Are you done with your manuscript? Congratulations! Many aspiring authors take years to write their first book, so well done to you.
What’s next on the agenda for your new career as a writer? Before you pull the trigger and send that manuscript to a publishing house or self-publish your work yourself, as this question – Have you edited your work?
Editing? Why bother? Your manuscript is perfect. You spent weeks, months, or even years refining and producing your masterpiece. It can’t possibly need editing on it. It’s your masterpiece.
This kind of hubris will set you back in your new career. The reality is every writer needs their work edited. Even if you only wrote an article for publication in a journal, editing is essential for accuracy and an improved reader experience.
Editing involves several tasks. There’s proofreading, copy editing, content editing, and developmental editing. What’s the difference between these editing functions? Do you really need all of this for your manuscript review?
Perhaps not. This post will unpack the differences between proofreading and editing. We’ll show you when you need the whole shebang and when a simple proofreading service will suffice.
The Core Features of Editing
First Draft til Final Document
The editing process takes you from the first draft to the final document. The editors work with you through each chapter of your book in a relationship lasting the entire duration of the production process.
Addresses Writing Features
Editing improves your writing, giving you a highly polished fished product. You get spelling, grammar, syntax, punctuation, structure, and formatting corrections. There are no mistakes; it’s fully prepared for publishing after you complete the correction suggestions.
Varies to the Scope of Editing Duties
The editing process goes through proofreading, copy editing, content editing, and developmental editing, covering all bases. You can choose which services you need based on your requirements and budget.
Enhances Language for Clarity, Narration, and Readability
The goal of editing is to fine-tune your work to improve the reader experience. Developmental editing suggests how to improve your storyline, characters, and other creative elements.
Reduces Word Count for Conciseness
The editing process eliminates the waffle in your work. You get a concise review of your manuscript, enhancing the value of the experience to your reader.
Editor Interacts with the Writer
The editing team interacts with you during the editing process. This feature is valuable if you’re writing a book and need to discuss editing suggestions.
Longer Turnaround Times
Editing takes more time than simple proofreading due to the extensive work involved.
The Core Features of Proofreading
Performed on the Final document Draft
Proofreading occurs after you finish your final document. You’ll send the work to the proofreader, and they’ll return it to you with edits completed and no review of the changes.
Addresses Issues at the Surface Level
Proofreading is only available to edit surface-level problems like grammar, spelling, punctuation, and syntax. They don’t offer any insight into the creative process.
Doesn’t Reduce Word Count
Proofreading won’t reduce your word count for conciseness. It only addresses the surface mistakes in your document and won’t cut the waffle out of your work.
No Interaction with the Author
The proofreader doesn’t communicate with you after the proofing process. They return the work to you completed. For this reason, proofreading is only suitable for short-form content like blogs, not long-form content like books.
More Affordable
Proofreading is much more affordable than full-house editing services. It’s a great choice for short-form writing services that need regular checks of their work before publication.
Fast Turnaround Time
Proofreading is less intensive than editing. Therefore, you get a faster turnaround time for your work. Most proofreading is available 24 to 48 hours from submission to the proofreader.
When Do I Need a Proofreader?
You’ll need a proofreader if you’re producing short-form work like articles or working on a shoestring budget. Proofreading services are less intensive and don’t have the heavy price tag of hiring an editing team.
Key Takeaways – Proofreading
- Proofreaders correct grammar, spelling, syntax, and structure. They don’t interfere creatively.
- Good for perfecting near-perfect writing.
- Proofreaders create consistent formatting and language.
- Proofreaders are a good choice for small writing projects like blogs.
- Proofreading is more affordable than editing services.
When Do I Need an Editor?
You’ll need the services of an editing team when producing long-form content like books, movie scripts, and play manuscripts. Editors provide a comprehensive service looking at every aspect of your work. They drill down into the specifics of the manuscript, giving insight into much more than just basic grammar, spelling, and structure corrections.
Editing services can correct the flow of your writing and the structure of the storyline and provide insights into plot and character improvements. They aim to provide constructive criticism of your work, improving the reading experience.
Key Takeaways – Editing
- Improves the overall quality of your writing.
- Editing is much more in-depth than simple proofreading.
- Enhances language, characters, plot, structure, flow, and writing cadence.
- Offers you maximum impact with your writing.
- Prepares you for self-publishing or submission to publishing houses.
Where Can I Hire Editors and Proofreaders?
You can hire a proofreader or editor online. Search, and you’ll find thousands of services available. If you’re looking for an editing service for your novel or manuscript, hiring a professional editing service to review your work is a good idea. A freelance proofreader might be the better choice if you’re looking for a proofreader to edit your magazine article.
Freelancers Or Professional Services? What’s the Difference?
A freelance editor works on sites like Fiverr and Upwork. They offer their services for a far lower fee than hiring a writing service. However, they often produce weaker results than a professional editing team. They might be sufficient for editing your article, but it’s haphazard to trust them with your manuscript.
You’ll have to pay more for an editing service, but the results are better. You get an entire team reviewing your work with a faster turnaround time than hiring a freelancer. Whether you choose a professional service or a freelancer depends on the work you need to be edited and the budget you have available for the project.
