Line Edits: What to Expect
Line editing is what most people think of when they imagine what the editing process looks like: pages of writing marked up in red ink and margin notes scattered everywhere. But despite that quintessential mental image, the differences between line editing and copy editing or proofreading aren’t always straightforward. Nor are the individual steps in the editing process always clear!
Depending on their training, other editors might follow a different process than what I outline here. But here are the answers to the most common questions I get about line editing.
How does the line edit process work?
The very first thing I do is a sample edit (more on that in the next question) to assess your writing. After we’ve come to an agreement on what needs to be done and a timeline, I can start the first round of editing. (A “round” refers to each time the manuscript comes to me.)
The first round is the most time intensive. I do at least two or three passes through the manuscript, evaluating different elements each time. I suggest revisions with Track Changes (in Microsoft Word) and I add comments to either explain my suggestion or point out places where additional revision might be needed. When editing manuscripts, I also develop a style sheet to keep track of things like unusual spellings, hyphenations, and preferences about how certain words are treated. Once I’ve finished the initial round, I send the document back to you to look it over.
During your review, you accept my changes, let me know which ones you don’t want to incorporate, and add any additional text I’ve recommended.
The second round is usually focused on editing any sections that had substantial rewrites and cleaning up the remainder of the manuscript—in some ways it’s more akin to a light copy edit because my goal is to make the manuscript as error free as possible. After this final clean up, I send it back to you and you’re ready to move forward with your next steps.
In cases where a lot of rewriting happens between rounds, I often recommend adding a third round to ensure we are editing the manuscript as thoroughly as possible.
Why is a sample edit important?
A sample line edit is essentially a trial run between the editor and writer, and it serves both sides in different ways.
For the writer, it’s a way to see how the editor will treat the writing and whether the edits help push the work toward the writer’s ultimate goals. They can also look at the comments to get a sense of the editor’s editorial tone and whether it’s a good personality fit!
On my side, a sample edit helps me evaluate the writing style, subject matter, how much work needs to be done, and develop an accurate estimate for how much time it will take to do the work. It also gives me a chance to interact with the author and determine how a working relationship might go!
The only time I don’t do a sample edit is when it is a very short piece, like a blog post, bio, or a children’s picture book, because the sample edit is essentially the edit.
How does a line edit help my writing?
A line edit is all about enhancing the flow, clarity, and readability of your writing through grammatical structure, syntax, tense agreement, spelling, and punctuation. And if I had to guess, you’re probably thinking, Sure, but what does that actually mean?
To put it another way, I’m focused on how the sentences flow (or sound), their grammatical structure, and how each one builds on the previous sentences or paragraphs to tell the story or convey information. I make sure that there are appropriate transitions between paragraphs (and chapters), and may suggest moving things around or adding additional text. And I make sure that words and numbers are formatted and used according to the appropriate style guide.
Overall, the goal here is to get your writing to a place where you can comfortably move on to the next step in your publishing journey.
Should I expect a “sea of red” when I get my edits back?
Many people avoid having their work edited because they think it reflects on their skill as a writer. Here’s what I have to say: Even an editor needs an editor! It is hard to effectively edit our own writing because we’re too close to it.
The writing headspace and editing headspace are totally different. When you’re in a creative flow, it’s important not to get hung up on things like tense, spelling, and grammatical correctness because it will slow down your writing. My advice is to get all your ideas down on paper first, and then go back to revise, strengthen, and correct.
(And, if it’s reassuring at all, I have heard from several editors that more than one well-known author turns out a very messy first draft. Editing helps turn it into the polished story you eventually read!)
Another common concern for authors is that an editor will come in and stomp all over their writing voice, force everything to comply with strict grammatical rules, and wring the life and uniqueness out of it.
I tend to use a hybrid of “descriptive” and “prescriptive” editing, which is to say that I believe grammatical rules can and should be broken in the service of writing that has a strong rhythm and flow. I suggest changes when the writing is unclear because my ultimate goal is for your readers to understand what you have to say, but maintaining your “voice” is one of my priorities.
Ultimately, the answer to this “sea of red” question can be a little tricky and depends on the writer themselves, the subject matter, and whether they’ve done revisions on their own prior to sending the manuscript to me.
What are style sheets and style guides?
Inconsistent treatment of terms, such as referring to someone as a “12 year old” in one paragraph and a “twelve-year-old” in the next, makes it hard for readers to stay immersed in your writing. But how do we know what choices to make?
Style guides set standards for hyphenation, punctuation, capitalization, when numbers are spelled out, and so on. Newspapers and media outlets frequently rely on the AP Stylebook. Many academic publications follow APA. And for books and novels, editors typically use the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS).
That’s not to say that you don’t have control over some of these choices (although that sometimes depends on if you are self-publishing or submitting to agents). The stylesheet is a document that helps your editor keep track of the choices made in an individual project. For example, I might record that you prefer to use grey (the British spelling) instead of gray (the American spelling), or that we’re using the alternative rule for numbers (spelling out 0–9 and numerals for anything higher, with exceptions) rather than the standard rule that CMOS suggests (spelling out 0–99, with exceptions).
The style guide and style sheets come in handy when you are publishing a series and want to maintain consistency between all your books. And it’s also helpful when a new editor or proofreader reviews your work later on, so they can stay true to the choices that were made earlier.
What is the cost of a line edit and how long does it take?
This varies depending on the length of the project and the amount of editing that needs to be done. The best way to find out for sure is to reach out to me for a quote! My rates are consistent with the Editorial Freelancers Association’s posted averages, and I would love to talk with you about your project.
Ready to see if I’m the right editor for your project?