The Editing Journey: Polishing Your Manuscript to Perfection

Last week, we explored the decision between DIY and full-service publishing. Whether you choose to hire editors directly or work through a publishing company, understanding the editing process is crucial for your book’s success.

As both an authoress and a professional editrix (which, in case you don’t know, is the feminine form of editor), I have a unique perspective on this journey. Though I do more copy editing and proofreading than developmental editing for others, when it comes to my own work, I do it all before handing it off to another set of professional eyes.

Okay, now that the “full disclosure” has been issued, let me walk you through the different types of editing your manuscript might need.

Before getting into specifics, let’s start with a bird’s-eye view on the three types available.

Think of editing like polishing a precious stone. Each type of editing reveals another layer of your manuscript’s brilliance.

Your manuscript typically needs three types of editing:

Not every manuscript needs all three types, but skipping editing entirely? That’s a recipe for disaster.

(Please note that copy editing is also known as line editing. So if you’ve heard of one but not the other, now you know they’re the same.)

Let’s start with developmental editing, which comes first in the process and looks at your story's foundations:

As an editrix (if I were to do this type of editing for others), this is where I would help authors see the forest instead of just the trees.

What would I be looking for? Plot holes, inconsistent characterization, and places where the pacing drags.

As an authoress receiving developmental feedback, I’ve learned to separate myself from my work. That constructive criticism about my saggy middle chapter? It’s not about me — it’s all about the book.

Remember, editing is solely about making your book its best for one main reason: your readers’ enjoyment. So anything that makes that happen is worth it.

A good developmental edit is collaborative. Your editor should:

I’ve been blessed to find an editrix who not only does each type of editing but also completely understands my calling as a writer as well as my vision for my first romance-adventure series.

If you can find someone who shares your call, vision, and enjoyment as well as your exuberance, you know you’ve found a great match — hopefully one that will last your entire lives.

Once your story’s structure is solid, copy editing (remember, also known as line editing) is next in the lineup.

This is more my wheelhouse, where I help authors with:

Copy editing is where my editor brain gets truly technical. I check everything from ensuring character eye colors don’t change to making sure your timeline adds up correctly. Did your character claim to be 25 in chapter two but 28 in chapter fifteen? A copy editor will catch that.

Funny story. I wrote my first book in high school for my best friend, who was the first to encourage me to get it published. But she was also my first experience at copy editing when she told me, “You called this character John on page 173 and Mike on page 315.”

(Oops! 🤭 See why this type of editing is needed.)

Another story (more cautionary than humorous). Remember I mentioned that editing is all about your reader’s enjoyment and that it shows respect for their time and money? Well, I, as a reader, have experience in this.

There was a series (from an authoress with a famous name) that made me feel as if the authoress didn’t care about me or my time. (Not my money in this case since the books in question were library copies.)

But the series had a man in his sixties. In book one, he was six feet. In book two, he was six-one. In the next, he was six-three! And with each gaffe, I felt affronted. If you don’t care enough about your readers (and quite frankly, your own characters and story) to sweat the small stuff, why am I even wasting my time?

It’s a lesson in good editing and in good writing that I’ve carried with me into my own writing career. Because I never want to disrespect my story, characters, and especially my readers!

As an authoress, I’ve learned to appreciate how a good copy editor elevates my work without changing my voice. They don’t rewrite my sentences to sound like theirs — they make my sentences the best version of mine.

But for those moments when you name one character with two different names and are called on it? Just laugh it off. That’s part of the creative process. And it’s better to have a pro catch it now than a reader (who’ll inevitably spend too much time and energy trying to figure out who “Mike” is when he started out “John.”)

I have a confession to make: Proofreading is my jam (and I hate that saying!). But it’s true. I love proofreading. I do it even when not hired to. Remember I said I read books from the library? Well, a great many of those bear my proofreader’s corrections. (In pencil, I promise!)

I just can’t help myself. It’s a habit (or maybe an addiction). I get it from my mom, who was my editrix and proofer all through school.

Anyway, if you couldn’t tell, this is my favorite type of editing. It’s the final polish before publication and focuses on:

Proofreading is your last line of defense. As a professional proofreader, I’m looking for those sneaky errors that slipped through earlier rounds. The extra space after a period. The missing quotation mark. The paragraph that’s indented differently.

Even after multiple editing passes on my own works, a professional proofreader still finds issues. It’s virtually impossible to catch everything in your own writing — your brain knows what should be there and often fills in the gaps.

That’s why, even if you can’t afford developmental and copy editors, absolutely find money in your budget for proofreading. Seriously. Do a garage sale or clean behind cushions — whatever’s necessary to scrape up enough to hire a pro.

Because even if your book’s foundation’s shaky or you’ve called Harold Bob 200 pages apart, at least with proofreading done, your manuscript will look perfectly polished and professional.

And appearances do matter, even in literature.

A dear friend of mine reminded me of something when I was dealing with The Adventure in the Magical World, my first kids’ book.

I was grumbling about how much something cost (because, yes, it can be expensive), and she said, “No, no. It’s not a ‘cost,’ Allie. It’s an investment.”

And that’s what you need to tell yourself (constantly) when you’re spending your hard-earned dollars as an indie author.

It’s not a “cost.” It’s an investment — it may not pay off right away, but it will if you keep at it.

Editing is typically your largest publishing expense, but for good reason:

For a typical 80,000-word novel, you might spend:

However, these rates vary widely based on editor experience, genre specialization, and manuscript complexity.

And before you fall off your chair from a dead faint (those sorts of numbers can do that to the best of us), though it is important to hire quality, you might (and I stress that word emphatically) be able to find such work via Fiverr, Upwork, or even a Facebook group.

(Actually, Facebook is where I found two of the three editors I’ve worked with in my indie career. And they both provide quality work!)

So, take heart. Finding a good editor can be done. And there are places that provide connections without making you take out a second mortgage. Just remember to do your research, ask plenty of questions, and ask for a sample edit. These three things will help you weed out the bad from the good.

Proper editing takes time:

Add in your revision time between edits, and the full process might take 3-6 months.

(Now you see why it’s such an investment. Editors put in a lot of time and effort into your manuscript. While working on yours, they’re not taking in other work. Remember that when you start thinking about how much they’re charging. They have to make a living, too.)

As both an editrix and authoress, I can tell you: rushing this process rarely ends well. Build this time into your publishing schedule.

Now that you understand the types of editing, costs, and timelines, let’s talk about how to make this investment really work for you.

As I said, I’ve dealt with two very excellent editors, “Allison Grey” (in quotes because this isn’t her real name; think of it as her stage name) and Giovanni Jacobs. Both are outside the United States, but they both work within the standards of Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS), which I adhere to both professionally and personally.

Because I know how good these two are, I don’t hesitate to provide their names and email addresses (and yes, they gave me permission). You can reach Allison here, and you can reach Giovanni here.

Let them know how you got their names — mention this Books by Alicia post in the email or refer to me as Alicia Strickland — and they’ll work out the best deal they can for your manuscript.*

But please remember, for any editor, they often have clients lined up. So be sure to contact someone as soon as you can. And if you need help figuring out a good timeline for the entire pre-publishing process, check out my post “Building Your Publishing Team.”

What’s your biggest question about the editing process? Are you nervous about receiving feedback? Share your thoughts in the comments below!