Substantive editing refers to a detailed and thorough examination of a piece of writing to improve its content, structure, and overall quality. It involves making significant changes, such as reorganizing paragraphs, enhancing clarity, and ensuring that the main points are effectively conveyed.
Substantive editing helps to make the writing more engaging, cohesive, and better aligned with its intended purpose.
Full definition
In fiction,
substantive editing focuses on things like structure, character, mood, style, and other elements that help deliver effective storytelling.
Many editors use the
term substantive editing to refer to developmental editing; in this case, I'm referring to something in between developmental editing and line editing.
As we've explained in a previous post,
substantive editing involves looking at big - picture things such as narrative and character development, pacing, consistency of voice, and chapter organization.
Unlike developmental editing, which covers the big - picture issues and deep - level restructuring,
substantive editing deals with the actual prose.
A good term paper editing company will assist you
with substantive editing and can also help with formatting and text's style.
All of these steps and stages are important, but in my own case, I felt that there was no substitute
for substantive editing since it requires a high degree of experience, knowledge of the genre I was writing in (crime fiction), and a kind of understanding of the whole project, not just individual pieces.
Developmental editing is also referred to
as substantive editing focuses more on development and organization of the project while Comprehensive Dissertation Copy - Editing deals with style, convention, and grammar.
Kennan Ward Photography I did
substantive editing on all of Kennan's five books, the latest of which was published in October of 2001.
My basic service includes proofreading and copy - editing of work that you've polished, but I also offer
substantive editing if you think your book may need surgery beyond the cosmetic.
Whether your «story» is your first novel, a brochure for your business, or a resumé that needs another pair of eyes, Premier Editing provides affordable proofreading, copy editing, and
substantive editing services for all types of business, student, and personal needs.
I highly recommend getting two rounds of proofreading / copyediting, especially if you DO need developmental /
substantive editing before the book goes to your copyeditor.
Plus, the Brewers Association has written acknowledgment from the Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) that a revised Certificate of Label Approval (COLA) is not needed for label changes where the addition of the independent craft brewer seal is the
only substantive edit.
I'm often asked about my role as a developmental editor — what I do, why it matters, and if this service includes other forms of editing such as proofreading and line editing, or
even substantive editing.
In practice you'll probably do
many substantive edits, going through a number of partial and complete drafts of your book, and then just do a single copy edit at the end, once the manuscript is finished in every other respect.
More than three years»
experience substantive editing and Americanizing of craft books, cookbooks, and magazines previously published in Japan and Britain for the American audience.
A self - confessed grammar nerd and lover of language and words, Stacey is an independent editor who offers
thoughtful substantive editing (for non-fiction only), and copyediting and proofreading services (for fiction and non-fiction).
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Substantive editing occurs earlier in the writing process than copy editing or stylistic editing, and does not concern itself as directly with the correctness of the author's prose (such as spelling, grammar, and punctuation).
Instead of simple typographical edits, he came back with
enormous substantive edits and ideas for more material and a comment that it was a «good start.»
Stylistic editing (sometimes
called substantive editing) involves going beyond the technical issues addressed by copy editing and looking at some of the artistic choices made by the writer with regard to clarity, flow, and overall language use.
The range for editing is even bigger, from a few hundred dollars for copyediting to a few thousand dollars
for substantive edits.
My experience includes proofreading, copyediting, and
substantive editing across a variety of genres, with near - future sci - fi, young adult mystery, and middle grade fantasy being the most recent.
Editing is a bit of a minefield, as editors differ greatly on the services they offer and on what items they check for, and I don't just mean the difference between developmental editing (also known
as substantive editing or big picture editing) and copy - editing.
To get this information, I would ask your publisher (and the editor) the following questions: Do you think my book needs any developmental /
substantive editing before I go into copyediting?
Substantive editing on a book the size of More Than Two, or Emily Bingham's upcoming book, Diary of a Rope Fiend, easily runs into a month or two of full - time work.
When
more substantive editing is required, I work one - on - one with the author to address weaknesses in story structure, inconsistent pacing, poor character development, and contrivances.
He and an editing partner were responsible for setting the special issue's scope, soliciting manuscripts,
substantive editing, and so on — the usual editorial tasks.