When you submit your manuscript to Emerald Lake Books, part of our proposal process includes evaluating it to determine which type of editing makes the most sense for your specific manuscript.
There are three different levels of editing that we offer: line editing, content editing and development editing.
Line editing
A line edit is a light edit that looks for issues with:
- Spelling
- Grammar
- Capitalization
- Punctuation
- Numbers
- Abbreviations
- Logic and clarity
- Word usage and choice
Content Editing
A content edit provides a moderate edit that includes everything in a line edit, but also addresses issues with:
- Redundancies & inconsistencies
- Wordiness and/or triteness
- Vague generalizations
- Weak sentence style
- Clarity
- Tone
Development Editing
A development edit consists of the heaviest form of editing. It includes everything in a content edit, but at a much deeper level.
Sometimes, the entire structure of the book may be reworked to ensure the proper flow and to tie the author’s message throughout the book, leading readers from one page to the next. So, in addition to the content edit, it addresses the following issues:
- Organizational weakness & structure
- Flow
- Lack of focus
Our process
Books that we publish are actually edited a minimum of seven times, often by at least two different editors in addition to the author. Each round of editing focuses on different aspects of the writing to ensure that the finished book is as polished as possible.
Our initial editor goes through it a minimum of two times, referencing the Chicago Manual of Style as our primary guideline as well as applying our internal publisher guidelines.
Then our chief editor, Tara Alemany, goes through the manuscript a few more times, including reading the book aloud.
After that, the author is sent two PDFs: one showing all the changes and open questions and the other showing all of the changes accepted and questions deleted. This is referred to as a “clean copy” that the author can read to see how things are working for then. Eventually, the author and chief editor meet for editorial review sessions to go over any open questions or areas that either of them believes need more work.
Once those meetings are completed, the author and publisher each receive a printed proof for another round of editing and reviews. By the time those changes are incorporated, we feel fairly confident that all significant issues will be addressed. But we still do one more read through, just to make sure before the author signs off on the interior files for the book.
As a result of this rigorous editing process, our books are commonly recognized as being high-quality products.
