Authors who have seen their books through publication know that if the manuscript has not been editing, the end may be quite far from sight. Editing involves much more than most people realize—it can run the gamut from advice about organization and point of view to checking for typos and misplaced commas.

The work can entail so many different activities that an entire vocabulary has evolved to describe different types of editing goals or tasks: content editing, production editing, formatting, style checking, proofreading, policy editing, and integrity editing, to name just a few. Common editing tasks can be broadly categorized as follows:

Substantive editing is reviewing the structure and flow of the manuscript. The editor will make suggestions to improve organization, fill in gaps, make adjustments for the intended audience, clarify key points, and so on. Substantive editing is sometimes called content editing or developmental editing.

Copyediting is probably the most loosely defined editing term. It usually involves checking for errors in grammar and spelling, but it can entail much more: clarity of expression; consistency of terminology and content details; consistency of style issues such as capitalization and headings; internal consistency of figures, tables, text and the table of contents—and more.

Proofreading is checking the formatted text for typos, misplaced punctuation, awkward page breaks, and so on.

Because there is much fluidity among these categories, it's important to consider your goals before you begin working with an editor. Be sure that you and your editor have a common understanding of the work to be performed. Ask for a detailed list of the tasks the editor expects to complete.

If your publisher is providing editing services, determine what level of editing they will provide. It is relatively rare for a publisher to provide more than light copyediting and proofreading. Because almost all manuscripts can benefit from more comprehensive editing, it's a good idea to plan your schedule and your budget for review by an editor before you submit your manuscript to the publisher. Don't be disheartened to learn that your hard-wrought text requires more work. When the editing is complete, you'll find that the rewards for you and your manuscript will be substantial.