Editor Myths: All Authors Require a Developmental, Line, and Copy Edit

You may have already done a fair amount of research, and what you might have noticed is that most editors and authors will recommend the same thing to you:

“Get a Developmental Edit, then a Line Edit, then a Copy Edit. You need all three, in that order.”

However, this is less of a rule and more of a strong suggestion. Let me tell you why.

The Fact

Every book and every author are different, and if you have it stuck in your mind that you need all three edits, you may end up spending money that will do you little good in the grand scheme of your book. That’s money that you could use on marketing, author website design, or your book cover design—all extremely important investments for self-published authors.

You don’t want to waste money. Even I don’t want you to waste your money. I want my clients to feel like they’ve received their money’s worth, and the reasons for that are too obvious to be worth mentioning. You don’t run a successful business by collecting pissed-off clients.

Let’s consider three examples that go against the “Three Edit” recommendation. These are real life examples that I’ve encountered just in the last few years.

1) An author sent their YA Fantasy to me for a Book Assessment prior to editing . After reading their novel and providing a thorough assessment, I found that, while the author’s book did need developmental work on structure, pacing and flow, the writing was sound. Moreover, the writer had a strong authorial voice, and their character dialogue was consistent throughout.

In this case, the writer did not require a Line Edit. Only a Developmental Edit and a Copy Edit were required. (If you’re unsure what the difference is between the edits, I suggest reading this previous post).

2) One of my clients was looking to traditionally publish with a well-known publishing house, but he required an agent first. His book had some structural problems and a few significant plot holes, so a Developmental Edit was required before he sent it off to agents. After I finished the Developmental Edit, I recommended a thorough Line Edit as well. The dialogue was stilted, and the transitions from paragraph to paragraph were sloppy. The book needed order.

However, despite all the work I did on this book, this client did not require a full Copy Edit. Why? Because my client was trying to sell his book to agents and publishing houses. In the case that his book is purchased, a Copy Editor will do the work free of charge!

Instead, I copy edited the first three chapters so agents and publishers would receive a clean introduction to my client’s work. This shows professionalism and demonstrates that the author takes their work seriously. And guess what? They did end up finding an agent!

3) A few years ago, I brought on an author who asked for all three edits. Naturally, I started with the Developmental Edit, and as I worked my way through to the end of the book, I found very little that needed to be changed on a Developmental level. The story flowed, the plot made sense, and the characters were compelling and fully realized. The author had a knack for getting it right the first time, which is a skill often developed through millions of written words.

While I was impressed, I also felt as if the author had paid for something they never required. As hard as I tried to find flaws, my recommended changes were minimal. Of course, any author is happy to hear their book is strong and doesn’t need any big changes, and this author was no different. But that money could have been better spent.

We concluded the work with a Line Edit and, finally, a Copy Edit. He paid for the full “Three Edit” package when he probably should have only paid for a Line Edit and Copy Edit. Lesson learned!

These are only a few examples/cautionary tales. Every book requires a different recipe. But how can you possibly know what your book requires before hiring an editor?

You need outside eyes on your work, and the most cost-effective way to go about this is a Book Assessment. You’ve heard it from me before, and you’ll hear it from me again. Before you have any editing completed, have your book assessed by a professional. This missed step can cost authors thousands of dollars.

You wouldn’t go into a remodel of your home without having a professional contractor look at it first, would you? The same goes for your book. So, find out what edits your book truly requires with a low-cost Book Assessment, and then move forward with a clear plan in mind. You don’t necessarily need the standard “Three Edits!”

—This was a part of the Editor Myth Series. For more, check out my previous posts:

Editor Myths: A Good Writer Doesn’t Need an Editor

Editor Myths: All Editors Do the Same Work

Editor Myths: An Editor Will Ruin my Book