Book editing is the process of preparing a book for publication, either traditional or self-published. The book editing process involves developmental editing, copyediting, and proofreading.
Developmental editing is the process in which a manuscript is assessed for wider structural issues and plot holes. The developmental editor will read the manuscript and look to make suggestions to lift the story to the next level. The developmental editor will be looking for several potential problems.
Copyediting is the process of removing typos and mistakes from a manuscript. The copy editor will work at a sentence level, making changes to words and punctuation. They will also be looking to apply consistency throughout the novel. They will ensure that the correct approach is applied to each sentence and paragraph.
A proofreading ensures that no additional errors have been added to a manuscript when it is converted to either print-ready PDF or digital format. A proofread will typically happen after a copy edit and once the files have been converted.