What's the difference?
Step (1) Developmental Editing
The first step in the process; if you are an author and can afford it, is to approach a Developmental Editor. He or she is an individual who will look at your masterpiece and give you some direction about the way to arrange your book or story so that it flows well, what parts to write a bit more about and what parts to shorten; how to present your characters for maximum impact, or he/she may recommend that you change the order of chapters to make the book flow better; and so on.
If you are a student, or a graduate student doing a thesis, you can skip this step because your supervisor or professor will critique your thesis and assist you to comply with the guidelines laid down by the institution you are studying at.
Step (2) Proofreading or Copy-Editing
The next step for authors is to submit your book or story to either a Proofreader or a Copy Editor. A proofreader will correct your grammar, spelling and other grammatical errors.
Step (3) Copy Editing
A Copy Editor will correct your grammar, spelling, syntax, flow of language, remove repetition and will ensure that your unique style and voice, as an author is retained and that your book or thesis is perfect, error-free and ready for publication on any platform such as Amazon (in ebooks, which means that you retain ownership of your document); or in the case of theses; for presentation to your professor or your supervisor at university.
An experienced copy editor will correct your grammar, spelling, syntax, flow of language, remove repetition, and will ensure that your unique voice, as an author is retained and that your book or thesis is perfect, error free and ready for publication on any platform such as Amazon (in ebooks, which means that you retain ownership of your document), your professor or your supervisor at university.
Brenda and I, owners of Busy Bee Editing recommend that you take the copy-editing route, as copy editing offers you a very comprehensive, deep-dive editing experience that will stand up well against critical scrutinity; and because it is so comprehensive, will give you the peace of mind of knowing that your writing is as perfect as it can be, with the lowest risk of plagiarism, with very good value for your money.
The other recommendation we make is that if your budget is tight, you submit your manuscript to Amazon first as they will pay you per click from day one. They will also advertise your book by displaying the cover as part of their marketing program. In that way, you can keep your costs low; and then later on, if your book or story does well, having already established a track record with Amazon, you can approach a major publisher to publicise your book, using book signings, display in bookshops, submit it to book clubs and so-on.
Finally, Step (4) - Proofreading. If you have the budget, you can ask a proofreader to do a final check on spelling, grammar etc. to polish your manuscript before approaching a publisher.
Take that first step - Just start writing!
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