What level of editing do you REALLY need for your fantasy novel?

Congratulations! You’ve finished your manuscript or you’re within touching distance now — that’s a huge accomplishment so let’s just take a moment to celebrate that. Many writers never even make it that far, let alone get to the point where they’re researching what stages of professional editing their manuscript really needs.

The world of editing can be overwhelming and confusing for many indie and self publishing authors. That’s why in this guide, I aim to break down each stage with what it actually involves, the pros and cons of each stage, and who actually needs each level — believe it or not, not every author will require every level of editing.

Lets dive deeper…

Once your manuscript is complete, it’s normal for authors to go through several stages of self editing and revisions. Your first draft is very rarely the version that gets sent to beta readers and/or editors.

But what happens after the self edits and numerous rewrites? And what level of editing is right for you?

The typical sequence of editing involves:

• Self edits and first revisions
• Peer based beta reading and/or critique partners
• Developmental editing
• Professional beta reading
• Line/Copy editing
• Proofreading

Not every author or every manuscript will need every stage of editing. However, while some stages can be skipped or done yourself, other stages are non-negotiable. Below, I explain what stages are a must and why, along with the stages that can be skipped and by who, especially for those on a tight budget.

Editing can be costly, so if you’re looking to see where you could potentially save costs, keep reading.

Self editing and first revisions

The first stage in the editing process, done by the author themselves. This is a pretty self-explanatory but non-negotiable stage.

Completed by almost every author naturally, this is the first time your finished manuscript undergoes rewriting. How drastic that is, is unique to each author and manuscript. But whatever experience level or skill the author has, this remains as the first stage of editing before anyone else even sets eyes on it.

Pros of self editing

• Free
  • Editing can be a costly investment but self edits are completely free. So the more you can catch and revise and rewrite yourself, the more money you can save in the long run.
• Full creative control
  • While self editing, you keep 100% creative control over what stays, what goes, your author voice, everything. While all professional editing should aim to preserve your author voice and creativity, some editors can over edit and jeopardise this.
• Deepens your craft and skill
  • The more you self edit, the more you learn about story craft — the science behind storytelling rather than the art. The more you self edit, the more you’ll learn about story structure, character arcs, pacing, etc through real hands-on experience.
• Faster turnaround
  • Self edits take as long as it takes you to edit. There’s no waiting to find suitable and compatible beta readers or editors, no waiting for them to have a slot available, no waiting for their feedback. Self edits go at your pace.

Cons of self editing

• Blind spots
  • It’s easy to miss plot holes, weak characters, pacing issues and moments in your story that drag or feel boring when you’re the author and you’ve been working on the same manuscript for months if not years. When you virtually know every chapter word for word. Sometimes, you can be too close to your own work to view it objectively making spotting errors difficult.
• Time intensive
  • Although the turnaround is literally in your hands and can often be quicker than other stages of editing, it is still time intensive depending on how much rewriting and revisions are needed. Many authors struggle juggling full time work, family life, and making time for writing. So when it comes to self editing, it’s easy to understand this is where many authors lose momentum — self editing just doesn’t have the same magic as the writing stage to keep many writers motivated.
• Limited objectivity
  • If a character needs killing off for example to benefit the plot, it can be hard to see in your own work. It can also be extremely difficult to spot overused character tropes or cliches in your own writing.
• Risk of over-editing
  • It’s not an uncommon trap for many authors to find themselves in: chasing perfection. However, endless tweaking and editing can make a manuscript lose its spark or voice. Not only that, but you stay stuck in the self editing phase and your manuscript doesn’t even reach beta readers let alone publication.

Bottom line

Self editing is NOT optional for any author — it is the foundation that makes future editing affordable and effective. Skipping this stage almost always leads to higher costs in the long run, more major rewrites, and a weaker final book.

Peer beta readers / critique partners

Peer beta readers and critique partners are fellow writers, readers, or trusted individuals–often within the writing community–who voluntarily read your manuscript (or parts of it) and provide feedback in exchange for the same, or as mutual support.

Who needs peer beta readers / critique partners?

Nearly all authors benefit from peer feedback at some point, especially writers on a tight budget or those who are early on in their journey–particularly first or second time authors. Peer feedback can be invaluable for less experienced writers before they start investing money in professional editing, potentially saving them hundreds of pounds.

Writers struggling with motivation can also benefit from peer feedback or critique partners–entering into an agreement where you get feedback in exchange for providing it to someone else can help keep writers inspired, motivated, and accountable.

Peer beta reading can also be highly beneficial for authors who are confident in their story structure and craft, but want feedback on how their manuscript lands with readers before they start their investment into professional editing.

The only authors who can realistically skip this step are those with very strong self editing skills and access to professional editors and professional beta readers from the start (ie those with larger budgets).

Pros of peer beta readers / critique partners

• Free or very low cost
  • Peer beta reading and/or critique partners are generally free, or the price is reciprocal feedback; an “I’ll beta read for you if you beta read for me” type deal.
• Multiple perspectives
  • Having multiple beta readers means there is more chance of multiple issues being identified. One reader may raise issues concerning character inconsistencies while another may find a plot hole that another reader completely missed.
• A sense of community
  • Finding peer beta readers usually happens within writing communities which can be a great way to help keep momentum and motivation once you’ve finished writing. The editing stages are the hardest and having a community around you can help when things feel slow or never-ending.
• Early feedback
  • While you may be too close to spot obvious holes or gaps in your story, peer beta readers won’t be. They’ll help catch obvious big picture problems which you can fix before investing your money and trust in professional editing. This allows the next stages to focus on the more nuanced and less obvious issues, rather than stating the obvious, saving you time and money in the long run.

Cons of peer beta readers / critique partners

• Scarcity
  • Finding beta readers is notoriously difficult at the best of times. But finding good beta readers? It’s like finding a needle in a haystack. You have nothing to judge their credentials on, nothing to tell whether they’re a good fit for you and your manuscript, and generally, because it’s so hard to find a willing beta reader, many authors are forced to accept anyone who’s willing–choice is not a luxury most authors have when it comes to choosing beta readers for their manuscript.
• Inconsistent quality
  • The quality of beta readers can be vast. Some provide high quality, valuable feedback that can make a huge difference to your manuscript. While others try to push their own styles and preferences over respecting your author voice and style, while others just miss the point of beta reading entirely and provide next to no useful feedback.
• Time consuming
  • As mentioned earlier, finding beta readers can be hard work. It can take weeks and weeks to find one. And when you do? It can still take weeks if not months for them to read and provide their feedback. It can feel infuriatingly slow. If you’re lucky enough to find several high quality beta readers quickly and get their feedback in a reasonable time, hold on to them for future manuscripts because unfortunately, that isn’t the experience of most authors! Peer beta readers have no responsibility or accountability to deliver in a set timeframe, unlike a professional beta reader or editor who will have provided you with a contract, keeping them accountable to deliver in a specified time (usually 3-8 weeks depending on the level of editing).
• Risk of conflicting advice
  • Who do you know who to trust when it comes to peer beta readers? If one says your ending is boring but another loves it, who should you believe? When you’re given the likes and dislikes but not the why’s, it can be hard to know which advice to follow. Many peer beta readers feedback the what, but often lack the why making conflicting advice even more the harder to decipher.
• Potential for personal conflict
  • While some authors would never dream of handing over their manuscripts to family or friends to beta read, for others, that’s their first step. Allowing another set of eyes on your story can be an incredibly vulnerable and scary thing to do. So if you do let friends or family read your manuscript–especially with the view of giving feedback–you need to be prepared for what they might say. While overly positive feedback isn’t particularly useful, too blunt or personal feedback can risk damaging relationships especially if you feel particularly vulnerable handing over your manuscript. It’s hard sometimes to remember that non-writers often don’t appreciate how vulnerable it can be for many authors to let someone else read their work.

Bottom line

Peer beta readers / critique partners can be highly valuable to authors–especially indie and self publishing authors who are trying to keep costs low. But finding good beta readers is HARD.

While not a replacement for professional editing, peer beta readers and critique partners are the next best step after self editing if you are lucky enough to find quality ones.

Developmental editing

Developmental editing (often also called Structural Editing), is an in-depth big picture review of your manuscript, focusing on the craft of your storytelling. For instance: plot structure and pacing, character arcs and motivations, world building (logic and immersion), point of view, overall story cohesion, and genre fit / market expectations.

With developmental editing, you should expect to receive an editorial letter anywhere from 10-30 pages long with specific suggestions and issues relating to your manuscript. So not only will the editor identify issues, but they’ll make suggestions to fix them which often includes major rewrites. Alongside an editorial letter, they’ll also provide inline comments usually via Track Changes in Word with suggestions/comments on certain areas.

A developmental edit should also include what’s working well as well as highlighting big picture issues.

Who needs developmental editing?

Developmental editing is the first stage of professional editing but is also optional. So if it’s a stage that can be skipped, how do you know if you need it?

The authors who will most benefit from DE include:

• Authors who have finished a first or second draft and know that the story has significant structural or character issues and need help fixing them.
• Authors who want expert guidance on major rewrites due to issues with plot holes, character arcs, pacing problems, inconsistent world building etc.
• Authors looking for the traditional publishing route–agents and publishers often expect a strong structure before submission.
• Indie authors with a larger budget who want the strongest possible foundation before professional beta reading or proofreading.
• Authors who have received mixed or confusing feedback and need professional help to diagnose the root of the problem(s).

Who DOESN’T need developmental editing?

As mentioned earlier, while DE is the first stage of professional editing, not all authors need it. Those who can typically get away with skipping this stage include:

• Authors with very strong self editing skills and a solid understanding of story structure and craft.
• Authors on a tight budget who have received lots of useful and reliable feedback from peer beta readers.
• Authors whose manuscript is already structurally sound.

Pros of developmental editing

• Expert structural critique
  • A DE can identify deep issues you may not be able to diagnose yourself or that you may not know how to actually fix.
• Specific, actionable solutions
  • A DE won’t just tell you what’s wrong, but it will give you suggestions on how to fix each issue, often with multiple or specific examples.
• Can save time and money
  • If a DE identifies major issues, then it could save you time and money in the long run. Major rewrites are easier and cheaper to do before other stages of editing ie copy editing or proofreading.
• Helps build craft knowledge
  • Because a DE focuses on the craft of storytelling rather than the art, receiving a DE can be invaluable in terms of teaching you about the craft itself. A comprehensive DE can help you learn the concepts of story structure, character arcs, pacing plus more through detailed feedback that’s specific to your story. No course or book will come quite as close.

Cons of developmental editing

• Expensive
  • Developmental editing is by far the most expensive stage of professional editing. For a full novel, you can expect to pay in the region of £800-£3,000 which just isn’t feasible for a lot of indie and self publishing authors who are often on a tight budget.
• Time consuming
  • As to be expected, a comprehensive 30 page editorial letter plus inline comments and suggestions doesn’t come quickly. For a DE, you should expect a turnaround of approximately 6-12 weeks. Add to that the time then spent implementing the changes and completing the rewrites.
• Not always necessary
  • As mentioned earlier, this stage is often skipped by many successful indie and self publishing authors. A full developmental edit may not be necessary if you’re already strong at the craft of storytelling, skilled at self editing, and have had multiple beta rounds which have produced useful feedback.

Bottom Line

Developmental editing is extremely powerful but optional for most indie and self publishing authors. While the first stage in professional editing, it’s also often the first stage that authors skip when they want to keep costs low.

It is most beneficial when you know you’re weak at the craft of storytelling or know that your story has issues with plot or characters and need help to fix it.

Many successful indie authors bypass this stage entirely, relying on heavy self edits and valuable feedback from both peer beta readers and professional beta readers (more on this next).

Professional beta reading

Professional beta reading is a paid for structured feedback service offered by an experienced writer, reader, or editor savvy in specific genres. They are not casual / peer beta readers you often find within writing groups.

This stage of editing comes after self editing and peer beta readers, once your manuscript feels “finished” and you’re no longer expecting any major issues to be identified or any more major rewrites. It is the last “reader” checklist before you start the polishing stages of editing.

An author investing in a professional beta read should expect a detailed report and inline comments directly in their manuscript (usually via Track Changes in Word). The feedback generally covers topics such as:

• Overall reader experience and emotional impact
• Character relatability, likability, consistency, and development
• Pacing, tension, immersion, and flow
• Whether the story hooks, satisfies, and leaves the reader wanting more
• Identifies any lingering inconsistencies, plot holes, character issues, or immersion-breakers

Professional beta reading is very similar to developmental editing in that it focuses on the big picture rather than sentence level editing, however, its main focus is from a readers perspective over the quality of storytelling craft.

Who needs professional beta reading?

Almost all authors can benefit from professional beta reading. While this stage can be skipped if you have strong self editing skills and have several high-quality peer beta readers who have provided useful detailed feedback, it makes a great low cost alternative to developmental editing.

• Indie and self publishing authors who have self edited and had peer feedback but want a final objective, structured reader reality check before they invest in further stages of editing or publishing.
• Authors who want to know if readers will actually care about their character cast, feel the intended emotions at the intended time, stay hooked, and feel satisfied with the story’s ending.
• Authors on a budget who skipped developmental editing but still want/need affordable, high-quality feedback on the emotional depth, relatability, and immersion of their manuscript.
• Fantasy authors who want genre-savvy feedback from someone who understands the complexity of magic systems and world building along with the quirks of morally grey characters and high-stake character arcs.
• Authors who have received mixed or confusing feedback from peer beta readers and now want professional input without the price tag and invasiveness of a full developmental edit.

Who DOESN’T need professional beta reading?

As mentioned above, and similarly to developmental editing, not all authors will need professional beta reading, especially those that:

• Can afford and want a full developmental edit
• Authors who have extremely strong, reliable critique partners / peer beta readers who are giving consistent, detailed, useful feedback
• Authors who only want feedback on typos, spelling, grammar, or formatting

Pros of professional beta reading

• Affordable big-picture editing
  • At an average of £200-£500 per manuscript, professional beta reading offers a much more affordable alternative editing stage on the ‘big picture’ stuff compared to a full developmental edit, making it much more accessible to many indie and self publishing authors.
• Reader-centred feedback
  • The main focus of a professional beta read is how your manuscript is received by your target audience. Your future readers. The feedback you receive will aim to answer the main questions: will readers care? Stay hooked? Feel what I want them to?
• Genre specific feedback
  • A good professional beta reader who understands your genre can give you genre-specific feedback–this can absolutely game changing for genres like fantasy where things like complex magic systems can defy physics of the real world. Having a professional beta reader who understands these nuances rather than gets drawn out of immersion because of them, is vital.
• Actionable suggestions
  • A professional beta read focuses on what does and doesn’t work and will offer gentle suggestions to improve weak spots without the overwhelm of potential major rewrites.
• Confidence boost
  • Having a professional beta read can give authors a huge confidence boost before publishing, allowing them to feel like their story is reader-ready and just needs those final polishing stages before publishing. It can help authors feel more confident that they are negating their chances of bad reviews because of things like plot holes or the inability for readers to actually care about characters.
• Faster turnaround
  • Unlike other stages of editing–such as developmental editing–professional beta reading can have a much quicker turnaround. It can also be a lot quicker and a lot more reliable than peer beta reading as the editor is bound by contractual timeframes, unlike peers.

Cons of professional beta reading

• Still a monetary investment
  • Unlike peer beta reading, professional beta reading is still a monetary investment. At around £200-£500 per novel, it can still feel a stretch for indie and self publishing authors who are on a tight budget.
• No deep structure fixes
  • If your manuscript has major plot, character, or world building issues, a professional beta read will identify them but you wouldn’t get the same example fixes or how to’s as you would with a full developmental edit.
• Risk of late changes
  • If major issues are identified, you have to face the decision of attempting to fix or not which will most likely involve hefty rewrites and revisions. However, this is less common if the earlier stages of editing are more thorough.

Bottom line

Professional beta reading is highly valuable for most indie and self publishing authors, especially those writing fantasy where certain nuances exist. This stage of editing acts as the last major “does this story work for readers?” checkpoint before the final polish editing begins.

After heavy self edits and peer feedback, professional beta reading is the perfect next step once the story feels “finished” and structurally sound. If as an author, you are at the stage where you’re ready for honest audience validation but without the higher costs of developmental editing, professional beta reading could be exactly what you need.

A professional beta read will almost certainly guide you on whether a copy or line edit would be beneficial to you. While some professional beta readers may correct obvious spelling and typos, this isn’t the main focus nor is rewording awkward sentences or looking at your manuscript at sentence level.

If you’d like to know how a professional beta read could help you, get in touch.

Line / copy editing

Copy editing (often called line editing) is the first stage in the “polish” editing phase. Unlike developmental editing and professional beta reading which focus on ‘big picture’ issues, copy editing changes focus and concentrates on sentence level issues.

The main purpose of a copy edit is to improve flow, clarity, style, and readability of the manuscript while preserving your author voice and respecting creative choices with regards to spelling and grammar.

A copy edit can also include the refinement of:

• Sentence structure, rhythm, and flow
• Word choice, repetition, and awkward phrasing
• Clarity and precision (eliminating ambiguity)
• Consistency in style, tone, and voice
• Grammar, punctuation, spelling, and syntax (although arguably not the main focus)
• Transitions, dialogue tags, and paragraph breaks

The editor works directly in the manuscript generally using Track Changes in Word to make corrections, suggestions, and raise queries. If you invest in a copy edit, you should expect to receive a marked up document, and some editors also provide a short style sheet or summary of changes.

Who needs copy editing?

As with developmental editing, not every author will need copy editing. If you are going to skip any professional editing stages to help keep costs down, this is one stage that is optional unless you fall into one of the below, then it’s highly advised.

• Authors whose prose feels clunky, awkward, repetitive or unclear after self edits and beta feedback (peer or professional)
• Authors who have received feedback that specifically mentions awkward phrasing, confusing sentences or ambiguity
• Authors aiming for a professional polished read for their target audience but who struggle with sentence-level craft
• Indie authors with a larger budget who want every layer of refinement to their manuscript before publishing

Who DOESN’T need copy editing?

As mentioned above, not every author needs copy editing. If you fall into any of the following categories and want to keep costs low, you should feel comfortable with considering skipping this stage entirely.

• Authors whose prose is already clean, tight, and strong (writers are generally better at sentence craft than story structure)
• Authors on a very tight budget who can rely on heavy self edits and beta feedback to catch prose and sentence level issues

Pros of copy editing

• Smoother prose
  • A copy edit can vastly improve readability and flow without changing the actual story.
• Catches subtle issues
  • Problems like repetition, weak transitions, and ambiguity may seem small but they can pull readers out of their immersion. Especially when there’s confusion over who said what or what is being referenced. A copy edit can catch these subtle issues that can make a huge difference to the reader.
• Strengthens author’s voice
  • A good editor will enhance clarity while preserving style, which in turn strengthens your author voice.
• Builds craft knowledge
  • Just like a developmental edit can improve your story telling and structure, copy editing can help improve your craft at sentence level. By seeing changes and suggestions to your own writing, you’ll be in a position to learn what works better and why, allowing you to hone your craft and reduce the need for copy editing with future manuscripts.

Cons of copy editing

• Financial cost
  • While copy editing isn’t as expensive as developmental editing, it is still a financial investment, costing up to £1500 for a full length novel. This is why many indie and self publishing authors skip this stage as oftentimes, their budget doesn’t allow for copy editing.
• Time intensive
  • As with all rounds of editing, time can be a real bane for authors especially those who have already undertaken other stages of editing. With a general turnaround of 4-8 weeks, it can add extra time before publication that many authors just don’t have.
• Diminishing returns
  • If your prose is already strong, you may feel like you don’t get value for money. The stronger your sentence level craft, the less corrections and suggestions there will be which could result in you feeling like you didn’t get much value compared to the price.

Bottom line

Copy editing is extremely valuable but often skippable for indie and self publishing authors, especially in fantasy where style and voice are more important than in other genres.

This stage of editing sits between professional beta reading and proofreading, but only if feedback is suggesting consistent awkwardness, repetition, or ambiguity.

Proofreading

The final stage before publication, proofreading is performed after all other rounds of editing have been complete and all revisions and rewrites are finished.

Proofreading is a meticulous line-by-line check of the entire manuscript, focused solely on surface level errors and consistency issues that could distract the reader or undermine professionalism.

Proofreading generally identifies:

• Typos, spelling mistakes, and missed words
• Grammar, punctuation, and syntax
• Formatting inconsistencies–ie chapter titles, italics, scene breaks, indents, orphans and widows
• Consistency in details, for example character names, place names, capitalisation of words, UK vs US English
• Minor flow distractions such as awkward line breaks and missing spaces
• Repeated words or obvious phrasing issues that slipped through previous rounds of editing, although this is not the main focus and shouldn’t be expected

It is important to note that proofreading aims to change as little as possible and especially does not encourage any rewriting. It is the final quality control check rather than a stage of editing where you should expect to do any revisions or rewrites.

Proofreaders generally work in Word with Track Changes and as an author, you should expect to receive a marked up document, a clean document, and a short summary note. Proofreading aims to make corrections without rewriting or changing your style or author voice.

Who needs proofreading?

Virtually every single author no matter their skill or experience level will need proofreading. However, it is especially crucial for:

• Indie and self publishing authors who want a professional, error-free final manuscript that’s ready for publishing
• Authors who have completed major rewrites and revisions, undergone several rounds of beta feedback and any copy edits
• Authors whose story is structurally strong but who want to eliminate embarrassing distractions like typos and spelling errors
• Fantasy authors who have made up words such as names, place names, terminology or even their own language and need consistency checks
• Anyone who’s planning or is ready to publish–even traditionally published books undergo proofreading

Who DOESN’T need proofreading?

While I’ve been transparent about what stages of editing can be skipped, realistically, proofreading is on par with self editing in that is virtually non-negotiable. Skipping proofreading before publication could turn out to be a hugely embarrassing and costly mistake. The only time skipping proofreading can realistically be considered is:

• Writers planning to keep their work private
• Authors who are not yet ready to publish
• Authors who are extremely meticulous with self editing and proofreading. However, this is extremely high risk. Any professional writer will tell you how difficult it is to proofread your own work.

Pros of proofreading

• Final professional polish
  • Proofreading is the final quality control check before a manuscript is published. It aims to catch any errors that have slipped through every previous editing stage, catching things that even the most meticulous writers and editors may have missed.
• Protects immersion
  • As an author, the last thing you want is for your readers immersion to break just because they’ve noticed that suddenly your character’s name is spelt differently in this chapter than the last or there are obvious spelling mistakes scattered throughout the book. As an author, you want to keep your readers in the story and a final polish proofread can help protect reader immersion.
• Affordable
  • As the most affordable stage of professional editing (alongside professional beta reading), proofreading is accessible to all authors no matter what route of publishing they’re seeking.
• Quicker turnaround
  • As well as the most affordable, proofreading is also the quickest round of editing.
• Preserves author voice
  • Because proofreading aims to actually change as little as possible, its promotes the preservation of your author voice. A good proofreader will leave stylistic and creative “rule breaks” if they are intended.
• Reduces risk
  • Proofreading helps reduce the risk of bad reviews once your book is published that complain about spelling mistakes, typos, or formatting issues.

Cons of proofreading

• Financial investment
  • Although more affordable than other rounds of editing, proofreading is still a financial investment which can be daunting or scary for indie authors who don’t necessarily have large budgets to work with so getting the right editor is a huge choice.
• Limited scope
  • By its very nature, proofreading focuses on surface level line-by-line errors. It will not identify big picture problems such as plot holes or weak character arcs. No amount of proofreading will fix fundamental structural issues.
• Over reliance
  • Many authors skip previous rounds of editing, expecting proofreading to pick up all the issues that would be identified by other stages. This can lead to the author feeling disappointed because the reality of a proofread doesn’t match their expectations.
• Can be minimal
  • Because the purpose of proofreading is to catch any errors that have slipped through previous rounds of editing, if there have been solid edits previously–whether self edits, peer feedback, or professional editing–a manuscript can find its way to a proofreader already very clean, meaning there would be very minimal changes or corrections.

Bottom line

Proofreading really is a non-negotiable stage for almost every author. Whether you’re looking to self publish or go down the traditional publishing route, all manuscripts have a final proofread before publication.

As an author, the last thing you want is to have put months and years worth of hard work, love, tears and endless hours into writing your novel just to jeopardise its reception with readers by silly or embarrassing mistakes which would easily be picked up with a final polish proofread.

If you’re an author who’s at the proofreading stage and are researching different editors, then feel free to get in touch for a no obligation chat and see how I could help you.