Developmental Editing vs Copyediting: What’s The Difference?

Intro

You are all ready to make that book the best it can be, but are still confused between developmental editing and copyediting, and don’t know which level of editing your book needs. If yes, then you are on the right page! Developmental editing – a free mode of editing that helps you mold your story. And copyediting? It is just a little helping hand that smoothens out those final details. We understand that you are still in trouble, but don’t worry, we will make it super easy for you. In this guide, we’ll walk you through each and every little detail about these two types of editing levels and our motto is to make you pro at it. And, if you still feel stuck when working on your book, feel free to contact book Publishing Services, and our experts will solve all your book editing issues.
Without wasting any minute, let’s understand the two main types of book editing. 

Contents:

• What is Developmental Editing?

• Important Points Of Developmental Editing:
• Example of Developmental Editing:
• When Do You Need Developmental Editing?

• What is Copyediting?

• Important Points of Copyediting:
• Example of Copyediting:
• When Do You Need Copyediting?
• Differences Between Developmental Editing and Copyediting
• Why Both Are Important Types Of Editing?
• Frequently Asked Questions

What is Developmental Editing?

Developmental editing looks at your book as a whole. It’s about the structure, content, and flow of your story or information overall. A developmental editor will look at your manuscript as a whole and provide feedback that will strengthen it. In short, developmental editing is like free-hand editing in which you work to strengthen the manuscript such that it gives your book a magic of emotions and feelings. 

Important Points Of Developmental Editing:

1. Structure:

As an editor, you check if your book is organized in a way that makes sense. For example:

1. • Does the story have a beginning, middle, and end?
   • Are the chapters arranged logically?

2. Plot and Storyline (for fiction):

   • Are there any plot holes (missing or illogical parts of the story)?
   • Are the characters well-developed and relatable?
   • Is the pacing—how fast or slow the story moves—appropriate?

3. Message and Clarity (for non-fiction):

   • Does the book clearly convey its main idea?
   • Are the topics explained in a way that’s easy to understand?

4. Consistency:

   • Are there any contradictions in the text? For example, does a character’s actions match their personality?
   • Are the facts in a non-fiction book accurate and consistent?

If you are working as a developmental editor, you will not focus on grammar or punctuation. Instead, they’ll give you suggestions to improve your manuscript’s content, such as rewriting a weak chapter or cutting out unnecessary sections.

Example of Developmental Editing:

Original Text: “Jane loved her quiet life in the countryside. However, her days felt repetitive, and she often dreamed of adventure. One day, she found a letter that would change everything.”

Developmental Editing Version: “Jane loved her quiet life in the countryside, where she spent her mornings tending the garden and her evenings reading by the fireplace. But despite her serene routine, a part of her yearned for something more. When an old, mysterious letter arrived at her doorstep, it sparked the beginning of an adventure she never imagined.”

In the edited version, details are added to immerse the reader in Jane’s world and build anticipation for the adventure.

When Do You Need Developmental Editing?

Developmental editing is best for:

• First drafts that need major revisions.
• Writers who want help shaping their ideas into a solid story or guide.
• Books that feel incomplete or “not quite right.”

What is Copyediting?

Copyediting is all about the details. You mainly focus on eliminating problems like grammar, spelling, punctuation, and word choice. As a copyeditor, you ensure that your manuscript reads smoothly and looks professional.

Important Points of Copyediting:

1. Grammar and Spelling:

   • Correcting errors like “their” vs. “there” or “it’s” vs. “its.”
   • Ensuring proper sentence structure.

2. Punctuation:

   • Fixing misplaced commas, apostrophes, and quotation marks.

3. Consistency in Style:

   • Making sure the text follows a consistent style guide (e.g., American vs. British English).
   • Ensuring uniformity in things like capitalization, abbreviations, and hyphenation.

4. Clarity and Conciseness:

   • Eliminating unnecessary words or phrases to make the text clearer.
   • Rephrasing awkward or confusing sentences.

5. Fact-Checking:

   • Ensuring factual accuracy for non-fiction content (e.g., dates, names, or statistics).

Remember, copyediting doesn’t involve rewriting large sections of your book. Instead, it is done to polish the manuscript so it’s error-free and easy to read.

Example of Copyediting:

Original Text: “Jane loved her quite life in the country side. She spent her days tending too the garden and dreaming of aventure.”

Copyedited Version: “Jane loved her quiet life in the countryside. She spent her days tending to the garden and dreaming of adventure.”

In this example, spelling, grammar, and word choice errors were corrected to improve clarity and professionalism.

When Do You Need Copyediting?

You should do copyediting when:

• Manuscripts that have already been through developmental editing.
• Writers who want to ensure their work is polished and professional.
• Final drafts that are almost ready for publication.

Differences Between Developmental Editing and Copyediting

Here’s a simple comparison to help you understand the basic differences between both types of editing:

Aspect	Developmental Editing	Copyediting
Focus	Big picture (story, structure, flow)	Small details (grammar, spelling, clarity)
When to Use	Early stages of writing	After developmental editing or before publishing
Purpose	Improve content, structure, and ideas	Polish for professionalism and accuracy
Changes Made	Major rewrites and restructuring	Minor edits and corrections
For Fiction	Focus on plot, characters, and pacing	Helps fix language, grammar, and style
For Non-Fiction	Clarify the main message and organization	Ensure factual and grammatical accuracy

Table 1.  Developmental Editing vs Copy Editing

Why Both Are Important Types Of Editing?

Both developmental editing and copyediting are crucial to creating a successful book. Here’s why:

1. Developmental Editing Helps You Shape Your Book:

   • Without a strong foundation, even the most beautifully written sentences won’t matter. Developmental editing ensures your book is engaging, meaningful, and well-structured.

2. Copyediting Polishes Your Work:

   • Simple errors can turn readers off. Copyediting ensures your book is professional and enjoyable to read.

Skipping any of these can lead to problems:

• Without developmental editing, your book might have major flaws in its story or organization.
• Without copyediting, even a great story can look sloppy and immature due to errors.

Close

To sum up, developmental editing concentrates on the book’s content and structure, which really makes it a gripping book. Whereas copy editing mainly deals with the grammar and style of your book. As an editor you should focus on both the editing types before getting your published, or else you will fail to get more readers. We hope that this guide will help you in writing your books more perfectly and will make you a good book editor. So, what are you waiting for? Start practicing these editing types. As we all know, “Practice makes a man perfect.” It will take some time to be a perfect editor, but trust us, if you do it consistently, you will master it soon. 

P.s. In case you get stuck anywhere or need assistance with book writing or editing, feel free to reach out to NY Book Publishers’ experts today. We are here to help you right away!  

Frequently Asked Questions

• Where do I start when editing my book?

Answer: The first priority should be developmental editing. This is where you work on the bigger picture of the book. You should try to improve the structure of the book, enhance characters, focus on making the plot interesting, and work on the message, which should be clear. After that, you can start to look for all the smaller bits, like grammar and punctuation.

•  How can I tell when my book is in need of developmental editing or when it is ready for just copy-editing?

Answer: Developmental editing applies when the book is at an early stage, incomplete, or requiring the addition of new sections or major changes in the structure and story. Otherwise, it would be copy-editing. The manuscript is almost ready and has had content changes and structural work; copyediting will take care of polishing up the details.

• Can I skip developmental editing and do copy editing directly? 

Answer: It isn’t wise. Developmental editing is an essential part of the process, and without it, all the copy editing from here to the horizon will never make the book feel complete. Just because they are different doesn’t make one any less important than the other in polishing a manuscript into a professional work. However, if you feel like your book is perfect and is in the last stage of writing then you can do copy editing before publishing it!

• How much time is required for developmental editing? 

Answer: The amount of time allotted for developmental editing would depend on how lengthy and possibly complicated your book is. In this regard, it may take weeks to months, depending on the work a manuscript needs. As an editor, you should spend wholesome time in developmental editing because this is the stage when you can make your book a super duper hit for your readers.

• Should I edit my own work before sending it to an editor?

Self-editing is a smart choice. You should definitely edit your book by yourself because you, as a writer, know your objective of writing this book. Once you think you are done, you can get it proofread by a professional book editor like NY Book Publishers to make your book perfect!