---
name: editorial-practice
description: "Guides professional editing methods: developmental editing, line editing, copyediting, the editorial letter, author-editor dynamics, self-editing, and genre-specific editing considerations. Use this skill whenever the user asks about developmental editing, line editing, copyediting, editorial feedback, the editing process, self-editing, manuscript editing, editorial letters, structural editing, how editors work, what to look for when editing, giving feedback on writing, manuscript assessment, or any question about how professional editors approach manuscripts. Also use when a writer wants to edit their own work more effectively or when someone is providing editorial feedback to another writer."
---

# Editorial Practice

Editing is not correcting prose. It spans three fundamental functions — acquisition (finding the right book), text development (making it the best it can be), and publication (bringing it to readers). The editor is a connector between writer and reader, simultaneously representing the author's creative vision and the reader's experience of encountering the book cold.

This skill covers the text development function: the three layers of editing that transform a manuscript into the best version of itself.

## The Three Layers of Editing

### 1. Developmental Editing
The big picture. Structure, pacing, argument, character development, narrative arc. The editor reads the complete draft and writes a detailed editorial letter addressing large-scale issues.

This is intellectually the most demanding phase. It requires holding the entire book in mind while diagnosing weaknesses and imagining solutions. Three qualities are required that cannot be taught: judgment, taste, and empathy.

**What developmental editors look for:**
- Does the book know what it's about? Is the central argument or story question clear?
- Is the structure serving the material, or is the material forced into an ill-fitting structure?
- Are there pacing problems — sections that drag, sections that rush?
- In fiction: is the protagonist's internal arc driving the plot? Are subplots connected to the main story?
- In nonfiction: is the argument persuasive? Does it build? Are there logical gaps?
- Is anything missing that should be there? Is anything there that should be cut?

**The editorial letter:**
- Opens with genuine, specific praise (what works and why)
- Addresses structural issues in order of importance
- Proposes solutions constructively — "what if" rather than "you must"
- Maintains the author's ownership — the book belongs to them, not the editor

### 2. Line Editing
Sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph. Clarity, flow, word choice, syntax, tonal consistency. Line editing is harder to define than developmental editing because it is more holistic — a good line editor restructures paragraphs, queries plot points, ensures tonal consistency, and serves as the author's most attentive first reader.

**What line editors look for:**
- Hedging adverbs, empty intensifiers, passive constructions
- Cliches and throat-clearing phrases
- Tonal inconsistency — shifts in register that break the reader's trust
- Paragraphs that need restructuring for clarity or impact
- Places where the author tells when they should show (or shows when context is needed first)
- Logical gaps — missing steps in reasoning or narrative
- Repetition that isn't serving a purpose

**Calibration:** Line editing must be calibrated to what each individual author needs and can tolerate. Aggressive editing of an author who needs reassurance damages confidence. The editor's job is to help the author become the best version of themselves, not to impose the editor's preferences.

### 3. Copyediting
Grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalisation, consistency, and factual accuracy. The quality-control phase. Copyeditors apply house style and query anything unclear.

**What copyeditors check:**
- Grammar and spelling errors
- Punctuation consistency
- Internal consistency (character names, timeline, physical descriptions)
- Factual accuracy where checkable
- Style guide compliance

**Key distinction:** Copyeditors typically do not undertake structural revision or work directly with the author. But good copyeditors frequently catch line-editing problems that earlier passes missed.

## The Self-Editing Process

Professional editing is irreplaceable — authors cannot see their own work objectively. But self-editing done well makes every subsequent editorial pass more productive.

### Successive Passes at Decreasing Scale
1. **Structure** — Does the whole thing work? Are the parts in the right order? Is anything missing or superfluous?
2. **Chapter/section** — Does each chapter earn its place? Does it advance the story or argument?
3. **Scene/paragraph** — Does each scene touch the third rail? Does each paragraph lead to the next?
4. **Sentence** — Is each sentence clear, necessary, and well-constructed?
5. **Word** — Is each word earning its place?

### Self-Editing Techniques
- **Read aloud** — reveals awkwardness invisible to the eye
- **Print and read on paper** — changes the visual relationship to the text
- **Read backwards** (sentence by sentence) — breaks the flow of expectation, forcing you to evaluate each sentence on its own
- **Time away** — the longer you can leave between writing and revising, the more clearly you see
- **Beta readers** — seek honest developmental feedback before line editing

## Genre-Specific Considerations

Different genres demand different editorial attention:

- **Literary fiction**: Form and content are inseparable. The editor must resist imposing their own aesthetic — serve the author's vision, never substitute your own.
- **Genre fiction**: Must entertain above all. Boredom is the cardinal sin. Readers don't just follow the protagonist — they become them.
- **Memoir**: The author's subjectivity is a feature, not a problem. But the story must impose narrative shape on messy chronology.
- **General nonfiction**: Must be persuasive — it must carry the reader along. The editor's most useful note is often "I'm bored here."
- **Biography**: Why does this life matter, and to whom? Every detail must serve that question.

## Editorial Practice Checklist

When editing or providing editorial feedback:

- [ ] Start with what works — genuine, specific praise
- [ ] Address the biggest structural issues first (developmental)
- [ ] Then prose-level issues (line editing)
- [ ] Leave mechanical corrections for last (copyediting)
- [ ] Frame suggestions as possibilities, not commands
- [ ] Maintain the author's voice — never substitute your own
- [ ] Check internal consistency (names, timeline, descriptions)
- [ ] Identify where the reader is likely to disengage ("I'm bored here")
- [ ] Note where exposition is lumped rather than integrated
- [ ] Flag where the author assumes knowledge the reader doesn't have

## When to Read Reference Files

- **For developmental editing in depth** — read `references/developmental-editing.md`
- **For line editing techniques** — read `references/line-editing.md`
- **For copyediting standards** — read `references/copyediting.md`
- **For genre-specific editing guidance** — read `references/genre-specific-editing.md`
- **For self-editing and self-publishing** — read `references/self-editing.md`
