# Editing A Self-Published Book
Congratulations on writing a book and ready to self-publish! But before hitting “publish”, there’s one critical step you must complete: editing.
Why Editing Is Essential
Editing is like polishing a jewel – it accentuates its sparkle. Editing involves reviewing and revising your manuscript to ensure its clear, concise writing style is free from errors, while taking time and consideration with this step can make or break your book. It is imperative to give editorial time and thought.
Editing Options Available Now
Your book could require one or more of these forms of editing:
### Developmental Editing
A developmental editor helps ensure your book flows effortlessly while its characters and plot make sense. They ensure everything from character development and flow of dialogue is addressed as well as overall plot continuity and structure is addressed effectively.
### Line Editing Line editing focuses on improving sentence structure, word choice and flow within your writing. A line editor will assist in eliminating awkward phrasing and tightening up prose to produce polished prose that reads smoothly and succinctly.
### Copy Editing Copy editing involves making sure that your writing is error-free, from spelling, grammar and punctuation errors to making sure it adheres to a consistent style guide. A copy editor’s job is to check for spelling, grammar and punctuation mistakes while assuring your content adheres to an overall theme or plan.
### Proofreading
Proofreading is the final stage before publication, when your manuscript will be read carefully for any last-minute errors that were missed during earlier editing stages. A professional proofreader can inspect your work carefully in search of any misprints that might otherwise go undetected during its review and edit processes.
Editing is a multi-step process with numerous rounds of revision. Here is an outline of this editing process:
1. **First Draft**: Your manuscript’s initial draft represents its raw, unedited state and should allow you time for reflection before moving onto edits.
2. **Developmental Editing**: Engage a developmental editor early to address any major concerns with your manuscript.
3. **Line Editing**: Finally, focus on fine-tuning your writing using a line editor to hone its finer points – such as sentence structure, word choice and overall flow of ideas.
4. Copy Editing**: Once your writing is in its final stage of polishing, it’s essential to hire an outside copy editor in order to check for mistakes and inconsistencies in content delivery.
5. Proofreading**: As your manuscript nears publication, make sure it gets one last glance from an experienced proofreader before submission to publishers.
Self-Editing
Editing one’s own work can be a challenging and time-consuming task, but it doesn’t need to be impossible. Here are a few helpful hints for effective self-editing:
Take breaks between editing sessions to give your brain time for rest and recuperation, read your manuscript aloud aloud for awkward phrasing and errors, use editing tools like Grammarly or ProWritingAid for automating this process, get feedback from beta readers on areas for improvement and take note.
Editing is an integral component of self-publishing. By dedicating ample time and attention to revising and reviewing your manuscript, editing ensures your book can reach its potential and stand the test of readers! So grab yourself an editor (preferably red!) and begin editing to success!