Final Editing
Everyone has their own process for writing a novel. This is mine, based on research, on advice from authors, agents, editors, and designers, and on experimentation and experience. Much of it applies (often on a smaller scale) to producing and publishing short stories, poetry, magazine articles, and non-fiction books.
This blog builds on the previous five, and (at last!) covers interacting with editors. The editor is your manuscript's BFF, second only to you. No, really. [Take II]
There are two primary types of editors—copy editors (CE) and developmental editors[1] (DE). Developmental editing starts during or after the first draft; it looks at structure and content, voice and tone, target audience focus and appeal, and other big picture issues. Copy editing is "the process of reviewing and correcting written material to improve accuracy, readability, and fitness for its purpose, and to ensure that it is free of error, omission, inconsistency, and repetition." (Wikipedia)
If you are self-publishing, you'll have to decide whether to engage a developmental editor. If you go the traditional publishing route, any reputable large firm will assign you one on their schedule. For factual books, the DE is usually involved early, possibly before the first draft is started. For indie fiction, you can bring a DE in before the first draft, if you get stuck, after the first draft, or after you have rewritten a few times. My wife acts as both developmental editor and early copy editor. I also have several trusted confidants who help with developmental issues. But I've also read widely and have a good feel for what makes a good story; these are crucial!
You involve the copy editor once you have otherwise finished rewriting and editing. If you involve them too early, much time is wasted because you're changing things out from under them, anyway. Copy editors are very detail-oriented; they'll look closely at grammar, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure. They'll fact check things you and your FCARA (part 5) never thought to. They'll point out the words you over-use, inconsistent dialog, phrasing problems, pronoun problems, style manual violations, and readability issues. They'll suggest alternate words and phrases. They will question the need for specific sentences and paragraphs. And more. Especially on your first book or two, expect a lot of red marks on your paper manuscript, or change bars and notes in your electronic copy.
Working with a CE is a two-way street. You have to trust them to know their job, and take their suggestions seriously. But the CE needs to understand your genre, your target audience, and your voice. The copy editing process is give and take. Ultimately it's your work, and you have to decide which suggestions to take, but make sure you understand why you accept and reject each one. Feel free to ask questions. Whenever I push back, I make sure I explain why. Expect to go through several rounds of copy edits unless you simply take all the CE's suggestions the first time. (I can't imagine doing that but I have to assume it occasionally happens.) Each round should be quicker than the round before.
As with early reader feedback, you may want to look through the CE's suggested edits, then wait a few days before addressing them. This gives you some distance from the initial shock of seeing your beloved offspring bathed in blood-red ink. It's especially disheartening when you feel like you have already edited it to perfection. But even if you know all the things to look for, you're likely to overlook things in your own work, especially if you've gone through it several times in the previous month. You're just too close to it. And of course you don't know everything to look for (unless you are a world class copy editor like Benjamin Dreyer or Sally Hanan).
Some copy editors charge by page count or word count, others by the hour. The latter generally makes more sense, as some manuscripts take much longer to edit than others of equivalent length.
Once the copy editing is done, the manuscript is finished, and it's time to format and proof. That's for another day!
I should point out that I am the sole editor for these blogs, and I'm usually doing them the night before they go live, so please don't blame anyone else for problems in them. Feel free to point such errors out to me!
NOTES [1] Or as Benjamin Dreyer, VP Executive Managing Editor & Copy Chief for Random House Books, calls them, "editor editors (EE, not to be confused with the electrical engineer type of EE)
Click here for previous "Writing Process" posts. Image: Rube Goldberg device, public domain. Copyright 2019 Miles O'Neal, Round Rock, TX. All rights reserved.