Developmental editing is help with the "big picture" or high-level organization of your manuscript. Think of it as designing the architecture of the house and building the walls. It's establishing the framework, making sure there are doorways where needed, and providing a good flow through the house.

In a fiction work, this would look at the overall story structure, character development, and pace of the plot's unfolding. In a nonfiction work, it would seek to arrange concepts to go together more naturally, reduce redundancy, and identify portions that warrant more detail and development.

When working on a lengthy manuscript over the course of weeks, months, or years, it is very easy to forget that you have already covered a certain point and to create redundancies in your message (I've caught myself doing this many, many times). Developmental editing will help you identify these areas and consolidate redundancies so that you can simply reference back to the point you've already made as needed.

Example: In a nonfiction work I was editing, I noticed that the author kept revisiting a particular topic over and over, sometimes repeating what had already been well-addressed. As the reader, I felt jerked back and forth when I thought we had settled and moved on from that topic. In this case, I took a deep-dive into the overall structure of the book's message, developed a way to combine the various segments into one, and proposed the new flow to the author. The author agreed that the high-level rearrangement would help the reader stay engaged in a natural flow of thought, so we then implemented my proposal into the final manuscript.

On the flip side, as an author who knows what you mean to say, it's easy to take for granted that the audience will understand your intended meaning. That's not always the case. Developmental editing is useful for helping you identify on a high level which concepts feel rushed over and unclear, so that you can take the time to flesh out those concepts in greater detail. (Content editing also helps with this clarity on a lower level, working within sentences and paragraphs as opposed to large sections and chapters).

On the surface, content editing may sound like developmental editing, but it's different in terms of what it tackles.

If developmental editing is the overall framework of the house, think of content editing as the interior design. Now we're picking out paint colors, making sure nothing clashes, and creating a welcoming environment.

Content editing, which in my services also includes line editing, is the part of the process when we work through your manuscript paragraph by paragraph and sentence by sentence, making sure your desired meaning is coming across.

Again, because authors know what we mean to say, we often assume the reader will read it the way we intended. That's not always true.

For example, when reviewing an essay recently, I ran across a sentence about two parties' points of view in early America:

"Both parties were concerned that the new laws did not cater to the opposing party's stance."

I suspected I knew what the writer meant to say, but the actual sentence was saying the opposite of what the author intended. The author meant to convey that both parties wanted to ensure that the new laws did not cater to the opposing party; in this case, they were protecting their own interests. However, the way the sentence is structured, the author is stating that the parties are concerned because the new laws weren't catering to the opposite party; in this case, they were protecting the opposing party's interests.

When I work with an author on content editing, I seek to identify any areas where the intended meaning could be misconstrued, and we work together to rectify that.

Beyond that, I help the author improve sentences to help the reader follow along. Just because a very long sentence is grammatically correct does not mean a reader will stay with you until the end!

Content editing is largely about style and tone, and I also go ahead in this phase and begin correcting mechanics (grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation), which will help the proofreading phase go much more smoothly.

Think of developmental editing as working with the framework of the house: tweaking the architect's plans, solidifying the foundation, and putting the walls up and the roof on. We're making sure the rooms flow together in a logical order and in such a way that the guests entering feel at home right away. Literally, this deals with the overall organization, structure, and flow of your manuscript. (See section about developmental editing for more details).

Think of content editing as interior design and adjustments: changing paint colors to invoke the desired feel, rearranging pieces of furniture to make a room more functional and inviting, or adding little touches of decor to enhance the feel of the space. Literally, this deals with paragraph and sentence structure, tone, and clarity. Here at Precision Book Editing, content editing and line editing are included together as one service.

Click image to enlarge.

Traditionally, proofreading is the final read-through to verify the absence of errors in grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.

Copy editing is typically the process prior to this final read-through, in which errors are identified and corrected.

Here at Precision Book Editing, copy editing is included with the proofreading service. With this one service, I will review your manuscript, identify and correct (or suggest corrections for) all errors, and proofread the final draft to ensure correctness.

Proofreading does not include revising for style or clarity, restructuring, or reorganizing (see "content editing" for this level of revisions).

Yes! While there are various categories of editing, they can frequently overlap one another. To simplify things, here at Precision Book Editing:

✅ Line editing is included in the content editing service.

✅ Copy editing (checking for grammar, punctuation, spelling, and capitalization) is included in the proofreading service.

Precision Book Editing's Full-Service Formatting is designed to take your manuscript from a diamond in the rough to a polished gem ready for publishing.

This service includes formatting all aspects of your book's interior (black and white, text-only, unless Specialty Add-Ons have been purchased or a custom quote has been agreed upon to include graphics/photo placement).

This includes:

✅ Setting up the final document size, including page size, margins, and gutters, according to your printer's/publisher's specifications.

✅ Establishing typography--fonts, sizes, paragraph spacing, and justification--for various levels of text in your book (chapter titles, subheadings, paragraph text, etc.).

✅ Applying appropriate typography throughout.

✅ Adding page numbers throughout and ensuring proper placement (alternating left/right or centered, suppressed where needed, etc.).

✅ Adding page headers throughout (alternating book title/author name and chapter titles, as desired by author or as indicated by industry standards).

✅ Adding a Table of Contents (if desired).

✅ Placing front matter and back matter appropriately for the project (This might include the title page, copyright page,* Dedication, "About the Author" page, "More works by this author," or website or social media information).

Does not include:

The creation of an index; please see Specialty Add-Ons for this option.

*The creation of a copyright page, which is offered as a separate service if purchasing a la carte or Build-Your-Own. However, it is included in all three packages.

Every published book needs a copyright page. If for no other reason than to establish that you hold the copyright and to provide the relevant publication information, a copyright page is an essential component in the front matter of your book.

Furthermore, if you did not create the book's cover design entirely on your own, or if you have directly quoted Scripture from the Holy Bible in your book, then the copyright page is a valuable place to give proper credit where credit is due.

Reference the screenshot here of the copyright page for my novel, Maddie, Beloved. Because I directly quoted Scripture in the text, I needed to attribute credit as required by the versions I quoted. Because I wrote a fictional story, I decided to include the disclaimer about there being no intentional connection to real people. Because my son contributed to the artwork for the cover, I give him credit here for his drawing (even though I hold the copyright for the cover design). Finally, I provide the year of the book's creation (completion), I confirm that the copyright is held in my name, and I provide the standard publishing/ISBN information.

For Christian books that quote from the Bible, it is customary to designate on the copyright page which versions are used, which abbreviations indicate each version, and which authorization you are using the quotes under.

But isn't it free to quote the Bible?

Yes but no.

Yes, it is "free" in that you likely will not have to pay for a license to quote from the Bible.

No, it is not "free" in that you cannot simply quote to your heart's content without limitations or attribution (Keep reading).

Bible versions are published, copyrighted works. It may come as a surprise to you, but with very few exceptions (like the King James Version, which is now in the public domain), most versions of the Bible are protected by copyrights held by the publishers of those versions. However, most of these publishers have generous public use policies that allow verbatim quotes of their versions to be used in published works as long as you meet their criteria.

Attribution: There is almost always a stipulation that you provide credit per their specifically required verbiage on your copyright page. Additionally, there is almost always the requirement that you designate quoted verses from their version with a specific abbreviation (e.g., NKJV, NIV, NLT)--unless you have issued a blanket statement that all unmarked verses are from their version.

Limits: Some versions limit the amount of total verses from their version that you may quote in your work, and/or they limit the overall percentage of your work that can be comprised of quoted verses. In other words, you can't just copy/paste massive passages from their version into your book and add a few token commentaries to it. Their quoted text cannot be the bulk of your work.

Most authors will not come close to infringing on these boundaries, as long as they follow the attribution requirements. However, I encourage authors from the onset of writing your manuscript (1) to begin tracking which versions you are using and (2) to label each verse with the version it is from as you insert it in the manuscript. Trust me: It is much easier to compile this information from the beginning and as you go than it is to have to backtrack and try to look up versions after-the-fact!

Is this overwhelming? Don't worry. With my expanded copyright page service, which is included in all three packages and can also be purchased as an a la carte service, I take care of this for you! You tell me which versions you used and identify the versions for each verse; I research the attribution requirements from the publisher and insert it onto your copyright page for you.

Many authors want to write a great book, but they either forget or don't know that they're supposed to give proper credit to anyone they quote within their work.

My citation assistance services include:

✅ Working closely with the author to properly document all references used in your work. I will help identify where references are needed; the author will be responsible for providing me the necessary information for each source.

✅ Working with the author to select the appropriate method of citing these sources (e.g., footnotes at the bottom of the page or endnotes at the end of the chapter or at the very end of the book).

✅ Inserting footnotes and endnotes throughout your work, citing each source appropriately to ensure proper credit is given.

Your original book is a creation that you have put careful thought, labor, and intention into. You will likely want to protect your work by registering the copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office (Library of Congress).

Having copyrighted numerous original songs and books, I am very familiar with the process and nuances of filing a copyright registration.

My copyright registration assistance helps you by either walking you through the process so you can learn to do each step yourself or by doing the entire process for you--It's your preference. The steps include:

✅ Creating your account with the U.S. Copyright Office (if you do not already have one).

✅ Completing the online application to register a new work.

✅ Submitting payment of the registration fee (not included in the fee you pay Precision Book Editing).

✅ Submitting files of your book with your application.

✅ If necessary, I will respond to any follow-up inquiries the Copyright Office sends in relation to your filing.

Within several weeks of filing your registration, you will receive a certificate from the U.S. Copyright Office confirming your copyright registration.

Amazon KDP Setup for Print includes:

✅ Assisting you with the creation and setup of your Amazon KDP author account (if you do not already have one).

✅ Assisting with setting up your book listing inside of Amazon KDP and selecting proper parameters to prepare your book for paperback or hardcover publication.

✅ Assisting with selecting options for pricing and publishing on Amazon.

✅ Uploading final files to the Amazon KDP portal.

✅ Reviewing the digital proof inside of Amazon.

✅ Ordering a physical proof (if desired; this is an additional but nominal cost payable to Amazon for printing and shipping your proof).

✅ Submitting for publication.

Amazon KDP Setup for eBook includes:

✅ Assisting you with the creation and setup of your Amazon KDP author account (if you do not already have one).

✅ Assisting with setting up your book listing inside Amazon KDP to prepare for eBook publication.

✅ Assisting you with selecting options for pricing and publishing on Amazon.

✅ Uploading the eBook file to the Amazon KDP portal.

✅ Reviewing the digital proof inside Amazon.

✅ Submitting for publication.

Note: This service does not include the creation of your eBook file. This is a separate service available our a la carte menu; however, it is included in our Amazon KDP bundle as well as in the Platinum Package.

While I do not claim to be a professional graphic designer, I am able to provide basic cover design options for authors who find this a suitable option.

I have designed the covers for my books, Maddie, Beloved, and Equipped to Educate. I typically use simplified color palettes, stock photos for which I have the license or artwork to which I hold the copyright, and straightforward design.

My Platinum Package includes a basic cover design for your book.

Who is this for? Authors who are not very picky, who do not want to hire a designer, and/or who are working on a tight budget or tight deadline might find this a suitable option.

Who is this not for? Authors who are particular about graphic design or tend to ask for multiple revisions or adjustments to a design.