When to hire an editor: a guide to the different editing stages

You’ve written your first draft of your adventure – maybe it’s about your thru-hike of Te Araroa or your ascent of Denali. Hooray! You just need to run your story through a spell check and it’s ready to go, right?

Not quite. 

I love your enthusiasm, but your first draft is not what readers want. Readers don’t even want your second draft. We’ve got more work to do to get your story up to the quality that readers expect and that your story deserves.

Let’s consider when to hire an editor for the three main stages: developmental editing, copyediting, and proofreading.

Developmental editing: refining the structure 

The best time to consider developmental editing is when you’ve completed your manuscript and you’ve done all you can to refine the overall story and structure. You might be confident that you’ve got a solid story, but you might also have a feeling that something isn’t quite right. Maybe you can’t put your finger on exactly what’s wrong, but you know the story isn’t working as well as it could be.

Don’t ignore that feeling. If you can sense something is off with your manuscript, your readers will definitely notice it too.

Signs you’re ready for developmental editing:

• You’ve completed your draft but know something fundamental isn’t working.
• Beta readers are giving you conflicting or confusing feedback.
• You feel stuck and don’t know how to improve the overall story.
• The narrative feels flat or the people you’ve written about seem one-dimensional.
• The story feels like its dragging.

This is the time to bring in a developmental editor. They approach your work from a reader’s perspective, but importantly, they analyse the big-picture elements: narrative structure, character development (yes, even for non-fiction and memoir), pacing, and overall narrative flow. They’ll identify what’s working and what isn’t, then provide concrete suggestions to strengthen your story’s foundation.

Common issues developmental editors address:

• Plot holes or inconsistencies in the narrative.
• Side quests that don’t serve the main narrative.
• Pacing problems in specific chapters or sections.
• Structural issues with beginning, middle, or end.

These are substantial issues that need addressing before you move on to fine-tuning individual sentences and paragraphs.

Full disclosure: I don’t offer developmental editing, but I know great editors who do. So if you’re looking for this hands-on editing, still give me a shout because I can put you in touch with people who do great work.

Bonus step: manuscript evaluation – your mini developmental edit

Before diving into full developmental editing, you can consider a manuscript evaluation. This is a comprehensive evaluation that gives you a guide for revision without the detailed feedback of developmental editing.

When to consider a manuscript evaluation:

• You’re on a budget and need to prioritise which areas to focus on.
• You’ve finished your draft but aren’t sure what needs work.
• You want professional feedback before investing in full developmental editing.
• You’ve received conflicting feedback from beta readers and need clarity.

A manuscript evaluation provides a bird’s-eye view of your story’s strengths and weaknesses. Unlike developmental editing, which includes detailed suggestions and sometimes rewrites, an evaluation focuses on identifying problems and providing suggestions so you can make revisions yourself.

What manuscript evaluations typically include:

• Overall story structure and narrative analysis
• Character presentation analysis
• Pacing assessment
• Genre expectations
• Priority list of issues to address in revision

This type of feedback is particularly valuable for new writers who want professional guidance but may not be ready to invest in a full developmental edit. It’s also helpful for experienced writers trying a different narrative approach.

A manuscript evaluation can save you time and money by helping you focus your revision efforts on the most critical issues first. Once you’ve addressed the major structural concerns identified in the assessment, you’ll be better positioned to benefit from developmental editing or move directly to copy editing, depending on your manuscript’s needs.

If this sounds like what you need, check out my manuscript evaluations

Copyediting: Fine-tuning your story at the sentence level

The ideal time to hire copyeditor is when you’ve taken your manuscript as far as you can on your own. You’ve implemented feedback from beta readers, addressed any developmental issues, and polished the story until you feel stuck.

Signs you’re ready for copyediting:

• You’re forever tinkering with individual words and commas.
• You’re obsessing over minor formatting details.
• You’ve read the same paragraph over and over and can’t improve it.
• You’re second-guessing word choices.

These are the signs that you’re ready for a fresh pair of eyes. At this stage, you’re too close to your work to see it objectively.

A copyeditor like me will focus on the details at the sentence and paragraph level. I can spot areas where your prose can be strengthened, identify descriptions that could be bolder or more vivid, and help make your dialogue sound more natural and realistic. I’ll also catch inconsistencies in tone, style, and voice that you might have missed.

What copyeditors improve:

• Sentence structure and flow between paragraphs and chapters.
• Word choice and vocabulary precision.
• Dialogue that sounds natural and character-specific.
• Descriptions that are vivid but not overwritten.
• Consistency in narrative voice and tone.
• Cutting out redundant or unnecessary phrases.

These are the details that boost your storytelling and fix issues that could distract readers from your story.

Sound like you? Check out my adventure edit

Proofreading: the final polish

Proofreading comes at the very end of the editing process, after all developmental and copy editing revisions have been completed. This is your final quality check before publication.

When to hire a proofreader:

• Your manuscript has been through all other editing stages
• The manuscript has been formatted for publication
• You’re ready for the final check for any remaining typos or formatting errors before going live

Hire a proofreader when your manuscript has been through all other editing stages and you’re confident in the content and structure. The proofreader’s job is to catch any remaining typos, formatting errors, or minor inconsistencies that slipped through previous rounds of editing. 

It’s not the time for rewrites or tinkering.

What proofreaders catch:

• Spelling errors and typos
• Punctuation mistakes
• Funky formatting issues
• Page numbering or header issues
• Issues with your front matter and end matter (like your contents page and acknowledgements)

Proofreading typically happens after your manuscript has been formatted for publication, whether that’s for print or digital release. Changes are marked up on the designed PDF, so the designer can import the changes to their file.

It’s your last line of defence against those sneaky errors can sneak through the editing process.

If I’ve been involved with the copyedit, I’m not the best person to proofread your story. Like you, I’ll miss details because I’ve been so involved with the text. I know great proofreaders, so if this is you, get in touch and I’ll give you their details.

You can also get yourself a copy of the Proofreading Checklist. I developed this to help authors navigate this final stage of the publishing process. It covers how to proofread your own manuscripts, and it’s full of the tricks I use when I’m proofreading.

At the proofreading stage? Get yourself the Proofreading Checklist

The value of professional eyes

Regardless of which stage you’re at, professional editors bring objectivity to your manuscript. When you’ve been working on a story for months or years, you lose the ability to see it clearly. You know what you meant to write, which can make you miss what you actually wrote.

An experienced editor approaches your work without judgement, reading it as your eventual audience will. We can identify problems you haven’t thought to look out for and suggest solutions that might never have occurred to you.

The best time to hire an editor is when you’re ready to take that next step toward publication, whether you’re feeling stuck in revision or you can’t see the story for the commas.

If you’re not sure whether you’re ready for professional editing, talk to me. We’ll figure out what’s most appropriate, and if I’m not the right editor, I’ll help find someone who is. 

Happy writing!