Substantive Editing

Gary Smailes | 1 November 2025

Where Structure-Level Editing Fits in the Editing Spectrum

Structural, or substantive, editing looks at the big pieces of your book. Story or argument. Organization. Pacing. Reader experience. The goal is a clear throughline from first page to last, with every part earning its place.

How it relates to other stages

Think of a ladder of support.

• Manuscript assessment sits at the top of the funnel. You receive diagnosis only. An overview of strengths and gaps, plus priorities. No page-by-page edits.
• Structural or substantive editing comes next. You receive a detailed editorial letter, margin notes, and a plan to move, add, or cut sections. The shape of the book shifts here.
• Line editing follows once structure holds. Now the prose gets tuned. Rhythm, imagery, dialogue cadence, and clarity.
• Copyediting and proofreading close the loop. Grammar, punctuation, spelling, continuity, and typos on pages.

Mixing these blurs results and burns time. Freeze structure before line work. Lock wording before proofs.

About the terminology

Editors use labels in different ways. Some treat developmental and substantive as the same thing. Others split them. Developmental sets strategy, goals, and a model table of contents. Substantive goes inside the draft and moves chapters or scenes.

There is no universal dictionary for this. Ask for definitions in writing. Scope, deliverables, number of passes, and what rolls forward to line editing.

What gets addressed in fiction

A structural pass targets how the story unfolds.

• Plot logic. Cause and effect align across scenes.
• Character arcs. Desire, wound, and change land on the page.
• Point of view. Consistent lens, no head hopping.
• Scene order. Events stack in a way that builds tension.
• Subplots. Braided with purpose, not floating.

Quick example

• Your midpoint sags. The lead reacts for three chapters. The edit proposes a stronger turn in Chapter 14, folds 15 into 16, and moves a reveal from 20 to 18 to keep pressure on.
• Your dual POV blurs. Notes flag where internal thought belongs to the wrong narrator. Fixes pull focus back to the scene owner.

What gets addressed in nonfiction

A structural pass targets how ideas build.

• Thesis clarity. One promise, easy to quote.
• Chapter flow. Each chapter answers a specific question and sets up the next.
• Headings hierarchy. Clean H1 to H3 progression, no orphan subheads.
• Evidence. Examples, data, and cases match claims.
• Signposting. Roadmap sentences guide readers through steps.

Quick example

• Your Chapter 3 repeats a concept from 1 with new anecdotes. The edit merges sections, then moves a case study to Chapter 5 where it proves a later claim.
• Headings jump from general to hyper specific, then back. The edit rewrites headings to a parallel shape and adds a summary box at each chapter end.

A fast anchor before you begin

Give the edit a target.

1. Write a one-sentence promise or logline.
   • Fiction template: When [protagonist] faces [trigger], they must [goal] before [stakes], or [consequence].
   • Example: A disgraced chef returns to her coastal hometown to win the festival title and save the family restaurant before a rival buys the lease.
   • Nonfiction template: A [who] guide to [outcome] in [time or scope] through [key method].
   • Example: A manager’s guide to running effective 1:1s and team meetings in 90 days through simple scripts and weekly rituals.
2. List three to five comp titles.
   • Choose books with similar audience and scope, recent if possible.
   • Note what you admire and what falls short. Pacing, structure, voice, level of detail.
   • Use those notes to set boundaries for length, depth, and tone.

With a clear promise and comps in hand, structural editing moves from vague advice to targeted revision. The work gets leaner. Decisions get easier.

What This Edit Includes (and What It Doesn’t)

Structural work gives you two things. Clarity on what the book wants to be. A plan to get it there. Here is what that looks like in practice.

Core deliverables you should expect

• Editorial letter. A focused memo that names the promise of the book, the current shape, what works, what drifts, and a ranked list of changes. Think 5 to 12 pages. It often includes a proposed table of contents or scene order.
• Inline comments and queries. Track Changes notes where the reader’s experience falters. Places to cut. Lines that need set-up. Questions that force choices. Sample comment: “We meet Maya angry here, yet her goal in the last scene was acceptance. Which one drives this chapter?”
• A map. Either a reverse outline or a scene list. For fiction, scene number, POV, location, time, purpose, and outcome. For nonfiction, section headers, key claim, support, and takeaway. This keeps the plan visible.
• Specific recommendations to add, cut, or move content. Expect page numbers or scene IDs. The note will say why, not only where.
• A preliminary style sheet. Names, places, capitalization choices, hyphenation, numerals, and preferred terms. This starts consistency now, then carries through line and copyediting.

A quick style sheet sample

• Spelling: US, Merriam-Webster
• Numbers: one to nine spelled out, 10+ numerals
• Terms: email, health care, start-up
• Characters: “Khalid” not “Khaled”, “Maya De Leon” on first mention, “Maya” after
• Timeline markers: “Week 1”, “Week 2”, not “Week One”

Hands-on restructuring you will see

• Merge or split chapters. Two thin chapters on the same beat become one stronger chapter. Or one bloated chapter breaks into three steps that can carry their own weight.
• Reorder scenes or sections. Set-ups before payoffs. Questions before answers. The map will show the new sequence.
• Stronger openings and endings. You get a few sample lines to show the move. Example: “End with a choice, not a summary. Try: ‘She pockets the spare key and walks toward the lighted porch.’”
• Cleaner transitions. Bridge sentences that pull the reader across a gap. Example: “You have them in the lab, then they are suddenly at lunch. Add a beat that shows the decision to leave or the time jump.”
• Gap and redundancy flags. “We never learn why the clinic closes.” “This anecdote repeats the dog story from p. 46.” Off-topic detours get a clear X and a short reason.

Quick exercise

• Take your longest chapter. Write one sentence that states its job. If the chapter does more than that job, mark the extra parts for a move or a cut.

Fiction specifics

• Stakes and motivation. Every scene has a goal, pressure, and cost. Notes will ask, “What changes if they fail here?” If the answer is nothing, expect a cut or a merge.
• Point of view. One clear lens per scene. Head hopping gets tagged with “POV leak” and a fix. Example: “We cannot know Jonah’s thought if we sit in Maya’s head. Replace with an observable cue.”
• Subplots. Braids that touch the main plot at planned points. If a thread vanishes for 80 pages, the map will show where to reweave it or where to drop it.
• Escalation. Scenes climb a ladder. Same fight, bigger stakes, fewer exits. Saggy midpoints get a turn that forces a new tactic.
• Timeline continuity. Calendars, holidays, travel time, ages, and pregnancies. If the road trip takes three hours in Chapter 2 and one hour in Chapter 18, you will get a fix.

Scene note example

• “Goal stated as ‘survive the dinner.’ Make it concrete. What will count as success? Leave without a job offer? Keep the breakup secret? Pick one and align beats.”

Nonfiction specifics

• Thesis and reader takeaway. One promise you can quote. Every chapter should point back to it. If Chapter 4 strays, you will get a rewrite of the chapter question.
• Table of contents shape. Each chapter earns a slot by answering a distinct question. You will see a proposed reordering and new titles that match a pattern.
• Heading standards. Parallel form and clear nesting. From “Why Meetings Fail” to “Why Workshops Fail” to “Why Offsites Fail,” not a mix of verbs and nouns.
• Argument logic. Claims before evidence, or evidence before claim, by design. Weak links get a note: “Jump from Problem to Tool. Add proof or a counterexample.”
• Alignment of examples and extras. Case studies, figures, and sidebars land where they prove the point. Strays move or go.

Heading tune-up example

• Before: “What Meetings Need,” “Designing 1:1s,” “Why Retrospectives Fail”
• After: “Design Better Meetings,” “Design Better 1:1s,” “Design Better Retrospectives”

Signposting line example

• “By the end of this chapter you will be able to run a 30-minute retrospective using three questions and a shared timer.”

What this edit does not include

• Copyediting for grammar and usage. You will still see a few sample line fixes to show intent, not a full pass.
• Full-scale ghostwriting. You receive models and revisions at the paragraph level where needed. You still write your book.
• Permissions and fact-checking. You will get flags where claims need sources, quotes need clearance, or numbers need verification.
• Design and typesetting. No page layout, fonts, or figure placement. Those choices happen after line and copyediting.

If you need any of the above, you can ask for adjacent services. Many editors refer trusted pros.

Lock scope and boundaries in your agreement

Protect your budget and your schedule. Put the scope in writing.

• Deliverables. Editorial letter, annotated manuscript, and a map. Style sheet started. One live call to walk the plan.
• Number of passes. One full structural pass and one light check of revisions, or two full passes. Name it.
• Sample rewrites. How many, and what length. For example, two pages per chapter as models for line work.
• What moves to later stages. Line polish, copyediting, and proofing. Name who will handle them and when.
• Timeline. Start date, milestones, and response windows for your replies.
• Change policy. What counts as out of scope. How fees adjust if you deliver major new content.

Email template you can paste

• “I’m seeking a substantive edit on a 75,000-word novel. Please confirm deliverables: editorial letter, annotated manuscript with Track Changes, and a scene map. One full pass plus a check of my revisions. Include up to three sample paragraph rewrites per chapter. Exclude copyediting. Proposed start date 15 March, four-week turnaround. One hour call on delivery. Please quote a project fee and outline the change policy.”

When you and your editor agree on what the work includes, the process turns calm. Notes land clean. Revisions move faster. You keep your voice, and the book gains a spine.

A Practical Workflow From Draft to Restructure

Structural editing works best on a clear track. Here is the track, step by step, with the potholes marked.

Intake and diagnosis

Start with a short call. Thirty minutes is plenty. Name the audience, the promise of the book, and the outcome you want. If you write fiction, give the genre and comps. If you write nonfiction, give the thesis and the takeaway.

What I ask on that call

• What promise do you want on the back cover in one sentence
• Who is the primary reader, and what problem or desire drives them to this book
• Where did drafting stall or feel smooth
• What feedback have you received so far
• What scares you most about revising

Next step, a sample edit or a manuscript assessment. A sample edit shows you how my comments read on 10 to 20 pages. A manuscript assessment is diagnosis across the full draft with no line edits. Both lead to a proposal. The proposal spells out level of edit, timeline, fee, and deadlines.

What you send

• The full draft in Word
• A one-page synopsis or thesis statement
• A chapter list or scene list
• Any red lines, for example, “Do not change the narrator’s tense”

What you receive

• A short memo naming the level of edit
• A schedule with milestones
• A quote tied to scope, not vibes

Red flags to avoid

• Vague promises about “polish” without a plan for structure
• Quotes based on page count with no sample work
• No mention of Track Changes or an editorial letter

Mapping and planning

Before moving a single scene, build a map. Reverse outline the draft. For fiction, list every scene with POV, location, time, purpose, and outcome. For nonfiction, list every section with header, key claim, evidence, and reader takeaway. The goal is x-ray vision. Where the story or argument bends, the map shows it.

Mini example, fiction scene line

• Ch 6, Scene 2, Maya, apartment, Friday night, purpose: confront roommate, outcome: discovers the hidden letter

Mini example, nonfiction section line

• 2.3 “Define Scope”, claim: narrow beats vague for speed, evidence: study + case, takeaway: write a one-sentence brief before kickoff

Once the map exists, look for gaps and loops.

• Gaps. Missing set-ups. Missing payoffs. Missing steps between cause and effect.
• Loops. Scenes or sections that repeat the same beat or claim.
• Drifts. Side trips that break the throughline.

Propose a restructure plan with priorities. Use three buckets.

• Must do. Changes that protect logic and reader trust.
• Should do. Changes that sharpen pace and clarity.
• Nice to do. Changes that add texture once the spine holds.

Quick exercise

• Write your one-sentence promise on a sticky note. Tape it above your screen. Every time a scene or section fails to serve that sentence, mark it for a move or a cut.

Editorial pass

Now the editor goes through the manuscript with Track Changes and comments. Expect a mix of margin questions, move requests, and short sample lines to model transitions or hooks. Think of it as a guided rebuild, not a lecture.

What the comments look like

• “We leave Chapter 3 with the lab fire, then start Chapter 4 at lunch. Add a beat to show time passing or a decision to leave.”
• “Stakes flat. If she fails here, what new problem lands on her desk”
• “POV note. We sit in Jonah’s head, so swap ‘she feels’ for an observable cue.”
• “Claim without proof. Add a source or a counterexample.”

Small model lines often help you feel the fix.

Before

• “The meeting was over, and they felt better.”

After

• “The meeting breaks at 10:28. No action items. No owner. Nobody looks up.”

Worldbuilding and research flags appear too.

• “Currency named ‘credits’, yet city runs on barter in Ch 2. Align economy.”
• “Stat on remote work adoption has no date. Source and year needed.”

You review, ask questions in the margins, and accept or decline changes. Use the comment thread to explain intent when you keep a line.

Author revision cycle

Tackle macro changes first. Move scenes. Merge chapters. Cut loops. Write missing beats. Keep your hands off the sentence rhythm until the structure holds. Line edits before structure freezes burn time and budget.

A simple order of operations

• Fix logic gaps and missing stakes
• Confirm POV and scene order
• Add or cut sections to match the throughline
• Patch transitions
• Freeze structure
• Only then, tweak lines

Triage helps when the notes feel tall. Use a stoplight system.

• Green. Two-minute fixes. Accept now. Move on.
• Yellow. Ten to thirty minutes. Schedule a block.
• Red. New scene or section. Park these in a queue and group by chapter.

After you revise, send the draft back for a check or a second macro pass, as agreed. Keep a list of your decisions by page number, so questions do not repeat.

What to say in your return note

• “Accepted all move requests in Ch 1 to 5.”
• “Declined the cut of Scene 12, kept for foreshadow. See new line on p. 114.”
• “Added a new transition in Ch 8 per your model.”

Tools and logistics

Work in Word with Track Changes and comments. Use Simple Markup for focus, then switch to All Markup before delivery so nothing hides. Avoid Google Docs for long manuscripts. Version control gets sloppy there under heavy change.

File hygiene saves hours.

• One master file. No splitting by chapter unless agreed.
• Clear filenames. ProjectTitle_V3_2025-03-15.docx
• A change log. One page that lists major edits by date.

Sample change log entry

• 2025-03-15 V3. Merged Ch 4 and 5. Cut “garden anecdote.” New Scene 7 in museum. TOC updated.

Store files in a shared, backed-up folder. Dropbox, OneDrive, or similar. PDFs belong at page-proof stage only, when typesetting starts. Before that, you need editable text.

Comment settings that help

• Show balloons for comments only
• Show formatting changes as hidden
• Record deletions as strikethrough, insertions as underline

Build a milestone calendar

Deadlines feel kinder when they breathe. Add buffers for your revision time and for thoughtful replies.

Sample calendar for a 75,000-word manuscript

• Week 1. Intake call on Tuesday. Contract signed by Friday.
• Week 2 to 3. Mapping and editorial pass.
• Week 4. Delivery of editorial letter, map, and annotated manuscript. One live call on Thursday to walk the plan.
• Week 5 to 7. Author revision window. Buffer two extra days for stuck chapters.
• Week 8. Editor check of revisions. Short memo with any loose threads.
• Week 9. Structure freeze. Book line edit start date.

Agree on a consolidation window for your replies. For example, hold all responses for three days, then send one email or one comment batch. This reduces ping-pong and keeps momentum.

Message to send your editor

• “I will reply to your queries on Monday and Thursday only. I will group decisions by chapter and page number. If a note needs a call, I will mark it ‘call’ in the margin.”

Follow the track. Keep the map in view. Protect the freeze point. You end up with a draft that carries weight, and a schedule that respects your life.

Techniques Editors Use at the Macro Level

You do not need mystique here. You need clear tests and a few honest tools. Use these to see the book the way a reader will.

Fiction heuristics that stress test structure

• Scene and sequel balance. Action needs aftermath. After a high-intensity scene, give the character space to react, process, and choose the next aim. If every scene fires and none breathe, readers tire. If every scene reflects and none push, momentum dies.

  Quick check: label each scene A for action or R for reflection. Long strings of A or R signal trouble.

• Goal, conflict, outcome. Each scene starts with a want, meets resistance, and ends with a change. If a scene returns to the same state, it stalls.

  Mini example:

  Before: “Dana visits her brother. They talk about the past.”

  After: “Dana goes to borrow bail money. He refuses, then reveals the missing funds were hers.”

• Stakes ladder. Raise cost as the story moves. The risk in chapter two should feel smaller than the risk at midpoint, smaller again than the final choice.

  Exercise: list what your protagonist stands to lose at five points, opening through climax. If the list reads lateral, build a step up.

• Midpoint shift. Around the middle, something turns. New information, a reversal, a decision that changes the game. Name it. If you cannot, the second act sags.

• Climax payoff. The ending must answer the promise and cash the check you wrote early. Plant setups. Pay them off. If a twist appears with no roots, readers feel cheated.

• Continuity across timelines, POVs, and subplots. Create a grid. Columns for chapter, date or elapsed time, POV holder, location, and a line for what changes. Gaps and overlaps show at once. If a clue reaches the villain before the reader sees the setup, fix order. If three POVs cover the same event without new insight, compress.

Frameworks that keep you honest

Use frameworks like a yardstick, not a cage.

• Save the Cat! or Story Grid for beat placement and pacing. Map your beats against a one-page chart. If your break into Act 2 lands on page 180 of a 240-page book, you are slow. If the All Is Lost beat comes before the midpoint, you emptied the tank early.
• Hero’s Journey or Romancing the Beat for genre signals. Readers expect certain turns. You decide which to honor, which to subvert, and where to warn them.
• For nonfiction, MECE structure. Mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive. Each chapter covers a distinct bucket. All buckets together answer the thesis. If Chapter 4 repeats Chapter 2, merge or reframe.
• Question-led chapters. Open with a question the reader brings to the page. Close with a clear answer and next step. This keeps scope tight and reduces tangents.
• Layered headings. H1 for the big move, H2 for steps, H3 for details. Read the headings only. If the outline alone makes sense, you are close. If it reads like a list of slogans, revise.

Two-pass test: first, check your draft against a framework. Second, check where the book resists. Do not force a shape that harms your voice. Adjust with intent.

Reader guidance built into structure

• Hooks. The first line of a chapter earns the next paragraph. Lead with movement or a question with consequence.

  Before: “Chapter 7 covers workflow.”

  After: “Your team loses a day each week to rework. Here is where it leaks.”

• Transitions. Name the shift. Time jump, POV change, logic step. A half line can save pages of confusion.

  Example: “Two days later, Lena finally reads the report.” Or, “Now that we have a cost baseline, we can talk trade-offs.”

• Signposting. Tell readers what you are about to do, then do it. Works well in nonfiction.

  Example: “We will compare three onboarding models, pick one, then outline the first 30 days.”

• Cut throat-clearing. Openings that warm up the writer rarely warm the reader. Delete the paragraph that starts with “Before I begin” or “A quick note,” then see if clarity improves.

• Place backstory and exposition where it helps choice. Reveal history at the moment the information changes action, not the moment you thought of it.

Make claims tangible

Abstractions feel safe. They do not move readers.

• Fiction. Replace summary feelings with observable cues that alter the scene.

  Before: “He was furious with her.”

  After: “He sets the coffee on the sill. Does not sit. ‘You texted my boss.’ The door stays open.”

  Link description to plot. Anger that leads to a broken cup is noise. Anger that leads to a broken promise is story.

• Nonfiction. Pair every claim with a proof and a showing example.

  Claim: “Shorter meetings raise output.”

  Evidence: “A 2022 Meta study found teams that capped meetings at 25 minutes shipped 14 percent more features in a quarter.”

  Example: “At Acme, we cut standups to 12 minutes and moved status to Slack. Bug backlog dropped by 18 percent in six weeks.”

  Use citations or footnotes. If a number matters to your argument, give the source.

Inclusivity and accuracy

You write for many readers, not a mirror.

• Language checks. Default descriptors like “normal,” “exotic,” or “crazy” carry weight. Swap for specific, neutral terms. Spell out acronyms on first use. Add pronunciation once for uncommon names if it helps voice.
• Context and access. Explain systems, units, and currency the first time they appear. Add a note for region-specific slang. For figures, write alt text during structural work. It keeps meaning clear later.
• Representation. Ask who is centered, who acts, who gets interiority. If one group absorbs harm to motivate another, interrogate that choice.
• Sensitivity reads and fact-checking. If your book engages with identity, trauma, culture, or history, budget for a reader with lived or professional expertise. If your claims affect health, safety, or money, budget for a checker. Better to adjust now than correct in reviews.

Try this now: reverse outline and card sort

Step 1. Reverse outline.

• Print or open your draft.
• Write a one-line summary for each scene or section. Include who acts, what changes, and why it matters.
• For nonfiction, add the claim and the specific proof.

Step 2. Tag each line.

• Fiction tags: A or R, POV, timeline, stakes level 1 to 5.
• Nonfiction tags: claim type, evidence type, reader takeaway.

Step 3. Card sort.

• Put each line on an index card or a digital card.
• Lay them out in order.
• Group by arc or argument step.
• Move cards until the throughline reads clean from start to finish.

Cut rules during sort.

• Anything with no change, cut or fold into another card.
• Anything that repeats a beat or claim, merge.
• Anything your promise does not need, park in a “deleted but safe” file.

Final step. Rebuild the table of contents and scene order from the card stack. Update your map. Note any gaps the sort revealed, then write to fill only those.

Do this once, and the haze lifts. You see where the book sings, where it stumbles, and what to fix first. That is macro work doing its job.

Preparing and Collaborating for a Structural Edit

Good work here saves weeks later. Bring order to the process before pages start flying. You set the tone, the pace, and the boundaries.

Build a submission package editors love

Start tidy.

• File: Word .docx. Double spaced. 12-point serif. One-inch margins. Page numbers in the header. No wacky styles. Plain text for headings works for now.
• Filename: LastName_Title_v1.docx. Version numbers matter once comments begin.

Add a one-page overview.

• Fiction: a tight synopsis, one page max. Include protagonist, central desire, main obstacle, turning point around the middle, and the outcome. One paragraph per act works well.
• Nonfiction: a thesis statement, one paragraph. Then three to five bullet points covering audience, problem, promised outcome, and scope limits.

Map the content.

• Chapter or scene list. One line per unit. Include POV, location, and what changes by the end. For nonfiction, add the primary claim for each section.
• Timeline for fiction. A simple table with date or elapsed time for each scene prevents knotty contradictions later.
• Character bible for fiction. Names, roles, relationships, and quirks that feed plot choices. Readers remember patterns. Keep them straight.

Show where the book sits in the market.

• Three to five comps. Title, year, and a short note on overlap and distance. Example: “The Martian, for survival problem-solving, but with a family arc and no hard science.” Be honest. Comps frame reader expectations and scope.

Set a decision log and a living style sheet

A shared rulebook keeps everyone sane.

Decision log, one page:

• Region: US or UK spelling.
• Dictionary: Merriam-Webster or Oxford.
• House style: CMOS or another guide.
• Numbers: words to ten, numerals from 11, or a different rule if field norms differ.
• Dates, times, units, currency: preferred formats.
• Hyphenation preferences for repeat terms.
• Capitalization for key terms and headings.

Style sheet, working document:

• Names and places with preferred spellings.
• Recurring terms, abbreviations, and first-mention expansions.
• Voice notes. Formal, plain, or conversational. Jargon level. Humor limits.
• Formatting choices for lists, quotes, captions, and callouts.
• For nonfiction, citation style and source tiers. Primary, secondary, tertiary.

Share both before editing starts. Revisit during the pass when new patterns appear.

Agree on communication and voice

Fewer surprises, better pages.

Set a voice brief.

• Audience. Who reads this book. What they know already. What they want by the end.
• Register. Street-level plain, boardroom neutral, or lyrical. Pick one lane.
• Red lines. Off-limits topics, terms to avoid, jokes to skip, or themes that need care.

Ask for a sample rewrite.

• One page is enough. One paragraph from a high-stakes scene for fiction. One argument-heavy paragraph for nonfiction. Does the edit lift intent without flattening voice. If yes, proceed. If not, adjust the brief and try again.

Use Track Changes like grown-ups.

• Queries ask questions or explain intent. Comments propose moves. Changes show examples, not wholesale rewrites across pages.
• Reply in batches. Choose a weekly or twice-monthly window. Fewer threads, clearer thinking.
• Use “stet” when you want to keep a line. Add a note: “stet for rhythm” or “stet for legal nuance.”

Set budget and timeline without drama

Money first, then pages. Clear scope reduces headaches.

Scope checklist:

• Deliverables. Editorial letter length, annotated manuscript, and a map or reverse outline.
• Number of passes. One macro pass, or a second check after revisions.
• Sample rewrites. Allowed or not, and how many lines.
• Meetings. Count and length. Discovery, midpoint check-in, debrief.

Pricing models:

• Per word for a stable draft with known length.
• Project fee for complex work with planning time built in.

Payment terms worth stating in writing:

• Deposit on booking, often 30 to 50 percent.
• Milestone on delivery of the editorial letter.
• Balance on handover of the annotated file.
• Rush fee rules, revision window, and a kill fee if the project pauses long-term.

Build a calendar:

• Week 0: handoff of package and brief.
• Week 1 to 3: editor pass, no surprise new chapters during this window.
• Week 4: editorial letter and marked file arrive.
• Week 5 to 8: author revision window, macro changes first.
• Week 9: optional second macro check.

Lock structure before line work. Moving a chapter after line edits wastes money.

Plan the stages after the macro pass

Order matters.

• Line editing follows once structure holds. Focus on rhythm, voice, and clarity at the sentence level.
• Copyediting next. Grammar, usage, consistency, and references.
• Typesetting and page proofs. Layout, widows and orphans, figure placement, and line breaks.
• Proofreading last. A cold eye on final pages only.

Early readers add value between macro and line stages.

• Beta readers to test clarity and engagement.
• Sensitivity readers for identity, culture, trauma, or history.
• For nonfiction with research, a fact-check phase before typesetting.

Action steps to start today

• Request a 1 to 2 page sample edit. Send a page that worries you and a page you love. You want to see range.
• Ask for a written scope. Editorial letter length, an annotated manuscript, and a map or reverse outline. Dates, fees, and number of passes.
• Set response windows. For example, “Author replies weekly on Fridays.” Fewer touchpoints, fewer crossed wires.

Mini-checklist to send with your manuscript:

• One-page synopsis or thesis.
• Chapter or scene list with change notes.
• Timeline and character bible for fiction, or outline with claims and sources for nonfiction.
• Audience notes and comps.
• Decision log and style sheet.
• Your questions, top three. Invite the editor to focus where pain feels sharpest.

Do this groundwork, and the structural pass moves fast and clean. You protect voice, sharpen purpose, and leave less to luck.

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