Editor is a funny word. Until I was looking for an editor for my dissertation, I didn’t realize how many different types of editors there are. Below I’ll describe what each type of editor does and how they support academics throughout their careers.

Some faculty may not realize that lots of their colleagues hire various sorts of editors. When I first started as an academic, I did not realize that faculty got editorial assistance throughout their careers.

After looking at our own work for the weeks and months it takes to draft, we lose our ability to catch mistakes because we read what we meant to say rather than what the draft actually says. This is why, even though I provide developmental editing services, I still hire editors for my own writing! I’ve hired editors for articles, book proposals, grant proposals, promotion & tenure documents, and other works along the way.

My point is there is no shame in getting an editor for your work – at any stage that will help you improve your work! Read on for various types of editors I’ve worked with in my career.

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Copy Editor

When most people think of an editor this is probably what comes to mind. A person that reads your work, red pen in hand, and corrects “all of the mistakes.” Copy editors focus on sentence and word level errors in a manuscript. They make sure you’ve used the correct their (they’re, there), spelled words correctly, and used the correct punctuation.

In addition, copy editors also help you eliminate other problems in your text. For example, an effective copy editor will spot potentially offensive (i.e., sexist, abelist, etc. ) language and recommend revisions. They’ll also be on the look out for redundancies, cliché, passive or unclear constructions.

Many copy editors can also ensure your document conforms to the submission guidelines for your target journal. They may review table formatting, citations, heading styles, and margins and page number placement.

When to Seek a Copy Editor

Because copy editors work at the sentence and word level, it’s best to engage them at the end of the project after all major revisions are complete. I usually hire the copy editor, when I feel like my work is “almost ready” to submit for peer review. I let them check for those “pesky” final details and adjustments.

Once I get my copy edited document back, I review all of the changes, and accept or reject the suggestions. I usually accept almost all of them.

Then I send my document off for review.

Even though this is the last step before I submit a paper for peer review, I mention it first because this is what I used to think all editors did – and what many of my colleagues think all editors do.

Line Editing

Line editing is similar to copy editing and many editors provide both copy and line editing services. Whereas copy editing is primarily concerned with sentence and word level editing, line editing aims to improve paragraph and sentence level aspects of a text. There is some overlap between the two types of editing.

When I first hired an editor for my dissertation, I didn’t really know what I should expect from the editor I hired. I’d never worked with one. My dissertation editor occasionally commented on grammatical or sentence level errors or concerns (e.g., copy editing). However, most of what she did was point out when my writing was unclear. Sometimes she recommended revisions, other times she asked questions to seek clarification. She identified when the organization of a paragraph could be improved, and when I used terms inconsistently throughout my draft. This type of editing is usually classified as line editing.

When to Seek Line Editing

As I mentioned, line editing is often provided along with other types of editorial services or packages (see copy editing above and developmental editing below). That doesn’t mean that it always happens at the same time as other services. Because it’s focused on the writing at a broader view than copy editing and a more discrete level than with developmental editing (below), you may seek this type of editing as an intermediary step.

Most of the time when I’m hiring an editor for a journal article or book chapter, I hire someone to do both copy editing and line editing at the same time. You may prefer these types of edits to be completed separately with line edits followed by your revisions, and then a final round of copy edits.

Last Stop Editors

Journal Editor

If you’ve ever submitted an article for review, you’ve interacted with this type of editor – or maybe their associate or assistant.

Often, because the word editor is in this job title, new scholars may think this person will provide similar services as a copy or line editor. Generally journal editors do not provide editorial services in the ways we’ve been discussing.

A journal editor’s primary responsibility lies in soliciting articles for possible publication, determining if an article meets the minimal standards for peer-review, sending the article for peer-review, and then determining based on peer-review the outcome of the submitted article.

This person is the one who makes final decisions for which articles are accepted, accepted with major/minor revisions, or rejected. The journal editor also manages the revise and resubmit process for the journal, and then often schedules accepted articles for publication.

Acquisitions Editor

The other type of editor you may send your work to is an acquisitions editor. Similar to journal editors, acquisitions editors are not generally directly involved in assisting you in improving your manuscript.

Acquisitions Editors work for book publishers, and their primary aim is to identify books the press may want to publish. An author usually submits a book proposal to the acquisitions editor at a publisher. The acquisitions editor, if they feel the book is a good fit for the press and has potential, they’ll discuss it among colleagues at the press. This editor will send the book proposal (or entire manuscript) out for peer review, then they’ll manage sharing reader reports with the author. The acquisitions editor shepherds the project through the press to a contract. To learn a bit more about talking to acquisitions editors, check out this informative post by Laura Portwood-Stacer or her book The Book Proposal Book.

First Stop: Developmental Editor

A developmental editor works at the level of the manuscript as a whole. Developmental editors may come very early in a process – before you’ve completed a full draft, or after you’ve received peer reviews.

Developmental editors assess the argument, evidence & analysis, structure, and style of a manuscript. After their assessment they’ll recommend specific revisions. They’ll keep in mind your publication and career goals and revision timeline.

The assessment and revision plan usually takes the form of a multi-page editorial letter. It may also include in-text comments and suggestions throughout your document.

When to Get a Developmental Editor

Developmental editors can be involved at different points of your writing process. Here are just a few times you might want to engage a developmental editor.

• You’re trying to turn part of your dissertation into an article.
• You’re trying to transform your dissertation into a book.
• You’re writing a grant.
• You’re crafting your promotion and tenure packet.
• You have a book proposal that you want to be as strong as possible.
• You’ve got peer-review notes and feedback, but you’re not sure how to address the feedback.
• You’ve got a general idea for what you want to publish and you have some writing, but you’re not sure how to turn it into something publishable.

In addition to specific points of the publication journey, you might also want to hire a developmental editor if:

• You’d like support ensuring your argument is clear and is a through-line for the entire manuscript (an article, chapter, or entire book).
• You want to make sure you’ve given sufficient evidence for your claims and argument, and that the your analysis is clearly explained.
• You want to structure the manuscript to guide your reader on a path through your work.
• You want to give the vibe of confidence and competence without being condescending or alienating.

I’ve mostly contracted developmental editors for book proposal writing and revising and developing grant proposals. Most of my developmental editing experience, however, is with journal articles and book chapters for compiled volumes.

Extra Details on Process & Costs

Of course you don’t need to engage an editor for support with your project. Some people never get editorial assistance with their work beyond journal editors (and publishers). Many people swap papers with a colleague to get feedback on their work. I have done this lots of times myself; however, hiring a professional who’s getting paid to support me and my project is a valuable investment in my career that I’m willing to pay for.

With my own work, I’m willing to pay for copy and line editing for a few reasons. First, I know that after reading my work multiple times, I may overlook word, sentence, and paragraph level problems.

• I don’t like dealing with “pesky” formatting details (i.e., tables, reference lists, heading levels, etc.).
• I usually pay for this type of editorial assistance before submitting any article or book chapter for review.
• I have also paid for this type of editing support when submitting grant proposals and conference proposals.

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve worked with developmental editors on book and grant proposals. Since grants and book publishing are activities directly related to promotion criteria, paying for this support is an investment in my future career advancement and earning potential.

Booking an Editor

Some editors have a completely asynchronous booking process. You’ll send an email or submit a form with information about your project and they’ll give you an estimate. Then you’ll set deadlines for when you’ll send them your work – to book a time on their calendar. They’ll do the work and then send it back to you.

Other editors offer initial zoom meetings to learn about your project and what you’re hoping to get from the editor. They may also offer a follow-up zoom consultation to discuss the editorial letter.

Some editors book their calendars based on the projects they’ve committed to working on. In this case authors are expected to provide a manuscript at or before the assigned calendar slot (usually a week or 2 time frame, depending on the type of editing and length of the project). Other editors work on a first-in-first-out (FIFO) basis. This means that when you submit your work, you’ll be in line waiting for the editor to finish their other work before they get to your project.

You might need to consider how you’d feel most comfortable working. It’s always a good idea to get recommendations from colleagues who’ve had good experiences with editors when you’re looking for your own.

The Editorial Process

After finding the editor you need (word of mouth is an excellent way to begin finding an editor), you’ll submit your document usually in MS Word or google docs format. The editor will use the track-changes and commenting functionality to edit your document so you can clearly identify the recommended changes.

It’s important to note that with any type of editor, they may not be an expert in your field; so, you should review their work to ensure everything is correct and what you want to communicate to your readers.

Costs

The Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) provides median rates for various types of editing on their website. These are medians, and may not accurately reflect rates for editing services in your area, or if your work is highly technical or specialized since that takes additional time. Editors may price their services by the manuscript word count, pages (250/page), hourly, or in some other way.

Generally, copy editing is less expensive than line editing, which is less expensive than developmental editing.

EFA says the median price for copy editing is $41-45 per hour with a median speed of 4-6 pages per hour. Line editing may go up to $45 per hour (or it may just take longer, but be at the same rate). For academic articles, book chapters, or similarly length documents, you can expect to pay between $100 – $300 for copy and line editing.

Developmental editing is a more involved process and will take additional time for the editor to review the entire manuscript, keep all of the moving parts in mind as they assess the work, and then craft a multi-page assessment and revision plan. For a journal article, or a book chapter you may pay $300 – $600. For an academic book proposal you can expect to pay between $600 and $3000 depending on the level and type of services you’re receiving (i.e., does it include regular coaching and consultations).

Many editors accept institutional payments. So, you might be able to pay with grant, start-up, or other professional institutional funding. The editor will want confirmation from your institution that payment is approved before beginning work.

Often, especially if it’s the first time you’re working together and you’re not using institutional funds, you’ll need to pay your invoice before the editor sends you their work. Some editors will require a deposit to book time in their editorial calendar. And then you’ll pay the rest when they’ve completed the work.

Essential Editing with Kimberly

I have limited availability for editing services. I specialize in developmental editing services for faculty evaluation materials and manuscripts (8000-10,000 words) in the social sciences To learn more contact me.

I’ve completed coursework in developmental editing and book proposal coaching (I’ve not completed the certification process). If you’re interested in learning more about editing services, or coaching around your writing process, please schedule a Questions with Kimberly zoom call.