Lesson 2 of 9 Free account 4 min read
Editing Before You Publish: The Four Kinds of Editing
Developmental, line, copy and proofreading edits do different jobs in a set order. Learn what each one fixes, how to use beta readers, what editors charge and how to vet them.
Key takeaways
- Edit from big to small: structure first, then sentences, then correctness, then a final proofread.
- Beta readers tell you how the book feels to a reader; editors tell you why and how to fix it.
- As of the EFA’s 2026 rate chart, editing a full-length book can cost from several hundred to several thousand dollars per pass, so spend where your book needs it most.
- Vet editors with a paid or free sample edit, a written quote and a clear contract before you commit.
Readers forgive a lot, but they don’t forgive a book that feels unfinished. Plot holes, a saggy middle, characters whose names change and typos on page one are the things that turn up in one-star reviews. Editing is how a draft becomes a book, and it’s the step self-published authors most often rush.
The key idea is that "editing" is really four different jobs. Each one works at a different scale, and doing them in the wrong order wastes money: there’s no point polishing commas in a chapter you are about to cut.
What Are the Different Types of Book Editing?
- Developmental editing looks at the whole book: structure, plot, pacing, character arcs, argument and audience. You usually get an editorial letter and margin notes, not line changes.
- Line editing works paragraph by paragraph on voice, clarity, rhythm and word choice. It makes the prose read the way you meant it to.
- Copyediting fixes grammar, spelling, punctuation, consistency and usage, and often produces a style sheet listing names, spellings and timeline details.
- Proofreading is the last check on the final, formatted pages, catching typos, missing words and layout errors before the book goes out.
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