What is the difference between developmental editing and copy editing?

Day 20 of 30 Bestselling Book Tips for Writing Your Life Story

There is a misconception among newbies that you write a book in a word document, add a cover and upload to Amazon.? I used to be that newbie. I actually wrote a manual in 2015, paid a graphic designer to make a cover and then proceeded to sell it online.? I didn’t even have anyone check for spelling and grammar errors.? Was the book good? It was OK.? Was it the best I could do at the time? Sure.? But a really good book, one that rivals the books you see on the shelves at a bookstore, has a team of people who have poured into it.

The first person you need is a developmental editor.? This person looks at how effectively your story conveys its message and ensures coherence and logical flow throughout the manuscript. They give you in-depth feedback on your first draft and may suggest significant revisions, including rewriting sections, adding or deleting content, and reordering chapters or scenes. I worked with a developmental editor for 3 months on my first book.

The second person you need is a copy editor.? This person checks for consistency in terminology, style, and formatting and corrects spelling, punctuation, grammar, and syntax errors. This process is started after the developmental edit is complete and usually takes an additional 1-2 months depending on the length of the manuscript and the amount back and forth that you do regarding the language changes.? This is also your last chance to find small errors before the book goes to print.

Then you need a designer to do internal formatting (what the interior pages look like) and external design (what the front and back cover look like).? There is actually a whole literary science about how to design the cover of a book – including the title – that influence whether or not people will buy your book.?? This is where your marketing team enters the picture, to give feedback and guidance about the ways to position your book in the market including the keywords to target so it can find your audience and climb the charts in Amazon or other platforms.

If this sounds like a lot, that’s because it is!?? Even though I have been doing this for a decade, I still learn new things all the time.? And technology keeps changing the game, too. With 4 million books being published each year, it makes sense to put your best foot forward if you’re thinking of publishing and invest in a team that can help you reach your goals. ?

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