Which type of book editing do you need?
Most manuscripts need more than one kind of edit, and each one fixes a different problem. Our book editing services cover three levels. We recommend the right one after reading a sample, so you only pay for the work your book needs.
| Edit level | What it fixes | Best time to do it |
|---|---|---|
| Developmental editing | Structure, argument or story flow, chapter order, pacing, gaps and audience fit | After a complete draft, before any sentence-level work |
| Line editing | Clarity, rhythm, tone, repetition and wordiness, sentence by sentence, while keeping your voice | Once the structure is settled |
| Copy editing | Grammar, spelling, punctuation, consistency of names and terms, and style guide compliance | After line editing, before formatting |
| Proofreading (separate service) | Typos and layout errors in the near-final or formatted file | The last check before publishing |
Proofreading is a separate, final pass. If your manuscript has already been edited, our book proofreading service may be all you need.
What you receive
- Manuscript assessment and editing plan — what we found and the edit level we recommend.
- Track-changes manuscript — every edit visible in Word, so you can accept or reject each one.
- Editor comments — explanations and questions in the margin where a change needs your decision.
- Developmental notes — for structural edits, a written summary of the big-picture changes, chapter by chapter.
- Style sheet — names, terms, spellings and capitalisation choices, so later stages stay consistent.
- Optional second pass — a follow-up read after you revise.
Our editing process
- Sample review. Send a sample and your goals. We recommend the edit level and scope.
- Editorial pass. Your editor works through the full manuscript.
- Author review. You review the changes and we discuss the main recommendations.
- Final polish. We resolve open items and prepare the file for proofreading and formatting.
Most manuscripts take 3–6 weeks, depending on word count and the depth of the edit.
Will editing change my voice?
No. A good edit makes you sound more like yourself, not like the editor. We keep your vocabulary, rhythm and personality, and we flag any larger change as a suggestion instead of rewriting it silently. You always have the final say. That matters just as much for ghostwritten books: if our ghostwriting team drafted your manuscript, editing keeps the voice you approved during writing.
What our editors specialise in
Our editors focus on nonfiction: business and thought-leadership books, memoir, self-help and how-to guides, and narrative nonfiction. If you are writing fiction, contact us to discuss your project. For memoirs, see our memoir ghostwriting service if you want help shaping the story itself.
After editing: getting the book ready to publish
An edited manuscript moves into proofreading, then print and ebook formatting and cover design. Making changes before layout saves time and money. If you plan to publish on Amazon, our guide on how to self-publish a book on Amazon KDP explains the next steps. Thinking of protecting your work first? Read how to copyright a book.