The Different Types of Editing for Nonfiction Books – Part 1

In this blog post, we will be looking at how to get your nonfiction book edited on the road to publication. It’s not the only thing you will need, but it is definitely a very important one that you can’t do without! There are multiple types of editing that you can get for a nonfiction book – ideally, you would have them all, as they all cover different areas and will make your book the best it can be. As there are so many types, we will look at some of the earlier ones in this blog post, then continue to the later stages in my next blog post.

First of all, why do you need editing? Editing is what makes your book ready for publication. Unfortunately, even if your book is genuinely useful and has lots of great content, this won’t help if it isn’t at the highest standard. Editing will help your book to shine, highlighting the best of your writing and removing errors. It is especially important with a nonfiction book to have at least one editor that specialises in your area, as they will be able to double-check any facts or statements you have included. When you are looking for editors, bear in mind that the following definitions of types can vary, so be sure that you know what will be covered by your editor.

Developmental Editing

The first level of editing that you will need is developmental editing. This is part of the big picture area of editing that looks at the whole of your work. Don’t expect a developmental editor to look at things like punctuation, spelling and grammar – this comes later. There’s no point correcting issues like this until you have a later draft ready, with the changes from a developmental edit incorporated.

Expect the developmental editor to make broader changes, such as to the structure or flow of your work. They will also check how well it fits with your initial idea or topic, as this is vital so that your readers get the book they were expecting. At this stage, the editor can almost act as a test audience, letting you know what works and what doesn’t.

Developmental editors may give feedback in one of two ways. Firstly, they might write a detailed report on your work as a whole. This will discuss how well they felt your book flowed and if there are any adjustments that they would make, such as swapping around certain chapters or sections. Secondly, they may make comments on each page of your work, directing these to the specific paragraphs or sentences that need attention. Again, some may need to be swapped or entirely removed to help your work flow better. Alternatively, you might need to write more about some points, or break your writing up so that it is clearer.

Often, a developmental editor will use both of these methods, returning your work to you after the initial report to make these adjustments. They will then review the altered document, making comments on individual pages as necessary.

Fact-Checking

With a nonfiction book, you will definitely need some fact-checking. The question is, when? It doesn’t make sense to have it too soon, as you will still be adding sections following the advice of your developmental editor. Equally, you will want to have it before the final proofread, as any corrections you have to make will need proofreading. Whenever you have it, fact-checking is exactly what it sounds like – someone will check what you have written for accuracy. For this reason, you will want an expert in your subject to fact-check your work.

Line Editing

The final step that we will be looking at is line editing. At this point, the focus will shift from bigger picture work to a narrower review. Line editing still doesn’t look at things such as punctuation or grammar, but it will start working at a sentence level. It bridges the gap between the first steps of editing and developing your book and the last steps to get it ready before it is published, such as a final proofread.

Line editors will be looking to improve your overall writing standard. They can do this by altering sentence structure, for example, breaking up or simplifying long sentences and joining up shorter ones to make more complex sentences. This should help your writing to flow in the mind of the reader and not detract from the subject at hand.

A line editor will also make sure you have used language that is suitable for your target audience, as well as cleaning up any confusing text. They can help you to decide on the positioning of any figures you have, such as graphs, tables and photos.

Wrapping Up

I hope that this helps you to decide how to start the editing process for a nonfiction book. In my next blog post, we will be looking at the final stages, so come back in two weeks for that!

Want help proofreading your work? Contact Carmine Proofreading for a friendly, professional service from a qualified proofreader.

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