In a perfect world, every kind of editing would be accessible to every author. Writers wouldn’t have budget or time constraints, and editors wouldn’t need to pay rent. In a perfect world, chocolate would grow on houseplants.

Science is sadly far too primitive for chocolate-producing houseplants, but editing doesn’t have to be a pipe dream. Through strategic selections, authors can publish a high-quality book without breaking the bank or throwing out their timeline.

Professional editing services take time and money. If an editor claims they can edit your 100,000 word novel in under a week for a measly forty dollars, it’s a scam. They are probably running your manuscript through an ai service. Questionable quality and plagiarism concerns aside, you can run your story through ai yourself. Don’t pay someone to do it for you.

If you are serious about publishing a high-quality book, you’ll first need to make a few decisions. If you were to use every service in this article, it would take you well over a year and the down payment of a pickup truck. A nice pickup. Maybe even one with heated seats.

For most people, this just isn’t feasible. Worse, it probably isn’t necessary. Every manuscript will have unique challenges. By targeting your trouble spots, you won’t need so many services.

Book coaches work with 1-on-1 with authors as they write. They give authors editorial feedback, support, and accountability, as well as action plans to increase the efficiency and quality of a draft. They can help writers steam-line their plot, publishing plan, and writing process. By working with a book coach during the writing process, authors can lessen the need for developmental and structural edits.

Also known as an editorial evaluation, these editors look over your manuscript in its entirety. They will give you a comprehensive review of your story’s strengths and weaknesses. A good editorial assessment will give you a road map to success. For more detailed feedback or suggestions, you’ll have to contact a developmental editor.

Editorial assessments are most useful to traditionally published authors and authors who already have a solid story. Authors with a dedicated team of beta readers and critique partners can often get the same value without using this service.

Developmental editing is perhaps the most important service an author can use. Sometimes known as substantive editing or structural editing, these editors focus on plot, structure, pacing, and character development. These professionals go beyond an editorial assessment and dig deep into your manuscript. They will help you fix saggy middles, one-dimensional characters, and a meandering plot. Chapter by chapter, they will look for opportunities to make your story shine. A good beta reader can tell you when an opening chapter isn’t compelling. A developmental editor can help you fix it.

Many authors find a developmental edit to be the best bang for their buck. All the perfect grammar in the world can’t prop up a story that falls flat. If you only have the budget for one edit, reach out to a developmental editor.

Content editors tend to deal with nonfiction. They tend to be experts in a particular field, and are able to spot mistakes and discrepancies other professionals can’t. For example, there may be large amounts of scientific vocabulary in a nutrition book. A developmental editor can tell you if a chapter is persuasive, logical, and informative, but they won’t know if you misspelled ‘lactobacillus acidophilus’ or confused a digestive enzyme. Some contend editors may double as fact-checkers, but be sure to check the services offered in the edit.

Line editing will improve the flow of your prose. They are focused on the flow of concepts and ideas. A good line editor will help you nail descriptions and clarify meaning. They’ll help you tighten your sentences so you make the same point in ten words instead of twenty.

These editors work on a micro-level, whereas most of the other types of editors work on the macro. In your high school English class, your teacher may have referred to it as world revision vs. local revision. If you have the time and budget to employ a second editor, line editing can turn a great book into a fantastic one.

Copyeditors focus on grammar, punctuation, and spelling. In this economy, line editors and copyeditors often perform both jobs. Always make sure you understand which services are being offered before you sign a contract. Experienced authors with access to beta readers and software such as Grammarly, ProWritingAid, or Hemmingway often choose to forego this edit. Sloppy prose and bad grammar can sink a book before it launches, but authors can usually fix these problems with a bit of elbow grease and a lot of time.

Proofreaders are the last line of defense against inconsistent spelling, poor formatting, and printing issues. They usually don’t work on drafts. Once your book has gone to print but before it hits the shelves, they will proofread the published version. Proofreaders are especially helpful for nonfiction authors, who will need to ensure their tables, bibliography, and other assorted details are formatted correctly.

In fiction, line editors sometimes also do the job of a copyeditor and proofreader. This is not guaranteed, so always check which services your line editor includes. Just like with copyediting, this a job authors can do themselves- if they have the time and focus to devote. This job is not for the faint hearted, so consider the value of your time before making a decision.