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Developmental editing: This is sometimes also called 'concept-level editing' or 'substantive editing'. It gives the writer feedback and ideas on: the direction, aims, genre and theme of their story and suitability for their intended audience. For fiction, the edit will typically cover: character, plot development and inconsistencies; literary devices, dialogue, setting and chronology; narrative perspective, voice, tone and language. For non-fiction this editing would include structure, the handling of subjects, themes and chronology, and appropriate tone and diction. Traditionally, until this form of edit is completed, a work is considered to be in a planning or draft stage because it gives the author rigorous and constructive feedback on integral aspects of their work and may lead to significant alterations. (I can assist with alterations - see 'shadow-writing', below.) All works can benefit from professional developmental editing, even if the author has already redrafted themselves.

 

Line editing: This addresses linguistic or literary style and creative content at the sentence and paragraph level. It assesses the use of language, tone and atmosphere and whether the writing is clear, engaging and enjoyable to read. A line edit highlights issues such as repetition or cliché, run-on sentences, tonal shifts or digressions, inconsistencies, pacing and transitional problems. This type of editing can be especially useful for fiction or literary non-fiction such as biographies, autobiographies and memoirs.

 

Copy editing: The aim of copy-editing is to ensure that content is accurate, easy to follow, fit for purpose and free of factual errors or omissions. It corrects mistakes, ambiguities and anomalies, and flags up potential legal issues such as copyright (use of quotations, for instance) or libel risk.

 

Proofreading: This is the very final stage, when a completed draft is checked for typographical errors such as typing errors, extra/missing spaces or punctuation. People often use 'proofreading' to mean the more general correction of spelling, grammar (including punctuation) and syntax although these alterations really fall under copy-editing. Although a good editing process will pick up many of these  issues, proper proofreading is a stand-alone process; at least one thorough proofread should be allowed for after all editing is completed.  

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Shadow writing: This is also called 'ghost writing'. Sometimes when a book draft or concept needs a large amount of revision or additional material, a client will commission this work to be completed professionally instead of undertaking the work themselves. Shadow writing projects require a great deal of skill to understand the client's intentions and express their voice and can be very successful when done well. Depending on the nature of the agreement, the shadow writer may or may not be credited and may be remunerated by an up-front fee, a royalty agreement or a mix of both.