If you’ve never worked with an editor before, all the choices may seem bewildering. There are so many services and options, and you may not know exactly what’s right for you. The first step is to consider where you are in the process and what your pain points are.

• If you think your book is basically done, you may need a manuscript evaluation to confirm that you’re good to go forward or advise you that you need further editing.
• If you’re struggling to organize a book, can’t quite make your structure work, or are simply stuck, you’d do best to get a developmental edit.
• If you’re confident your book is well organized and you’re happy with its structure but you need help making your writing more effective or more graceful, a line editor is the way to go.
• If your book is complete and has been edited, it’s ready for copyediting—a micro level review designed to catch inconsistencies and errors of grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
• And when your book has been designed and formatted, you’re ready for proofreading— the final chance to catch errors.

Many books will need manuscript evaluations and developmental edits; all books require copyediting and proofreading. Often, each type of edit is done by a different kind of editor. That’s because the skills involved are quite different. Developmental editing, for example, is more art than science; it’s rather like conducting an orchestra, ensuring that all parts of a book work together in harmony. Copyediting, in contrast, is rule-based and more an exercise in enforcement.

Not everyone agrees about the names of the various editing levels or the precise scope and definition of each, and there’s some overlap between developmental editing and manuscript evaluation, but the following represents the approach I take in my work and the terms I use to describe my services.

• A manuscript evaluation (also called an editorial assessment or manuscript critique) is a broad, big-picture assessment of the strengths and flaws of a completed manuscript. It addresses the book’s structure, pacing, narrative arc, craft, and more, and helps writers determine whether their manuscripts are ready to move on to an agent, editor, or publisher or if they require further editing and revision. It doesn’t involve manuscript mark-up and instead takes the form of a detailed editorial report that summarizes what’s working and what isn’t and suggests next steps.

• Developmental editing (sometimes known as structural editing or conceptual editing) is also a big-picture view, but it digs deeper into the coherence of the structure and looks at concept, plot, scenes, character development, pacing, writing craft, theme, and all of the elements of effective writing. Developmental editors can work with authors on ideas, partial manuscripts, or completed manuscripts. For writers struggling with putting the pieces of their books together, it’s best done early in the process. Although developmental editors may do a small amount of line editing or copyediting and may catch typos, those aren’t their responsibility. Neither is writing or rewriting. Developmental editors return a manuscript with numerous inline edits and/or margin comments along with a very detailed editorial letter summarizing the book’s strengths and weakness and offering specific actionable suggestions for revision and next steps.

• Line editing (or stylistic editing) drills down still further and is a sentence level review addressing the quality and style of sentences. It focuses on word choice, sentence structure, and flow of language. It’s for a manuscript that’s complete, well-organized, and effectively structured. Line editors tighten the writing, increase clarity, and ensure that the language communicates the author’s ideas in the most effective and compelling way.

• Copyediting may overlap with line editing, but it’s chiefly concerned with correcting problems related to grammar and punctuation and with making all elements conform to a particular style guideline.

• Proofreading is the last stage in the process, performed on a fully edited, copyedited, designed, formatted, and printed version of a book. The proofreader not only looks for typos and typesetting issues and sometimes fixes problems not caught in copyediting, but also corrects problems in headers, page numbering, and line breaks.

• Coaching is blend of editing, teaching, and mentorship that aims to help writers in whatever way necessary, whether that’s providing encouragement and accountability, brainstorming, or educating writers about craft, pitching strategies, and the publishing business and process. It’s a collaborative and iterative practice that’s done in person or virtually.