on Zoom via the Writer’s Center
Join me on Zoom for an in-depth, interactive discussion of character development. This session focuses on three elements of character—tragic flaws, backstory, and contradiction—to see how they combine to create characters that step off the page. Come ready to write!
Learn more and register through the Writer’s Center website: https://writer.org/event/crafting-compelling-characters-2/
Resources
Below are some of my favorite resources for developmental editing. (This newsletter uses affiliate links.)
From the Blog: Summer Recap: Two Events to Forget?
Two opportunities arose this summer that I was excited to take advantage of: The People’s Book Local Author Bazaar and the Kensington Farmer’s Market. Debra Lee Won’t Break is contemporary women’s fiction, and although I wouldn’t call it light, many readers have said it’s a page-turner. I was ready to see what selling books in the summer was really like.
Happy Writing!
Katherine
