What Is Line Editing?

As mentioned in yesterday’s post, no matter how you publish your book, you may need an editor. But do you need a developmental, substantive, copy, or line editor? Today, Claire Petrie, who works with me at CopyWright Communications, continues the discussion and defines the role of a line editor. NA

When authors engage the skills of a line editor, they want more than what a copy editor provides. (Strictly speaking, a copy editor is responsible for proper spelling, punctuation, grammar, and formatting.) A line editor makes sure not only that all these elements are employed, but she also brings order and flow to the writer’s language, providing smooth and articulate phrasing in the text. A line editor looks for consistency of voice within a paragraph as well as in a given line. Your sentences and paragraphs must “hang together,” articulating clear thinking, consistency in language, meaning, and style, and, in the case of fiction, the features and personalities of the characters, their thinking and their use of language must be maintained consistently throughout..(To read the rest of this blog post, please click here.)