Fiction Editing

Gary Smailes | 1 November 2025

Why Fiction Needs Purposeful Editing

Purposeful editing turns a draft into a novel readers finish and recommend. Grammar helps, but grammar alone will not save a story with muddy goals or flat stakes. You want alignment, not cosmetics. Story, character, and voice need to pull in the same direction readers expect for your shelf.

Genre shapes decisions from page one. Agents scan for signals. Readers do the same within a few pages.

• Romance expects an HEA or HFN, consent clarity, and a love arc that drives every choice.
• Mystery expects fair clues, misdirection that plays fair, and a reveal that lands.
• Thriller expects rising jeopardy, a clock that tightens, and consequences that escalate.
• Science fiction and fantasy expect defined rules for tech or magic, plus payoffs that follow those rules.
• Literary and historical expect sharper interiority, period-accurate diction, and earned quiet turns.
• Horror expects dread that thickens, then payoff that feels inevitable.

Immersion lives or dies on coherence. Pick a POV approach with intent, then hold the line. Head hopping snaps reader trust. Keep world rules steady, whether the world is a small town, a hospital, or a far system. Emotional arcs need credibility. If a cynic forgives in three pages after years of resentment, readers feel the wobble. Slow the turn, stack pressure, earn each choice.

Beta readers flag feelings. "Slow start." "Loved the sister dynamic." Helpful, yet broad. A professional editor hunts root causes and offers fixes. "No visible goal by page ten, so tension stays flat." "Scene stakes repeat without new pressure." "POV distance drifts, which blurs voice." You get a diagnosis and a plan rather than a pile of reactions.

Try this quick alignment pass:

• Open chapter one. By paragraph three, name who, where, when, and what the lead wants in that moment. If not present, add anchors without dumping backstory.
• Skim your midpoints. Mark the beat where the story direction shifts. If nothing shifts, combine or cut scenes until a real turn exists.
• Pick one relationship. Track progress scene by scene, plus set-backs. If movement stalls, add friction or trim repeats.

Make your intentions concrete with three decisions.

1) Write a one-sentence story promise

Template: "By the end, X will [goal] despite [opposition or cost]."

• By the end, Nora saves the family bakery despite a predatory landlord and a rival suitor.
• By the end, Malik exposes a city council fraud ring despite threats to his brother.
• By the end, Jae lets go of revenge despite daily reminders of the harm done.

Post this sentence near your desk. Measure scenes against it. If a scene fails to move the promise forward, reshape or cut.

2) Select three to five current comps

Pick recent titles in your subgenre, published within the last five years. Match tone, heat level, scope, and audience. Avoid mega-hits that bend rules by brand. Read with a pencil:

• Note opening hook length.
• Mark where the midpoint lands by percentage.
• Track how the ending satisfies genre expectations.

These notes guide pacing and positioning for queries, copy, and cover decisions.

3) Set a word count target that fits your lane

Hitting the range signals control and helps production planning.

• Adult romance: 70 to 90k
• Mystery and cozy: 60 to 75k
• Thriller and crime: 80 to 100k
• Science fiction and fantasy: 90 to 120k
• Literary: 75 to 110k
• YA contemporary: 60 to 80k
• YA fantasy or sci fi: 80 to 100k
• Middle grade: 35 to 55k

Outliers exist, but tight aim reduces risk during querying and keeps revision focused.

One last mindset shift. Editing is not punishment for a weak draft. Editing is the stage where promise meets execution. You bring the story heart. Purposeful editing shapes delivery so readers feel that heart on every page.

Developmental Editing Foundations for Fiction

Developmental work looks at bones. Does the story hold weight. Do readers feel oriented and compelled. Does the promise pay off. Grammar waits for later. First, build a spine that stands.

Structure: give the story a spine

Name the core story question in one line. Will X get Y. Or will X defeat Z. Everything hangs from that hook.

Then check the big turns.

• Inciting incident. The first meaningful shove. Life tilts and will not tilt back.
• Midpoint shift. New information or a bold move flips the board. The plan changes.
• Darkest moment. Loss or failure strips the lead to the truth.
• Climax. The lead makes a choice under pressure, which answers the core question.

A quick example. Hannah’s bakery loses its lease when a developer buys the block. That is the shove. Midpoint, she discovers the developer is her old friend, which scrambles loyalties. Darkest moment, the funding falls through and the ovens go cold. Climax, she chooses to rally the block and file an injunction, risking the relationship to save the street. The question, will Hannah keep the bakery, now has a clear answer and cost.

If you struggle to spot these turns, draw a simple line on paper. Mark the moments where the direction changes. If you have long stretches with no mark, you have mush. Create pressure or compress detours until a turn appears.

Character arcs: goals, stakes, agency

Readers track what a character wants, what stands in the way, and what changes inside. Put goals on the page early. Name the stakes in concrete terms. Rent money. Custody. Freedom from a legacy. Then show choices under pressure. Agency is not a fancy word. It means your lead acts, even if options are bad.

Tie inner change to external beats. If the theme is trust, the midpoint might force the lead to accept help for the first time. If the theme is forgiveness, the darkest moment might tempt them to go back to old armor. Align the arc with the plot. Don’t bolt it on in quiet fillers.

Try this fill-in:

• Protagonist wants [specific thing].
• If they fail, [specific cost].
• They refuse to [limiting belief].
• By the climax, they choose to [new action], which shows [internal shift].

Run this for your antagonist or opposition too. Flat villains drain tension. Give them a logic and a want.

POV and narrative distance: choose and hold

Pick an approach with intent. Limited means the camera sits inside one mind at a time. Omniscient means a guiding narrator with access to all. Both work. The key is consistency. Head hopping, jumping mid-scene from one consciousness to another, snaps the spell.

A quick fix. If you want both Alex and Priya in a heated argument, pick one for the scene. Let the other reveal through dialogue, body language, and action. Then switch on a clear scene break.

Mind the psychic distance too. That is the closeness of the lens. Far: The city woke to sirens, and fear spread. Close: Sirens knifed through Mara’s skull. Her coffee sloshed onto her wrist. Both belong, yet pick a range per scene and stick with it. Frequent drift muddies voice.

Pacing and scene design: change on every page

Every scene needs a shift. The lead enters with a want. They leave with a win, a loss, or a twist. No change, no scene.

Use this three-line test on each scene:

• Purpose. Why is this scene here.
• Conflict. Who wants what, and what blocks them.
• Outcome. What is now different.

If two scenes serve the same purpose, merge them. If you have long passages of travel, weather, or chat without pressure, condense or cut. Save granular action for moments of high stakes. No need for every reach, turn, and blink. Keep the line of action clear and moving.

A trick that saves weeks. On index cards, write scene title, purpose, conflict, and outcome. Lay them out in order. Remove any card where the outcome equals the starting state. Your pace will tighten on the spot.

Subplots and theme: braid, don’t bolt

Subplots should press on the main arc. The sister’s wedding date moves up, which squeezes our hero’s time to prove growth. The partner’s secret forces a choice that clashes with the hero’s code. Each strand should tug on the others.

Theme lives in choices. Not in speeches. If the book explores mercy, show scenes where mercy costs something. Show scenes where mercy is withheld and the fallout burns. Readers will do the math without a lecture.

Worldbuilding and logistics: make the world hold

Rules matter, whether you write cozy mystery or space opera. Define limits and costs. If healing magic takes a day to recharge, never skip that price for convenience. If a train ride takes four hours early in the book, keep that duration later.

Timelines save headaches. Track days, travel time, moon phases, and holidays. Track ages and pregnancies. Map locations with rough distances. Draw the apartment if doors move between chapters. Continuity is invisible when it works. When it breaks, readers notice.

Do this pass before any line polish

Build a scene-by-scene outline. Keep it lean.

• For each scene, note purpose, conflict, and outcome.
• Note POV and target psychic distance.
• Mark where the big four sit: inciting incident, midpoint, darkest moment, climax.
• Flag subplots and where they intersect the main arc.
• Add logistics notes that affect plausibility.

Now review with a colored pen.

• Cut or rewrite any scene where nothing changes.
• Merge scenes that repeat a beat.
• Add pressure where outcomes feel soft.
• Adjust POV slips and distance drift.
• Fix timeline snags and rule breaks.

Do this once with ruthless focus. Then move to line work. A clean structure frees your sentences to sing, and gives readers a story that holds from first page to last.

Line Editing for Voice, Clarity, and Immersion

Line editing tunes voice, sharpens meaning, and deepens immersion. This is the pass where readers forget the page and live the scene. You want flow, not fuss. Here is how to get there.

Voice: diction and rhythm that feel lived-in

Voice rides on word choice, sentence length, and point of view. Pick verbs with muscle. Trim filler. Let rhythm match character and genre.

Same event, three voices:

• Teen thriller: “Sirens cut the air. I ducked into the bodega, hoodie up, pulse loud in my ears.”
• Cozy mystery: “The sirens startled Mrs. Pike’s poodle. Mine too, though I pretended otherwise and reached for the scones.”
• Epic fantasy: “Sirens keened across the vale. I set my jaw and shouldered the pack.”

Notice how nouns and verbs set mood. No thesaurus parade. Precision beats flourish.

Quick exercise:

• Choose three anchor words for your narrator’s worldview. Example: duty, hunger, home.
• Write a paragraph about a door using those anchors.
• Read aloud. Does the rhythm sound like someone you know on the page.

Show versus tell: cut filters and mush

Filters pull readers out of the moment. Common offenders: knew, felt, noticed, saw, heard, realized, wondered, thought, seemed, appeared.

Before: “I felt a chill and noticed the window was open.”

After: “Cold licked my neck. The window gaped.”

Before: “He knew the boss was lying.”

After: “The boss smiled with all teeth. He dragged a finger across the ledger once, twice, stalling.”

You still need summary in smart places. Travel, time jumps, routine tasks. Dramatize when stakes turn or a relationship shifts. Summary for glue. Scene for change.

Dialogue: clean tags, subtext, and voice separation

Use simple tags. Said and asked do the job without waving. Fancy tags draw focus. Adverbs in tags often apologize for weak lines.

Before: “I don’t know,” she whispered softly.

After: “I don’t know,” she said. She touched the chipped mug.

Beats show emotion without naming it. Aim for pressure beneath the words.

On-the-nose:

• “You hurt me when you lied.”

With subtext:

• “You left your spare key on my hook. Brave.”
• He flinched. “Figured it was safer here.”

Distinct speech patterns help readers track speakers without tags. Give each character a small set of tells. Syntax, formality, favorite frames. One person speaks in short bursts. Another builds long, winding sentences. One cracks dry jokes. Another dodges with questions.

Trim hellos, weather, and small talk unless tension rides on them. Move late. Leave early.

Description and lore: braid detail into action

Readers want enough to see, not a lecture. Place detail where someone needs or uses it.

Info dump:

• “The Guild formed in 1620, created laws, taxed healers, and banned unsanctioned charms. Streets glowed with rune-lamps of blue flame.”

In scene:

• “Rune-lamps buzzed blue over the alley. Mara fished her Guild token from her boot. No token, no salve sale. No dinner.”

When you introduce a term or custom, set quick context within a line or two. Let a character interact with the thing. A rule that matters will show up in choices, not a page of notes.

Mini test:

• First mention of a made-up term. Is there a cue in the same breath, or in the next sentence. If not, add one.

Action and choreography: keep bodies and space clear

Readers build a movie in the mind. Help them. Track who stands where. Track objects. Track order of moves. Cause, then effect.

Before: “Lina turned, reached out, grabbed the knife, and then she looked at Tom as he lunged. She ducked and spun and then she kicked.”

After: “Tom lunged. Lina sidestepped. She snatched the knife from the board and drove him back with the point.”

Cut micromovements unless you want slow motion. Save granular detail for high-stakes beats where precision adds tension.

Checklist for action scenes:

• Can a reader sketch the room after the page.
• Do pronouns make sense, or do names need a refresh.
• Are movements in cause-effect order, not scrambled.

Repetition and echoes: clear the static

Repetition creates drag. Watch for echo words and pet phrases. Examples worth monitoring: suddenly, only, little, quite, start to, began to, sort of, kind of, seems, still.

Scan for repeated metaphors and gestures. If three people stare out windows in three chapters, change two of them. If a heartbeat drums in four tense scenes, vary the image. Ears ring. Knees go watery. Heat crawls. Pick one per scene.

Line tighten-ups:

• “She sat down” becomes “She sat.”
• “He shrugged his shoulders” becomes “He shrugged.”
• “There was a sense of fear in the room” becomes “Fear thinned the room.”

Actionable: passes that pay off fast

• Read aloud three key chapters. Mark every stumble, breathless stretch, or line you want to rush. Stumbles flag syntax snags. Breathless flags pacing or long sentences. Rush flags mush or vagueness. Fix those first.
• Build a list of your top twenty crutch words. Run a search for each. Decide case by case. Cut, swap, or justify.
• Highlight first uses of every term, group, title, or rule. Check if context makes meaning clear within a line or two. If not, add a cue through action or a clean noun phrase.

Line editing rewards patience. Tune a page, not the whole book at once. Break the work into passes, keep notes on choices, and your prose will start to hum.

Copyediting and Proofreading for Novels

Copyediting catches what readers notice when they stumble. Proofreading catches what makes them stop reading altogether. Both matter more than writers think. Here's how to polish without losing your voice.

Consistency: your style sheet is your compass

A style sheet tracks every decision you make about names, spellings, and formatting. Start one early. Keep it simple. Update it as you go.

Track these essentials:

• Character names and variants (Elizabeth, Liz, Beth)
• Place names and spellings (otherworldly terms, real locations)
• Capitalization choices (the King vs the king, Earth vs earth)
• Hyphenation (twenty-one, setup vs set up, timeline vs time line)
• Numbers (spell out one through ten, use numerals for 11+)
• Invented terms and their first explanations

Example entries:

• "Mara Chen (not Maria, not Mara-Chen)"
• "magic-user (hyphenated, not magic user)"
• "the Council (capitalized when referring to the ruling body)"
• "Chapter numbers: spelled out (Chapter One, not Chapter 1)"

Your style sheet prevents you from calling a sword Flameheart in chapter two and Flame-Heart in chapter twelve. Readers notice. They lose trust when details shift.

Build your sheet during your first readthrough. Open a document. Note every proper noun, every compound word, every formatting choice. Takes an hour up front. Saves days later.

Grammar and punctuation: house style with personality

Chicago Manual of Style guides most fiction, but your voice matters more than rigid rules. Preserve intentional fragments. Keep the rhythm that serves your story.

Standard fiction choices:

• Use the serial comma (red, white, and blue)
• Spell out numbers under 100 in narrative, use numerals in dialogue if natural
• Use single quotes inside double quotes
• Italicize internal thoughts, foreign words, emphasis

Voice-preserving flexibility:

• Sentence fragments for pace: "Gone. All of it."
• Dialogue that breaks grammar rules if true to character
• Run-on sentences for stream-of-consciousness or panic

The test: does the grammar choice serve the story or distract from it? If your character speaks in fragments, punctuate accordingly. If your narrator thinks in lists, comma-splice when it fits the mental rhythm.

Common fiction traps to watch:

• Comma splices outside of stylistic choice
• Apostrophe errors (it's vs its, who's vs whose)
• Dangling modifiers ("Running down the street, the building caught fire")
• Inconsistent tense within scenes

Continuity: the devil lives in timeline details

Track time, ages, seasons, and object placement. Readers remember when you don't.

Make a continuity checklist:

• Character ages (if someone is 34 in January, they're still 34 in March)
• Calendar logic (what day of the week, what month, how much time passes)
• Travel time (London to Edinburgh takes specific hours by car, train, plane)
• Seasonal markers (snow in July doesn't work in most places)
• Object tracking (the gun on the table in scene one needs to still be there in scene two, unless someone moved it)

Easy continuity catches:

• Search for specific dates, ages, and time references
• List every weapon, tool, or important object introduced
• Track injuries (broken ribs don't heal in three days)
• Note clothing changes (or lack of them over long time periods)

Real example from a client: Character breaks left wrist in chapter three. Shakes hands normally in chapter seven. Readers notice.

Fact-checking: when the real world intrudes

Fiction lets you invent, but when you reference real places, brands, laws, or historical events, accuracy matters. Mistakes break immersion.

Check these elements:

• Geographic accuracy (street layouts, distances, local customs)
• Brand names and trademarks (capitalize correctly, use generics when possible)
• Legal procedures (arrest protocols, court processes vary by location and time period)
• Historical events and timelines
• Technical details (how guns work, medical procedures, job requirements)

Safe approaches:

• Use fictional locations based on real places
• Create generic brands ("she grabbed a soda" vs "she grabbed a Coke")
• Consult subject matter experts for technical scenes
• Research legal procedures for your story's time and place

Avoid trademark issues by using generic terms or inventing your own brands. "Fast food restaurant" works better than naming specific chains unless plot requires it.

Formats and typography: invisible consistency

Readers shouldn't think about formatting. When they do, you've lost them.

Standard fiction formatting:

• Italics for thoughts, emphasis, foreign words, book/movie titles
• Smart quotes (curly, not straight)
• Consistent scene breaks (three asterisks, extra line space, ornamental breaks)
• Chapter headings in consistent style
• Dialogue punctuation follows US or UK conventions, but pick one

Special considerations:

• Telepathy or magical communication (italics, different punctuation)
• Text messages or emails (different formatting to show medium)
• Multiple POV characters (consistent headings or breaks)
• Flashbacks or dream sequences (italics, different formatting, clear transitions)

Typography for print and ebook:

• Test your formatting in multiple ebook readers
• Check how italics render across devices
• Ensure scene breaks don't disappear in conversion
• Verify special characters display correctly

Final proof: the last safety net

Proofreading catches what copyediting missed. Fresh eyes work best. Wait between copyediting and proofing, or hire someone else.

Proof both designed pages (PDF) and digital files (EPUB, MOBI). Layout changes create new errors.

Target these final errors:

• Typos and missing words
• Spacing issues (extra spaces, missing line breaks)
• Widows and orphans (single lines stranded at page tops or bottoms)
• Font and formatting inconsistencies
• Page numbering and headers
• Table of contents accuracy

Proofreading tricks:

• Read backwards, sentence by sentence (catches typos, disrupts meaning)
• Use text-to-speech software (hearing catches different errors than seeing)
• Print a hard copy (paper shows different mistakes than screen)
• Read aloud slowly
• Use a ruler or paper to isolate each line

Common final-stage errors:

• Missing quotation marks
• Inconsistent ellipses (three dots vs four, spacing)
• Wrong character names (especially similar names)
• Homophones (there/their/they're, to/too/two)

Your action plan

Start your style sheet during your first complete read. Note every proper noun, every formatting choice, every compound word. Keep it simple. A basic spreadsheet works fine.

Before you copyedit, compile your master term list. Character names, place names, invented words, titles. Run searches for variants. Fix inconsistencies before you dive deep.

For final proofing, use multiple devices and formats. Read your ebook on a phone, tablet, and computer. Print key chapters. Each format reveals different problems.

Run targeted searches for your common errors. If you mix up "affect" and "effect," search for both. If you transpose letters in specific words, add those to your search list.

Budget time for multiple passes. Copyediting takes longer than you think. Proofreading seems fast but requires focus. Rush either stage and errors slip through.

The goal is invisible polish. Readers should glide through your prose, absorbed in story, not tripping over typos or continuity gaps. Good copyediting and proofreading disappear. Bad copyediting and proofreading announce themselves on every page.

Genre and Age-Category Considerations

Genre is a promise. Age category is a contract. Editing honors both. If you miss the promise or break the contract, readers feel it in their bones and close the book. Let’s tune your manuscript to the right frequency.

Romance

The love story sits at the center. Everything else supports it.

Non‑negotiables:

• A satisfying ending, either happily ever after or happy for now.
• Clear consent, on the page, in every spicy scene and every kiss.
• Heat level that matches reader expectation from page one to the end.

Editing checks:

• Track the romance beats. Meet cute, bonding, midpoint shift, break, grand gesture, commitment. Put them on a single page.
• Balance POV. If you promise dual leads, give each enough voice and agency.
• Make subplots serve the romance. If a mystery thread steals page time, cut or fold it into the love arc.
• Ensure external conflict pushes them together and pulls them apart in turn. Coincidence is not conflict.

Quick test:

• Flip to three random chapters. Can you point to a moment where the relationship moves forward or back? If not, revise.

Mystery and Thriller

Readers want to play along and win, or at least feel they could have.

Non‑negotiables:

• Fair‑play clues planted before the reveal.
• Credible red herrings that arise from character goals, not author tricks.
• A solution the protagonist earns.

Editing checks:

• Build a suspect matrix. For each person, list motive, means, opportunity, alibi, secret. Update by scene.
• Timeline audit. Day, time, travel, phone logs, CCTV, weather. Make it hold.
• Clue placement pass. Color‑code true clues and misleads. If all the real clues land in the final act, redistribute.
• Pacing test. End scenes on a question or a decision, not a recap.

Quick test:

• Hand the first two thirds to a sharp reader. Ask who they suspect and why. If their reasons rely on information you never provided, you owe them a clue.

Science Fiction and Fantasy

Invention works when rules create pressure and costs keep power in check.

Non‑negotiables:

• Clear limits on tech or magic and visible costs for use.
• Consistent world rules that never shift to save the hero.
• A path for readers to learn without lectures.

Editing checks:

• World bible. Geography, cultures, currencies, calendars, oaths, taboos, naming patterns, units of measure. One document.
• First‑chapter vocabulary cap. Too many invented terms early will stall readers. Introduce, confirm with context, then repeat.
• Exposition audit. Replace prologues and lore dumps with scene work. Teach through action, stakes, and consequence.
• Systems stress test. Ask what breaks when the power scales or fails. Add scenes that show the cost.

Quick test:

• Highlight every invented term in the first 20 pages. For each, is meaning clear within two lines? If not, fix the line or delay the term.

Literary and Historical

Readers expect precise language and period fidelity that feels lived in.

Non‑negotiables:

• Sentence work that rewards close reading without slowing to a crawl.
• Period‑accurate diction and detail.
• Proof of permissions for quoted material, including lyrics and long passages.

Editing checks:

• Anachronism pass. Phrases, idioms, foods, fabrics, tools, medical terms, and gestures. Remove what belongs to another century.
• Research notes attached to claims. If you state a law or custom, keep the source handy.
• Dialogue restraint. Suggest dialect with word choice and rhythm. Avoid heavy phonetic spellings that tire the eye.
• Interior balance. Moments of thought and memory anchored to concrete action so scenes still move.

Quick test:

• Read one page aloud. If you trip over ornament or you forget what is happening by the end of the paragraph, simplify.

Horror

Fear builds by degree, then pays off with consequence.

Non‑negotiables:

• Escalating dread, not only jump scares.
• Rules for the threat. The monster, the house, the entity, all follow logic.
• Content warnings calibrated to audience and market.

Editing checks:

• Dread map. Mark three early unease beats, three mid escalations, one point of no return, and the payoff.
• Sensory control. Use specific detail. Pull back when repetition numbs the effect.
• Morality and choice. Even bleak endings feel earned when character choices matter.
• Aftermath scenes. Give readers a breath or a bruise, not a shrug.

Quick test:

• Remove one gore moment. Replace with a choice that costs the protagonist. If the scene gains power, keep the change.

YA and MG

Age sets voice, focus, and scope. Respect the reader.

Non‑negotiables:

• Protagonist age matches category. MG centers 8–13. YA centers 14–18.
• Voice reflects lived experience at that age. No adult filter lecturing from the doorway.
• Stakes that matter to teens or kids. Friends, identity, family, school, firsts.

Editing checks:

• Calendar logic. School schedules, holidays, seasons, transportation. If finals week lasts two weeks, readers notice.
• Tech reality. Texts, social apps, parental controls, curfews. Use them as friction, not props.
• On‑page boundaries that align with gatekeepers. Violence, intimacy, language, and substance use have market norms. Know them.
• Dialogue ear test. Read to a teen or teacher. Note where they laugh for the wrong reason.

Quick test:

• Count adult rescues. If grown‑ups step in to solve every major problem, reduce or delay their help. Agency belongs to the kid on the page.

Action steps

• Build a genre checklist before revision. Include required beats, common pitfalls, length targets, and deal‑breakers for your shelf.
• Create supporting trackers that match your genre. Suspect matrix for mystery. World bible and glossary for SFF. Timeline and source log for historical. Heat‑level guide for romance.
• Test pages with the right readers. Teens for YA, genre fans for romance or horror, and sensitivity readers where representation and harm risk intersect with your story.
• After each test, adjust the checklist. Lock your standards before final passes.

Genre keeps its promises when you edit for them on purpose. Do that, and readers feel seen, safe, and satisfied. They turn the last page and look for your next book.

Workflow, Tools, and Working With an Editor

Books reach the finish line when you respect the sequence. Skip a step, and the book makes you pay later. I have watched whole chapters get polished to a shine, then cut in the next round. Save your wrists. Follow the order.

The editorial stages

• Manuscript assessment, optional:
  • A high‑level read. You receive an editorial letter with strengths, risks, and next steps.
  • Best for early drafts when you want to know if the core works before you sink months into revisions.
• Developmental edit:
  • Big‑picture story work. Structure, plot, character arcs, POV, pacing, world rules.
  • Deliverables often include a long editorial letter, margin notes, and a call to talk through the plan.
  • Your job afterward: revise scenes and chapters, not sentences. Move blocks before you polish bricks.
• Line edit:
  • Sentence‑level clarity and voice. Rhythm, diction, dialogue beats, paragraph flow.
  • Expect tracked changes, rephrasing, trims, and flags where immersion breaks.
  • You accept or reject changes with intent. Read out loud before you lock.
• Copyediting:
  • Mechanics and consistency. Grammar, punctuation, hyphenation, numerals, continuity, style sheet care.
  • The editor protects your voice while catching errors and standardizing usage.
• Typesetting and ebook formatting:
  • The manuscript becomes pages and files. Chapter headings, scene break glyphs, fonts, spacing, ornaments.
  • Ebook needs clean styles and working navigation. Print needs readable line length and smart breaks.
• Proofreading:
  • Final pass on designed pages and converted files. Typos, missing words, bad line breaks, widows and orphans, encoding glitches.
  • Nothing big changes here. If you find a plot hole, mark it for the next edition.

Quick rule: lock structure before line work. Lock lines before copyediting. Proof on the design, not in Word.

Who helps and when

• Beta readers:
  • Use 3 to 6 readers who love your genre. Ask for reactions, not fixes.
  • Give a short brief: the story promise, genre, heat or gore level, and your top three questions.
  • Sample questions:
    • Where did you skim?
    • Which moment made you want to keep reading?
    • What confused you?
    • Who did you care about, and when did that change?
• Sensitivity readers:
  • For stories that touch identity, culture, trauma, or lived experience outside your own.
  • Hire after a stable revision, before copyedit. Give clear context and boundaries. Pay them.
• Subject‑matter experts:
  • For law, medicine, weapons, technology, police procedure, niche sports, historical trades, and more.
  • Send them only the relevant scenes and a list of specific questions. Note sources on your style sheet.

Tools that earn their keep

• Drafting:
  • Scrivener is great for scene‑level work, corkboards, and research folders.
  • Google Docs is simple for live collaboration and comments.
  • Pick one. Learn five features, not every bell on the box.
• Chronology and plotting:
  • Plottr or Aeon Timeline for dates, ages, travel time, and clue placement.
  • Habit: add date, time, and location to every scene card.
• Style sheets:
  • Keep a spreadsheet with columns: term, spelling, capitalization, hyphenation, first appearance, definition or context, source note.
  • Add names, places, slang, invented terms, titles, brands, and pet phrases.
• Language aids:
  • ProWritingAid or Grammarly for late‑stage polish. Keep settings conservative.
  • Review their flags. You decide, not the robot.
• Backups:
  • Two locations, one offline. Use date‑stamped filenames: Title_Draft03_2025‑02‑18.docx.
• Formatting:
  • If you format yourself, use reliable tools for print and ebook workflows. Test files on multiple devices.

Mini exercise:

• Open your current chapter one. Add date, time, location at the top for your eyes only. Does the next scene follow logically? If not, fix the handoff.

Version control for writers

• Freeze the outline before line edits. If you must move a scene, pause line edits and do the move first.
• Save each round as a new file. Do not write over the previous draft.
• Keep a change log:
  • Date
  • Decision
  • Why
  • Affected chapters
  • Open questions
• Series writers, track continuity like a hawk: ages, timelines, world rules, promises made to readers.

Hiring the right editor

• Where to look:
  • Ask authors in your genre.
  • Read acknowledgments in books like yours.
  • Check professional directories and genre groups.
• What to check:
  • Genre experience and recent titles.
  • A 1 to 2 page sample edit on your prose.
  • Clear scope, deliverables, schedule, and fee structure.
  • Contract terms around confidentiality, payment schedule, and dispute process.
• What to ask on a call:
  • How do you approach edits in this genre?
  • What does the editorial letter include?
  • How many margin comments should I expect?
  • Do you offer a follow‑up call after I read the letter?
  • What does one round include, and what counts as an extra round?
  • What files do you deliver, and when?
• Red flags:
  • Guarantees of bestseller status.
  • No sample, no references, or no contract.
  • Vague language about scope or billing.
  • Pressure to buy services you did not request.
• Email template you can steal:
  • Subject: Novel edit inquiry, Genre, Word count
  • Body:
    • One‑sentence story promise: By the end, X will, despite.
    • Genre and age category, comps, word count.
    • Your goals, timeline, and the stage you want help with.
    • Ask for availability, rates, sample edit, and a call.

Budget and timing

• Expect multiple passes and revision windows between them. Build buffers.
• Pay attention to word count. More words means more time and cost at every stage.
• Book editors months ahead, especially in popular genres or pre‑holiday windows.
• Do not book a proofreader before layout. Proofreaders need designed pages.
• Build backward from your goal:
  • If you plan to query, give yourself time to revise after feedback and to tailor materials.
  • If you plan to publish, coordinate edit dates, cover design, layout, proof, upload, and ARCs.

Sample milestone map for one novel:

• Week 0: sample edits, select editor, sign contract, pay deposit.
• Week 1: manuscript to editor for developmental edit.
• Week 3: receive editorial letter and notes.
• Weeks 4 to 7: revisions. Beta readers during week 7.
• Week 8: line edit.
• Week 9: author line‑level revisions and a read‑aloud pass.
• Week 10: copyedit.
• Week 11: interior layout and ebook files.
• Week 12: proofreads on PDF and EPUB, then fixes.
• Week 13: final proof, approvals, and upload or submission.

Tight? Yes. Your version will breathe more. The pattern still holds.

Action steps

• Map your milestone calendar from editorial letter to final proof. Add buffers after each edit.
• Assemble your style sheet now. Fill it as you draft and revise.
• Interview at least two editors. Use the questions above. Trust the one who sees your book and speaks plainly about the work.
• Build a small toolkit:
  • Scene cards with date, time, location, purpose, and outcome.
  • A suspect matrix or world bible, as your genre needs.
  • A beta reader questionnaire capped at one page.
• Protect the process. Sequence first, polish later. Your future self will thank you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Download FREE ebook

Claim your free eBook today and join over 25,000 writers who have read and benefited from this ebook.

'It is probably one of the best books on writing I've read so far.' Miz Bent

Leave this empty

Get free book