How Editing Fiction Differs From Editing Non Fiction

Gary Smailes | 5 November 2025

What Changes Between Editing Fiction and Non-Fiction

Editing shifts because the goal shifts. In fiction, you protect immersion. You track character arcs, point of view, pacing, and emotional payoff. In non-fiction, you protect clarity. You test credibility, accuracy, and usefulness on every page.

Think of what the reader wants at 2 a.m. The novel reader wants to feel something and keep turning pages. The non-fiction reader wants answers that hold up under stress. Different hunger, different edit.

What you optimize for

Fiction

• Immersion. Do scenes pull the reader forward without speed bumps. Filters like “she thought” or “he noticed” often dilute interiority. Trim them where flow suffers.
• Point of view. Who holds the camera. Are you in their head, or hovering outside. Fix head-hopping and keep psychic distance steady within a scene.
• Pacing. Does tension rise, break, and reset with intention. Chapter endings earn a page turn. Quiet beats breathe without sagging.
• Character arcs. Goals, stakes, and change over time. Motivation aligns with action.
• Emotional payoff. The climax resolves both plot and promise. The ending feels earned.

Non-fiction

• Clarity. Plain language, strong verbs, clean sentences. Jargon appears only where the audience expects it, and definitions sit close by.
• Credibility. Claims tie to sources, data, or lived experience that a reader would accept. Dates, names, and figures survive a spot check.
• Accuracy. Terms stay consistent. Numbers add up. Examples model reality, not wishful thinking.
• Usefulness. Readers leave with steps, frameworks, or insights they can apply today. Headings and lists support skimming and review.

How success is measured

Fiction asks, do I care and do I believe. A cold test helps:

• The page-turn test. Flip to three random chapter ends. Do they spark curiosity or dread in a good way.
• The voice test. Read a page aloud. Does the tone feel like one person, not a committee.
• The memory test. After a day away, can you recount what the protagonist wants, fears, and risks. If not, stakes need work.

Non-fiction asks, does this hold and does this help.

• The promise test. State the thesis in one sentence. Then match each chapter to a step toward that promise.
• The logic test. Pull a paragraph at random. Identify claim, support, and takeaway. If one element is missing, revise.
• The utility test. Mark three examples or checklists. Would a reader reuse them. If not, sharpen.

Style expectations

Fiction carries genre signals. Romance leans on meet-cute, deepening conflict, breakup, and commitment beats. Thriller readers want rising stakes, reversals, and a clock that tightens. Fantasy expects coherent world rules, grounded sensory detail, and a consistent magic or tech system. Break the rules on purpose, not by accident.

Non-fiction follows market or discipline norms. Trade books use friendly headers, examples, and case studies. Prescriptive books use steps, sidebars, and summaries. Academic work follows citation systems, hedging where evidence is mixed, and weights counterarguments. A health title follows regulatory lines on claims. A business title favors charts over slogans. Each lane has guardrails. Know them before you move them.

Quick contrasts in practice

• Dialogue vs. exposition. In fiction, dialogue reveals power dynamics, subtext, and desire. On-the-nose wording gets trimmed. In non-fiction, dialogue excerpts need attribution, context, and a reason to be quoted rather than paraphrased.
• Description vs. definition. In fiction, description serves mood and point of view. The same alley looks different to a cop, a tourist, or a thief. In non-fiction, description yields to definition and function. The reader wants the parts and how they work.
• Withholding vs. signposting. Fiction withholds to build tension, but seeds fair clues. Non-fiction signposts to reduce friction. Headings preview the path and deliver on it.
• Emotional beats vs. learning beats. Fiction tracks fear, hope, and change. Non-fiction tracks problem, approach, example, and result.

Mini exercise: spot your north star

Open your manuscript. Read one page. Answer:

• What does the reader want from this page.
• What do you want the reader to feel or learn.
• What must stay to deliver that result, and what distracts.

If your answers center on feeling, immersion, and change, edit like a novelist. If your answers center on clarity, proof, and next steps, edit like a teacher.

Write an editorial brief

A short brief keeps every choice aligned. One page is enough. Use it before a developmental pass and keep it open through line edits.

Include:

• Target reader. Who they are, what they know, what they want, and what blocks them.
• Promise. The outcome you offer. For fiction, the experience you offer.
• Genre or category. Be specific. Cozy mystery, space opera, literary short story. Or trade psychology, academic history, prescriptive leadership.
• Success criteria. How you will judge the edit.

Sample, fiction

• Reader. Fans of cozy mystery who prefer low on-page violence, a small-town setting, and a gentle romance subplot.
• Promise. A soothing puzzle with fair-play clues and a warm cast.
• Genre. Cozy mystery.
• Success criteria. Clear POV per scene. Three solid red herrings. Clue placement that rewards a reread. Reveal around 85 to 95 percent. No profanity. Cat survives.

Sample, non-fiction

• Reader. Freelance designers filing taxes alone, new to bookkeeping, short on time.
• Promise. File on time, avoid penalties, keep receipts in order.
• Category. Trade finance, prescriptive.
• Success criteria. Current references to IRS publications. Step-by-step checklists at chapter ends. Real examples with numbers. Clear definitions on first use. Scannable heads at H1 to H3.

How to use the brief

• Test edits against the promise. If a scene or section does not serve it, revise or cut.
• Let the reader profile steer language choices. Dialect in fiction, technical terms in non-fiction, both ruled by comprehension.
• Keep the success criteria visible during proof stages. If the ebook loses scene-break glyphs or heading hierarchy, fix before sign-off.

One more editor’s check

Ask two questions on every problem passage.

• What would break immersion here.
• What would break trust here.

Fiction lives or dies on the first. Non-fiction lives or dies on the second. Hold both in mind, give weight according to genre, and your edit will serve the reader who matters most.

Developmental Editing: Story vs. Argument

Developmental editing lives in the architecture. You're not polishing sentences yet. You're asking if the foundation holds and if the frame supports what the author wants to build.

Fiction asks: does this story work. Non-fiction asks: does this argument work. The tools and tests change accordingly.

Fiction development: making readers care

Fiction development starts with plot structure. Three acts, hero's journey, seven-point story structure—pick your framework, but use one. Structure gives you checkpoints. Act breaks test if stakes rise and change direction. The midpoint flips something fundamental. The climax pays off what you promised in the opening.

Scene purpose comes next. Every scene needs a goal, conflict, and outcome that shifts the story forward. If a scene feels flat, check these three elements first. Goal: what the viewpoint character wants in this moment. Conflict: what opposes them. Outcome: how the situation changes by scene's end. No change means the scene needs work or deletion.

Point of view control keeps readers anchored. Pick deep third, omniscient, or first person, then stay consistent within scenes. Head-hopping confuses. Psychic distance matters too. Close psychic distance puts us inside thoughts and feelings. Far psychic distance gives us observer status. Mixing them within paragraphs creates a bumpy ride.

Character motivation drives everything. What does your protagonist want. What do they fear. Why now. Why them. Test every major decision against these questions. If the character acts against type, you need setup that makes the choice feel inevitable, not arbitrary.

Stakes must escalate. Personal stakes matter more than world-ending ones. A character losing their job hits harder than a generic apocalypse because you feel the specifics. Layer external stakes (plot threats) with internal stakes (character growth). The best stories threaten both what the character wants and who they are.

Worldbuilding continuity catches mistakes early. If your fantasy world has three moons, they appear consistently. If your contemporary setting uses real geography, the streets and landmarks check out. Inconsistencies break reader trust and immersion.

Theme emerges through action, not speeches. Character choices reveal values. Consequences teach lessons. If you find yourself writing paragraphs about What It All Means, step back. Show the theme through character arcs and plot beats instead.

Non-fiction development: building a case

Non-fiction development starts with thesis. State your central claim in one clear sentence. Everything else supports, proves, or applies this claim. If you struggle to summarize your argument in twenty words, the book needs focus.

Logical flow connects ideas without gaps or leaps. Each chapter builds on the previous one. Each section within a chapter advances the chapter's objective. Test this with a reverse outline: summarize what each section actually does, then compare to what it should do.

Chapter objectives keep you on track. Why does this chapter exist. What question does it answer. What step in the reader's journey does it complete. If a chapter has multiple objectives, consider splitting it.

Evidence placement supports claims without overwhelming them. Front-load your strongest evidence early in chapters to hook skeptical readers. Bury weaker support in the middle. End with memorable examples or implications. Save statistics for sidebars unless they're your primary proof.

Reader journey maps the emotional and intellectual arc. Start with the problem your reader faces. Present your framework or solution. Walk through application with examples. Show results or outcomes. This structure works for prescriptive books, memoirs with lessons, and most trade non-fiction.

Tools that match the task

Fiction uses beat sheets to track story structure. Mark the inciting incident, plot points, midpoint, climax, and resolution on a timeline. Note word counts for each act. Are you spending too much time in setup and rushing the payoff.

Scene lists help with pacing. List every scene with its goal, conflict, and outcome. Rate tension from one to five. Look for patterns. Do you have three low-tension scenes in a row. Are high-tension scenes earning their payoff.

Timeline maps prevent continuity errors. Track what happens when, especially across multiple viewpoints or time periods. Note character ages, seasonal changes, and event sequences.

Non-fiction uses reverse outlines to test structure. Read a completed draft and summarize each section in one sentence. Look for redundancy, missing connections, and weak transitions. The outline should tell a clear story even without details.

Chapter abstracts work like movie trailers. Write a paragraph summarizing each chapter's purpose, key points, and takeaways. This helps you spot chapters that duplicate content or stray from the main argument.

Argument maps trace logical connections. Draw boxes for major claims and arrows showing how evidence connects. Missing arrows reveal gaps in reasoning. Circular arrows suggest you're repeating yourself.

Narrative non-fiction: the hybrid challenge

Narrative non-fiction borrows from both traditions. You need story structure and character development, but you also need factual accuracy and logical flow.

Storyline matters. Your narrative non-fiction needs a beginning, middle, and end that creates momentum. But the story serves the thesis, not vice versa. If scenes don't advance your argument, they need revision or cutting.

Character arcs apply to real people too. Show how subjects changed over time. What did they learn. How did events shape them. But stay truthful to what happened. You have to fictionalize composite characters or change details for privacy.

Facts anchor everything. Your story needs to withstand fact-checking. Dates, locations, quotes, and sequences must match reality or available records. When memory conflicts with documentation, flag the discrepancy.

Structure still needs logical flow. Chronological order works for biographies and historical narratives. Thematic structure works for investigative pieces. Problem-solution structure works for social issues. Pick the frame that serves your thesis best.

The scene inventory system

For fiction, build a scene inventory tracking word count and tension. Create a spreadsheet with columns for chapter, scene, viewpoint character, word count, tension rating (1-5), and purpose. Total the word counts to see if your acts balance. Check for tension patterns. Look for scenes below a 2 rating—they might need higher stakes or cutting.

Add a column for subplot tracking. Mark which romantic arc, mystery thread, or character relationship appears in each scene. This helps you see if subplots disappear for too many pages or if they crowd out the main story.

Include a stakes column. Note what the viewpoint character risks in each scene. Personal stakes work better than abstract ones. "Loses respect of daughter" beats "fails to save world" because readers understand the first viscerally.

The reverse outline method

For non-fiction, create a reverse outline that captures claim, evidence, and takeaway for each section. Read your draft with fresh eyes. Summarize what each section actually accomplishes, not what you intended.

Look for these patterns:

• Sections that make claims without evidence
• Evidence presented without clear connection to claims
• Multiple sections making the same point
• Gaps where logical steps are missing
• Conclusions that don't follow from premises

Create a separate document listing takeaways. After each chapter, what should the reader know, feel, or do differently. If you struggle to articulate the takeaway, the chapter needs sharper focus.

Testing the development

Fiction development passes when you answer yes to these questions:

• Does the opening hook establish character, stakes, and story question within the first chapter.
• Do plot points feel surprising but inevitable when you reread.
• Does the protagonist drive the main plot through active choices.
• Would removing any major scene break the story logic.
• Does the ending resolve both external plot and internal character arc.

Non-fiction development passes when:

• You state your thesis clearly in the introduction.
• Each chapter advances one step toward proving or applying that thesis.
• Evidence supports claims without overwhelming them.
• The conclusion connects back to the opening promise.
• A skeptical reader would find your reasoning sound, even if they disagree with your position.

The editing conversation

Developmental editing often means hard conversations with authors. Fiction writers might need to cut beloved scenes that don't serve the story. Non-fiction writers might need to reorganize their entire structure.

Frame feedback as problems and possibilities, not failures. "This scene doesn't advance the plot" becomes "What if we used this content to deepen the character arc in chapter three." "Your argument jumps around" becomes "Let's map out the logical steps and see where we need bridges."

Always explain why a change helps the reader experience. Fiction readers want to feel engaged and satisfied. Non-fiction readers want to understand and apply what they learn. Every developmental choice should serve those goals.

The best developmental edits make books feel inevitable—like they could not have been structured any other way. Whether you're building a story or an argument, that sense of rightness comes from matching form to function, tool to task.

Line Editing and Voice: How Prose Is Shaped

Line editing lives sentence to sentence. You tune rhythm, sharpen meaning, and protect voice. This is where prose starts to sing, or at least stops tripping over its shoelaces.

Fiction: voice on the line

Fiction thrives on texture. Voice, rhythm, imagery, and subtext do the heavy lifting.

Start with filters. Cut them.

• Filtered: She felt the cold water sting her hands.
• Direct: Cold water stung her hands.

• Filtered: He saw the dog sprint across the road.
• Direct: The dog sprinted across the road.

Every filter pushes readers a step away from the moment. Remove the middleman and you gain immediacy.

Trim telling in favor of action and implication.

• Telling: He was angry at his brother.
• Shown: He folded the photo in half and slid it under the microwave.

You do not need to shout the emotion. Let behavior carry it.

Sharpen dialogue.

• Flabby: “Well, I mean, I was thinking, like, maybe we could sort of go to the store, if you want?”
• Tight: “Want to go to the store?”

Keep hedges for character, not habit. Use tags with intention. Said works. Beats do work too, but they need to earn their spot.

• Overdone: “Leave,” she hissed, snarled, growled.
• Clean: “Leave,” she said. She held the door.

Protect idiolect without losing the reader. Heavy dialect on every word slows pace and invites parody. Light touch wins.

• Heavy: “Ah’m goin’ ta the sto’, ya hear?”
• Targeted: “I’m going to the store, you hear?”

Pick a few markers, mostly in syntax and idiom. Keep spelling readable. Your line edit will guard against drift, so the mechanic does not start speaking like the professor by chapter five.

Mind rhythm. Vary sentence length. Follow a long line with a short punch. Read aloud. Your ear will flag clumps of prepositional phrases, stacked adjectives, and echoes.

• Clotted: The long, winding, dust-choked road stretched toward the distant, shimmering horizon.
• Trimmed: The road wound through dust toward a shimmering horizon.

Work with interiority. In close third or first, place thoughts in the flow.

• Distant: She wondered if Tom would show up.
• Close: Would Tom show up.

No italics needed. The proximity is clear from context. A line edit nudges you toward crisp interior beats that deepen character without stopping the scene.

Subtext matters. State less. Set up action and dialogue so readers infer the rest.

• On the nose: “I am jealous because you spend more time with your sister.”
• With subtext: “Your sister called again.” He did not look up from the sink.

Trim the speech that explains motive. Leave space for readers to meet you halfway.

Non-fiction: clean, clear, confident

Non-fiction wins trust through precision and ease.

Prefer plain language. Trade five-dollar words for the exact one-dollar word.

• Dense: Operationalizing a paradigm shift requires cross-functional alignment.
• Clear: A big change works only when teams agree on the plan.

Build parallel structure. Lists and headings rise or fall on symmetry.

• Uneven: “To fix the process we will assess performance, running tests, and the improvement plan.”
• Parallel: “To fix the process we will assess performance, run tests, and write the improvement plan.”

Define terms once, then use them consistently. If you choose customer, do not swap to client. If you need a technical term, introduce it with a simple gloss the first time, “anaphora, repeated words at the start of lines.”

Make pages scannable. Use heads, lists, and callouts for emphasis. A reader will thank you when they can find the framework, the steps, and the example without hunting.

Use signposting and transitions that serve readers, not your ego.

• Helpful openers: “Here is the problem.” “This chapter offers a three-step model.” “Next, a case study.”
• Helpful closers: “You now have the steps. The next chapter shows them in practice.”

Authority grows when you keep promises and move in a straight line.

Favor precise verbs. Cut nominalizations where possible.

• Nominalized: The implementation of the policy led to confusion.
• Active: The new policy confused staff.

Examples carry weight. Move abstract claims into concrete scenes.

• Abstract: Psychological safety improves team performance.
• Concrete: When Kiera’s team started weekly blameless reviews, bugs dropped by a third in two sprints.

Reader experience drives line choices

Fiction leans on cadence and interiority. Your test is feel. If a paragraph thuds when read aloud, revise. If a beat steals energy from a tense moment, strip it.

Non-fiction leans on guidance and examples. Your test is navigation. If a skim leaves the reader lost, add heads or a recap sentence. If a claim invites pushback, front the evidence, not the flourish.

Quick checks:

• Highlight verbs on one page. Are they specific.
• Circle vague openers like “There is,” “There are.” Replace with a subject that does the action.
• In fiction, mark three sentences in a row of the same length. Break the pattern.
• In non-fiction, mark three paragraphs without a heading or list. Offer a signpost or break.

Sensitivity and accessibility

Representation in fiction deserves care. If you write outside your lived experience, bring in a sensitivity reader. Ask for feedback on stereotype drift, naming, physical description, and harm in the text. Then act on it.

Language choices in non-fiction shape inclusion. Avoid gendered defaults. Use people-first or identity-first terms as preferred by the community in question. Avoid ableist idioms. Choose examples that do not assume a narrow background. If you use figures, write alt text. Keep reading level in mind, unless your field demands jargon. Even then, translate where possible.

Tone matters across both. Punch down and readers leave. Precision and respect keep them with you.

The style sheet that keeps you honest

A style sheet is your memory on paper. Build it early, update it often. Store it where team members will find it.

Include:

• Voice and tone notes. Formal or conversational. Humor level. First person or third.
• Dialogue and thought. Tags, beats, italics policy for thoughts, internal monologue markers.
• Dialect and contractions. Which characters drop g, which terms stay standard.
• Hyphenation, capitalization, and numerals. Email or e-mail. Startup or start-up. Ten or 10. Percent or %.
• Spelling. US or UK. Gray or grey. Proper noun checks.
• Punctuation preferences. Oxford comma, ellipses spacing, en or em space around em rules is off limits here, so note how you handle breaks.
• Terminology. Approved terms with short definitions. Field-specific acronyms and how to introduce them.
• Formatting. Heading levels, list style, callout style.
• Sensitivity flags. Terms to avoid, preferred alternatives, sources for guidance.

For a novel, add:

• Character voice notes, pet phrases, and speech rhythms.
• Recurring imagery rules. How dream sequences look. How text messages appear.
• In-world terms and rules.

For non-fiction, add:

• Citation style and reference order.
• Table and figure labels.
• Example and case naming conventions. Composite labels, anonymization rules.

Two mini line-edit exercises

Fiction exercise:

• Take a scene, highlight every filter verb, think, feel, notice, realize, see, hear.
• Rewrite two paragraphs with direct sensory detail and interior beats.
• Read aloud. Note one line where rhythm stalls. Fix it with a cut or a split.

Non-fiction exercise:

• Take a section, write a one-sentence heading that states the promise.
• Turn the first paragraph into three bullet points with parallel verbs.
• Replace one abstract claim with an example that names a person, a place, and a result.

Line editing shapes trust. In fiction, readers trust you with their attention and emotions. In non-fiction, readers trust you with their time and decisions. Treat the line as the place where that trust is won.

Build your style sheet. Keep it open while you edit. Consistency frees you to focus on meaning, and meaning is what readers come for.

Copyediting, Fact-Checking, and Ethics

Copyediting looks quiet, but it decides whether readers trust you. This is where consistency, accuracy, and judgment show up on the page.

Fiction: keep the world intact

Fiction copyedits protect immersion. Every detail must agree with every other detail. Think of it as story physics.

Common passes:

• Character ledger. Eye color, age, dominant hand, pet names, job titles. If Mia is twenty-eight in chapter two, she stays twenty-eight three chapters later unless birthdays pass on the page.
• Time and calendar. Track days of the week, time of day, seasons, travel time. If a drive takes two hours in chapter four, it does not shrink to twenty minutes in chapter eight.
• Setting rules. Magic systems, tech limits, social norms, geography. If sunlight kills vampires, no afternoon strolls.
• Series continuity. Recurring side characters, in-world terms, and past events need steady treatment across books. A series bible solves most headaches.

Dialogue punctuation deserves a clean, consistent hand.

• “I know,” she said. Comma inside the quote when a tag follows.
• “I know.” She shut the window. Period if no tag follows.
• “You’re sure?” he asked. Question mark inside the quote.

Italics and foreign terms, pick a policy and stick with it. Single foreign words usually in roman after first use if familiar. Full phrases often italic on first use, then roman. Check accents, capitalization, and spacing, café, résumé, à la carte.

Immersion breaks when real-world references wobble. Fact-check the small stuff:

• Moon phases and sunrise times for scene dates and locations.
• Brand names and trademarks. Use Kleenex tissue, not kleenex as a generic.
• Sports schedules, school calendars, flight numbers, street names.
• Gun models, car trims, historical details for period pieces.

A quick test: highlight numbers, proper nouns, measurements, and place names. Verify each one with a reputable source. Future you will thank present you.

Non-fiction: accuracy with scaffolding

Non-fiction copyediting marries clarity with proof. Readers expect clean prose, solid sources, and reliable scaffolding around every claim.

Start with a style spine. Choose a style guide, Chicago, APA, MLA, or your house guide, and a dictionary, Merriam-Webster or Oxford. Record decisions on:

• Capitalization. Headline style or sentence style for heads. Internet or internet.
• Numbers. One through nine spelled out, 10 and above in numerals, or another rule fit for your field.
• Hyphenation. Decision making or decision-making, long-term or long term, and so on.
• Lists and tables. Punctuation, alignment, capitalization, parallelism.

Now the hard work. Verify every quote, statistic, date, and claim:

• Quotes. Check wording against the source. Fix ellipses and brackets with care, no smuggled meaning.
• Statistics. Trace to the original study, not a press summary. Record sample size, date, method.
• Names and titles. Spellings, accents, and job titles for people and organizations.
• Figures and tables. Axes labeled, units consistent, totals correct, footnotes aligned with data.

Citations and permissions bring legal sanity. Use a citation manager, Zotero or EndNote, to track source details and link notes to pages. For long quotes, song lyrics, images, charts, or long epigraphs, confirm permission or trim to fair use. Log outreach and responses.

A tidy apparatus holds the book together:

• References or bibliography, in the right order and format. Test a random handful against the guide.
• Notes, endnotes or footnotes, with clear numbering and accurate cross-references.
• Acknowledgments with correct names, affiliations, and titles.

Ethics: line editors guard the line

Ethics is not an optional polish. It lives inside every sentence you approve.

Defamation risk sits in both camps. Watch for statements about identifiable people or companies that assert damaging facts without proof.

• Safer approach in non-fiction. Attribute, source, and hedge where evidence is mixed. “According to X’s 2023 audit, revenue fell 18 percent.” Not “They lied to investors.”
• Safer approach in fiction. Avoid thinly veiled real people in harmful roles. If a resemblance is unavoidable, change multiple identifiers and context. Consider legal review for hot zones, true crime, investigative work, or memoir with living subjects.

Plagiarism risk is higher in non-fiction. Quote and cite when language is borrowed. Paraphrase with real transformation, not a few word swaps. Keep a source log for every fact you did not generate. If a passage mirrors a source too closely, rewrite or quote.

Accuracy ethics extends to composite cases and anonymized examples. Tell readers when you alter details and why. Protect privacy when describing sensitive material.

How to set up a fact-check plan

Build a system before you correct a single comma.

• Create a source log spreadsheet with these columns: section ID, claim, source type, full citation, page or time stamp, URL or DOI, verification status, notes, permission status if relevant.
• Pick a citation manager, set up collections by chapter, and add PDFs with highlights. Tag each note with the page where the claim appears.
• Flag high-risk content for extra review. Legal claims, health advice, financial guidance, technical steps that affect safety.
• Schedule a final pass after typesetting to recheck page-numbered references, figure numbers, and cross-references.

How to keep fiction continuity tight

Start a continuity bible on day one, not draft ten.

Include:

• Names, nicknames, pronunciation, and quick descriptors.
• Ages, birthdays, family ties, and backstory flags.
• Locations with maps, distances, travel times, and sensory notes.
• Timeline with dates, weekdays, and scene summaries.
• In-world rules, limits, costs, and exceptions.
• Style choices for dialect, honorifics, invented terms, and capitalization.

Quick exercise for either genre:

• Pick one chapter. Circle every number, proper noun, foreign word, and date. Verify all four categories. Expect at least one surprise.
• Read all dialogue tags in that chapter. Fix punctuation, capitalization, and spacing. Keep tags simple unless voice demands otherwise.

Copyediting is housekeeping and triage. You keep readers safe from confusion and the author safe from their own blind spots. Do the unglamorous checks with care. The work is quiet, and the results stand up.

Layout, Back Matter, and Final Proofs

Design is not decoration at the end. Design is how readers move through the book. Once pages exist, editing shifts from idea-level to navigation-level. Your job is to make the map legible.

Non-fiction: design meets editing

Headings run the show. Map the hierarchy before proofs go anywhere.

• Pull a list of all heads. Level 1, Level 2, Level 3. Check nesting, parallel structure, and sentence vs headline style.
• Keep labels consistent. If one chapter uses “Step 1,” the rest use “Step 2,” “Step 3,” not “Phase B.”

Table of contents must reflect reality.

• Compare each entry to the actual head on the page. Page numbers, capitalization, accents, punctuation.
• After a page reflow, recheck. One changed paragraph often breaks a half dozen page numbers.

Cross-references behave like wiring in a wall. One loose connection, the light switch fails.

• Search for every “see page” and “see chapter.” Confirm target heads and page numbers.
• Keep figure and table numbers in order. No skips, no duplicates. Update callouts in text, captions, and lists of figures or tables.

Tables and figures carry weight. Give them editorial care.

• Check captions for accuracy and clarity. Units, time frames, sources, legend keys.
• Scan alignment and wrap. No stranded heads, no orphaned footnotes.
• Sidebars and callouts need purpose. Label them consistently. Keep typography one notch off body text to signal they are aside, not main flow.

Back matter is part of the promise.

• Index. Hire an indexer after final pages are stable. Approve the style and key terms list before full indexing. After delivery, spot-check letter groups and cross-references.
• Glossary. Ensure terms match usage in the text. No ghost entries, no missing workhorse terms.
• Appendices. Number and title them with the same system used in the book. Cross-references point to A, B, C, not “the appendix.”
• Notes and bibliography. Audit formatting against the chosen style guide. Pick ten random entries and trace each to the source. Fix before everything locks.

Ebooks add small traps.

• Test internal links in the table of contents, cross-references, endnotes, and lists of figures.
• Confirm image alt text, figure order, and reading order in tables.
• Strip line breaks that break bullets or numbered steps.

Fiction: light layout, strict polish

Fiction pages look simple. The work hides in the spaces.

Typography sets the mood. Choose a body face that matches tone and reads cleanly across print and screens. Check line spacing, indents, and rag quality. Running heads and folios match the series style if there is one.

Chapter openers need discipline.

• Decide on numerals or words for chapter numbers. Stick with the choice. One or 1, not both.
• If you use epigraphs, standardize attribution style and placement. Keep the same distance from the opener, same size, same italics policy.

Scene breaks deserve consistency.

• Pick a glyph or a white-space rule. Use it every time. Confirm it survives ebook conversion and does not float to the top or sink to the bottom.

Watch for widows and orphans. Tighten or loosen tracking sparingly to fix them. Avoid single-word lines at the end of paragraphs, especially in dialogue.

Maps or illustrations introduce spatial logic. Check labels, scale bars, and spelling against the text. The map must support the scenes, not fight them.

Series branding is an editorial issue as much as a design one.

• Fonts, running head style, chapter number style, and ornament treatment repeat across books.
• Keep a series style sheet with examples from previous titles. Designers change. The style sheet keeps the look steady.

Proofreading scope: what to hunt

Non-fiction proofs carry systems within systems.

• Numbering. Chapters, sections, figures, tables, equations, notes. No broken sequences, no resets without reason.
• References. Endnote markers match the notes. Notes reference the correct sources. Bibliography entries match citations in the text.
• Lists. Parallel grammar, consistent punctuation, and correct continuation lines after page breaks.
• Links. In EPUB or PDF, test every internal and external link. Fix broken redirects and missing anchors.

Fiction proofs lean toward the micro.

• Dialogue punctuation, consistent quotation marks, and clean attribution.
• Hyphenation choices match the dictionary and the style sheet. No mixed forms across chapters.
• Ellipses and dashes follow one house style. Spacing stays consistent.
• Spacing around scene breaks, chapter openers, and after italics returns to normal.

Both formats need a slow, eyes-on pass. Read on paper or a tablet with annotation tools. Change only what you can defend. Fixes ripple.

Tools and tracking

Non-fiction benefits from simple tracking tools.

• An index schedule. Start after first page proofs, deliver before second pass, review after final corrections.
• A permissions log for images, figures, long quotes, song lyrics. Record request dates, grant letters, credit lines, and restrictions.
• A figure and table log. Number, title, source, file name, credit, and page range.

Fiction stays sane with a series-wide style sheet.

• Voice decisions, invented terms, capitalization, numerals, hyphenation.
• Design notes for chapter numbers, ornaments, running heads, and scene-break treatment.
• A short checklist for each new book in the series, so the template does not drift.

Quick audits that save hours

• Print a thumbnails view of the PDF. Scan heading sizes and spacing for jumps.
• Search for “see page” and “see chapter.” Fix any loose reference in one sweep.
• On ebook files, step through every link. Use a checklist and mark each as pass or fix.
• Read chapter openers aloud. You will hear spacing and alignment problems you miss on screen.

Plan the workflow and staff it

Set the order early and stick to it.

• Developmental edit
• Line edit
• Copyedit
• Typesetting
• Proofreading on page proofs
• Verification pass for references, figures, tables, and links
• Final quality check for both print and ebook

Book the right help at the right time. Indexer after first pages. Sensitivity reader once the manuscript is stable. Subject expert for technical chapters before you lock pages. Budget one last QA pass after all fixes, because one small change often breeds three new errors.

Keep the chain clean. Design serves reading. Editing protects both.

Frequently Asked Questions

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