Line Editing

Line editing is all about how you use language to tell a story. Known in some quarters as stylistic editing, line editing is about polishing your prose.

While structural edits go into detail about how well the story flows, line edits are all about making sure the words flow.

Look at it this way. A structural edit is making sure your car starts and gets you where you want to go. A line edit is making sure the steering doesn’t drift and the windscreen wipers work.

A line editor will look at paragraph flow and word choice. If you’re writing historical fiction, they may also pick up on anachronisms.

What you can expect your line editing to address

Some people mistake line editing for proofreading, but it is not the same. Proofreading is concerned with whether you’ve spelled words correctly and used the right punctuation.

Line editing looks at how you’ve used words to tell the story. A line edit will address the following questions:

• What is the mood, tone, or emotion of a passage? Do the words successfully convey the intended tone?
• Are the sentences pleasurable to read?
• Can sentences be tightened up with fewer words which mean the same, or could add more punch?
• Has the writer fallen into using over-worn cliches?
• Is the point of view consistent?
• Does the writer overuse one particular word (known as crutch words)?
• Is there ‘passive voice’ that could be removed?

Choosing a Line Editor

Recommendations from other authors is an excellent place to start.

The line editor doesn’t necessarily have to be experienced in the style of fiction you write, but it can be an advantage – especially if you write any form of historical fiction, an experienced line editor will have a sixth sense for words which are anachronistic for that time period.

It is always important to book your editor in advance, or be prepared to wait.

Depending on the length of the manuscript, a line edit can take four to eight weeks once the editor has started work.

What about non-fiction titles?

Non-fiction titles benefit from line editing.  A specialist technical writer in your field would be a good person to start with.

How much does a Line Edit cost?

This can depend. Some editors charge a flat fee. Others charge differing amounts depending on word count.

This may be represented in one of two different ways.

• a X-dollar amount per 10,000 words, or
• 50,000-80,000 words is X-dollar amount; 81,000 to 100,000 words is Y-dollar amount, and so on.

You may be asked for the full payment upfront, or to pay a 50% deposit before work begins, or some editors may accept payment on completion.

How do I know if line editing is going to be good?

Your structural editor may also be your line editor. It is not a job which is typically done in a single pass, however.  Some editors which will deliver structural edits and line edits in a single round of editing, but this is rare.

If you choose to have someone else do your line edits, then ask for recommendations.

Ask your editor for references or they may offer to do a three chapter or a 5,000 word sample edit at a much reduced fee.

What happens next?

Once you’ve received the line edits, it is important to review them. Many authors will take the editor’s line edit notes and compile them into a personal guide. When they write their next manuscript, they will review the notes from the previous work and go through the manuscript to eliminate those errors.

Using line editor’s notes is a great way to help improve your writing craft.

The next step is copy editing.

If your copy editor is the same person who is your line editor you might receive a 10-20% discount on their regular fees.