Oops! I Found a Typo--The Different Types of Editing

 

 

Oops! I Found a Typo

One very common peeve I often see out there, which always prompts great gnashing of my teeth, is when I see people rant (particularly in Amazon reviews), “I found TWO TYPOS in the book,” or “The writer needs to go back to school or get a new editor.” This is probably due to readers’ confusion about editing.

Terms in editing can be confusing to readers and new authors, especially because the terms are often used interchangeably and may have different meanings within the publishing industry. However, I’d like to share the most widely accepted terms and their meanings.

For newbies who choose to indie-publish rather than going the traditional route it’s important that when hiring an editor to always speak to him or her about exactly what the editing includes.

While there are several different types of editing, for the purpose of this blog, I’m only going to discuss editing, copyediting, and line editing.

The three are different, you see. But they are commonly used interchangeably, which can cause some confusion. So here's the basic difference:

Editing refers to making changes to the content of a manuscript. For example, you might reorganize, rewrite, revise, reposition –there's a lot of "re" stuff going on—add dimensions to the main characters, add layers to the setting, and beef up the plot. Typically, it's a very collaborative process between the editor and the writer.

 

Copyediting on the other hand, involves fewer sweeping changes. It focuses more on accuracy, formatting, and sometimes (though not always) proofreading. A copyeditor is the person responsible for catching typos.

Line Editing is often used interchangeably with the term copyediting. In line editing, the editor looks at your book line by line and analyzes each sentence. The editor considers word choice and the power and meaning of a sentence. The editor considers syntax and whether a sentence needs to be trimmed or tightened. Line editing helps to makes your prose sing.

 

Typos are ultimately an author’s responsibility

But before you go and amend the complaint to “What was the COPYeditor doing,” here’s how the editing and copyediting process works (the actual process may vary, so this is one example):

·         Author submits manuscript.

·         Editor suggests macro changes.

·         Author makes suggested changes then turns in edited manuscript.

·         Manuscript goes to copyeditor.

·         A fantastic copyeditor will catch nearly every error.

·         First pass pages go back to the author, who double-checks the copyeditor’s suggested changes.

·         Now, here comes the fun part. The manuscript is assembled so that the line edits from the author, copyeditor, and editor are hopefully incorporated correctly. It’s a somewhat straightforward task, but sometimes new errors can inadvertently happen.

·         Author gets these second-pass pages, he/she tries to catch any remaining (or introduced) errors, and once he/she sign off on them the book goes to press.

Hopefully by the time the book has made the rounds from editor to copyeditor to first pass, back to the author, it’s anyone’s guess if during the second pass every error will have been found and corrected. Remember, I said hopefully. But there are also opportunities for errors to creep into that process.

I always cringe a little and feel sympathetic for an editor when a review says, 'This wasn't well-edited.' Because it's very difficult for anyone outside the writing/editing process to know all the effort that went into the development of working to make the story the best it can be. 

It is my hope that if you find a typo in any of my books that you will be understanding enough to realize that mistakes do happen, not often, and not on purpose.

www.lorettacrogersnovels.com