The five stages of editing (and why each is important)

Readers may still pick up your book and even forgive it if it has an odd cover or underwhelming blurb.

But if they open up the text to find language, punctuation, and plot errors all over, they will definitely give up there.

We say this not to scare you, but to lend our voices to the chorus of experts who urge you to take this part of writing seriously.

One of those gurus, David Gaughran, has dug up a previous post on the five stages of editing and refreshed it so that it can continue to help writers.

His post explains the purpose (and value) of each stage of editing and shares recommendations for how to find a qualified editor who’s right for your work.

Related posts 

• What to ask for and expect from an editor 

• Take it from an editor: How to edit your own novel