What Does a Book Editor Do? Roles, Passes and What You Get Back

“Editor” covers several jobs, and at a publishing house some of them involve very little editing of sentences. This guide explains who does what, what each level changes, what you get back at the end, how an editor works through a book, and what they won’t do. It ends with a brief builder, so your editor starts with what they need. Our book editing services cover all four levels.

Book editors at publishers vs editors you hire

At a traditional publisher, “editor” is several jobs. When you self-publish, you hire freelance editors for the editing and handle the rest yourself or with a publishing service.

At many trade publishers, the editor who acquires your book also gives big-picture and line-level notes, while copy editing and proofreading often go to freelancers or a separate in-house team. Interested in the job itself? See how to become a book editor.

What each editing level does to your manuscript

Freelance editing usually comes in four levels, run in this order, though line and copy editing are sometimes combined. Each one reads for something different and leaves other things alone.

For side-by-side comparisons, see editing vs proofreading, line editing vs copy editing and copy editing vs proofreading. Our book editing page shows the four editing levels on a sample page.

What you get back from an editor

What lands in your inbox depends on the level. Here’s what each deliverable looks like.

You also get a clean copy with every change accepted. For what goes into a developmental letter, see our developmental edit page.

How an editor works through a manuscript

Editors differ, but many work in passes rather than fixing everything at once.

1. Read straight through. Many developmental editors read the whole manuscript before writing their main feedback.
2. Mark up. Notes on what works and what doesn’t, chapter by chapter.
3. Edit. Line and copy editors work line by line in tracked changes, and copy editors build a style sheet of their decisions as they go.
4. Query. Questions go to you in comments wherever only you know the answer.
5. Clean-up read. A last pass over their own changes, to catch anything they introduced.

Then the file comes back to you to review. Our book editing services page walks through the booking steps, from sample edit to final files. Your own self-editing passes before the edit make each level go further.

What a book editor won’t do

• Rewrite your book. Editors suggest and fix; writing new chapters for you is ghostwriting, a different job.
• Guarantee publication or sales. No editor can promise a book deal or readers.
• Fact-check every claim, unless you book it. The Editorial Freelancers Association lists fact-checking as a separate service.
• Design or format the book. Turning the file into pages is interior formatting.
• Fix structure during a proofread. Each level does its own job. For your own final check, use our proofreading checklist.
• Make the final call. Every change is a suggestion you can accept or reject.

What to tell your editor before the edit

The more your editor knows about your book and readers, the better the edit fits. Fill in what you can, then copy the brief into your email. Nothing is saved or sent.

Editor brief

Genre and subgenre:
Word count:
Who it's for:
Two or three comparable books:
Edit levels booked:
What worries you most:
Style choices to keep:
Earlier feedback:
Deadline or launch date:

When to get help

If you’re unsure which level your book needs, a sample edit answers that before you pay for the whole book.

• $49 sample edit: up to 1,000 words edited in tracked changes, with a short note on which levels your draft needs.
• Each level booked separately, priced by genre and word count on our book editing page.

One lead editor handles the edit, with a fresh proofreader for the final check.

Frequently asked questions

Does an editor change the story?

A developmental editor may suggest story changes, such as cutting a subplot, moving a reveal or giving a character a clearer goal. They suggest; you decide and do the rewriting. Line editors, copy editors and proofreaders work on the wording, not the plot or structure. If an editor starts rewriting scenes for you, the job has moved closer to ghostwriting.

What’s the difference between an editor and a ghostwriter?

An editor works on a manuscript you wrote, suggesting changes and fixing errors. A ghostwriter writes the book in your voice, from your ideas, interviews or notes, and you get the credit. Rewriting large parts of a manuscript goes beyond standard editing, so agree the scope and price before work starts.

Do editors read the whole manuscript before editing?

Many developmental editors do, because structure is hard to judge without seeing the whole book. Line and copy editors work through the text from page one, keeping a style sheet as they go, and some read through first to get a feel for the voice. Proofreaders work through the laid-out pages in order, often checking them against the edited file.

Can I disagree with my editor’s changes?

Yes. Every tracked change is a suggestion, and you can reject any of them. If you disagree with a note, ask why the editor made it: the reason often points to a real problem, even if their fix isn’t the right one. Grammar corrections are different; reject those only when you’re breaking a rule on purpose.

Related reading

• How to become a book editor
• What is a beta reader? (Alpha vs beta readers)
• Editing vs proofreading: what’s the difference?