This can be called an evaluation, critique, report, analysis, or, you know, that letter the editor writes. Here you give me your draft and I read it without editing or commenting on the actual manuscript. Instead, I will take lots of notes and then package them all up nice and pretty for you. I will point out areas that are working well, and areas that could be improved. You will have a document that is part letter and part style sheet. If you’ve ever used an alpha or beta reader, this is like that on steroids.

Rebecca, that sounds like it could be helpful, but wouldn’t I get the same information and more with a developmental edit?

In some ways yes. (And if you are wondering what a developmental edit is, that’s next in this list.) This is more about your style. Some authors want an overall critique but are not ready for more scrutiny than that. Maybe they want to make their own big changes first. Not every author will use every form of editing. Sure, it might be very useful to go through every step, but in reality, most authors pick and choose what’s right for their goals.

Oh boy! You’ve written a thing! That’s wonderful. Now what? Well, often writers hire a developmental editor (titles like substantive, structural, and content, are synonymous.) In this role, I’m going to read your whole manuscript. I’m not going to pay attention to grammar or authorial voice. Instead, I will look at the plot, characters, settings, and timelines, and I will let you know what is and isn’t working. You will get detailed feedback on what needs explaining, where you need to expand, and what you could do without. I might suggest changing the order of things, and maybe even advise removing whole chapters.

“But Rebecca, I love that chapter! I think it’s quintessential to my story.”

I could include here all the quotes from writers about separating your ego from your writing. I agree with that for the most part, but there is also the question of what you plan to do with your precious, precious project. If this is a story you want to publish, then I would recommend you find some of those quotes and learn to love them.

So, you’ve got a solid plot and your characters are fleshed out. Sounds like your story’s structure is in pretty good shape and you’re ready for the next step. Now is when I get to really dig in and have fun. Line editing is some of my favorite work. It’s the craft to your art. I might fix your grammar and I might correct your punctuation, but what I’m really looking at now is your voice. How does the sentence sound? Does it make sense? Does it work with the flow of the other sentences? Does it add to your story? There might also be a small amount of developmental editing involved in the process. I might see how a paragraph would work better earlier or that a description needs to be fully reworked, and I may give examples of how to reword things for clarity. I might say to you, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

“Rebecca, is that a quote from The Princess Bride?”

Yes; what of it?

Now let’s get to those metaphorical nuts and bolts. This is where my shiny certificate from the University of Chicago comes in. You heard right, I’m a certified copyeditor. This is when I will closely inspect your manuscript, fix all your spelling, grammatical, usage, and punctuation errors. I will make you a beautiful and—more importantly—useful style sheet.

“What on earth is a style sheet?”

Oh, that? It’s in my FAQs. Click here to learn all about them.

Copyediting is usually done in a couple passes. I edit, you accept or reject those edits plus add any other small changes, then you send that back to me. Lastly, I finalize all of the decisions and send you a clean (ready to go to the next stage) copy of your document.

I put this in because a lot of folks in the indie publishing industry use “proofreader” the way I use “copyeditor.” Technically, a proofreader needs a proof to work from. A proofread in the technical sense is comparing the final clean copy from the copyeditor and the copy that goes to print (digital or paper). A proofreader compares both texts and makes sure they match.

“So, now I can say I need a copyeditor and really impress editors?”

Yes, they won’t just be impressed, they will be relieved they don’t have to explain it all again.

I don’t want to give you general advice here. I can only speak to the communities I am personally connected with. My work with disabled children (including my own son) and being a part of the LGBTQIA+ community means I feel comfortable speaking to aspects of these communities. For other issues of diversity and sensitivity, you should find someone who can speak to those topics.

“Rebecca, I’m still a bit unclear why I might need a sensitivity reader.”

Let me highlight an example from a conversation I had. They asked me about using “person first” or “difference first” when discussing people with disabilities. This is an important question. The topic is still widely debated, but I find that the second is more common. I think it fits with how the LGBTQIA+ community uses labels. My elder son would say he is a trans man. Not a man who is trans. I would call myself a queer woman, not a woman who is queer. But it's still often a personal choice.

We have become more aware of how disability is often erased from media like TV, movies, and books (look at any “diverse” story and you will see that disability is rarely shown). My younger son, who has a number of disabilities, says he doesn’t care either way.

So, using person first language if you are not part of a community is likely a safe bet. But if you have a disabled character in your story, you might be better off using difference first language when they refer to themselves.

These are extremely nuanced subjects, and that’s what a sensitivity reader is there for. So that I can help you treat your world and characters with the sensitivity they deserve.

The more you are able to match your sensitivity reader to your specific characters/situations the better.