Editors are the practitioners that look over the health of your book.
Like a medical practitioner, the editor will need to evaluate your manuscript to decide which type of editing service will work best for you. However, like in medicine, the patient has the ultimate authority to request the treatment they want for their own good.
When approaching the editing process, the writer must first have an idea of what they think they need, and then consult an experienced editor to fill in the gaps. There are different kinds of editing processes that determine price, turnaround time, etc. Use the guide below to determine what your book may need.
The developmental editor looks after the meta elements of your story. This can mean plot, theme, character arc, point of view, etc. A good developmental editor will work with you to ensure the clarity, pace, cohesion and voice are correct in your story.
The copy editor looks after the mechanics of your story at a sentence and paragraph level. The copy editor does not make creative suggestions, but spelling, grammar and syntax suggestions.
The line editor looks after the mechanics of your story while also incorporating creative suggestions to improve the clarity and cohesiveness of the story.
The proofreader looks after the final version of your document before it is published. The proofreader will focus solely on blatant mistakes that might make for an embarrassing moment if published. A good proofreader will deliver on a finely-combed final manuscript and leave zero mistakes behind.